Kicking off the new year with epic run | Cultural Exchange | Bernard Charnwut Chan

The Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge grew out of a solo project in 2012, when Hong Kong-based German runner Andre Blumberg set himself the personal challenge of running all four of the city’s long-distance trails in four days. Since then, it has become one of the toughest ultra-running events in the world, and this year’s edition reinforced that reputation.

At 5am on the first day of Lunar New Year, 26 runners set off to link the city’s four major long-distance trails – MacLehose, Wilson, Hong Kong, and Lantau – in a single push covering about 298 kilometers and more than 14,500 meters of climbing.

Hong Kong adds its own distinctive edge: steep concrete steps, abrupt transitions to exposed ridgelines, and winter weather that can shift from humid to bitterly cold overnight. With no aid stations, pacers or official support, runners rely on their crews – and their own judgement – from village paths to ferry piers.

HK4TUC is an invitation-only race with a small, carefully selected field. The format is straightforward: reach the green post box by the Mui Wo ferry pier within 60 hours, and you are a “finisher.” Arrive within 72 hours and you are a “survivor.” There are no medals or prize money – just a handshake from the organizer and, for many, a well-earned nap on a nearby bench.

Most entrants are seasoned endurance athletes, yet only a few have finished HK4TUC before. What sets them apart is not raw speed but mindset: the ability to function without sleep and navigate without GPS watches or music.

Internationally, HK4TUC is often mentioned alongside Italy’s Tor des Geants, the Barkley Marathons in the United States, and the newer generation of 385.7 km races such as Moab 240.

The format of this very special event remains deliberately low-profile, grows largely through word of mouth, and attracts a small circle of ultra-runners from Hong Kong and overseas who keep coming back. They are not there for attention but for something much more personal – a quiet test of limits and resolve.