Chui Ling from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Consider this – the distance by air line between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong are 306km, 1434km and 2,585km respectively. But travel time to get to a race such as Translantau in Hong Kong may actually be shorter than to races within ASEAN.
Strange but true. Convenience and accessibility to race locations may be a strong factor in deciding which international race we will go to.
If for example, you had taken part in the recently concluded Tranlantau 25km – TL25 with a 7-hr cut-off time – you could technically have done it over a weekend without the need to take any work leave days! You may have had heavy meeting schedules on Friday afternoon and Monday morning, but you could have slipped out to Hong Kong for the race in between.
How? Sneak out on a Saturday 1:25am flight on Cathay Pacific. Get into Hong Kong International Airport before 6am. Take a 30-min cab ride to Mui Wo Pier; you would have spent under 7hrs in total to travel. Then have breakfast, check in. Then collect your race pack. Rest. Start the race at 10am on Sunday. Once done, clean up and head to Tung Chung by cab or bus. There is an outlet mall there; eat and shop. Then continue with a 7-min cab ride to the airport. Fly out before 9pm and you will be back home just past midnight!
With all due respect to races in ASEAN (every race has its unique attractions), you may want to recall the amount of time you would have taken to take that bus ride up north from Malaysia. Or the connecting bus you would need to take from Bangkok airport up to Khao Yai. Those travelling durations would easily be in excess of 7 hrs.
Thus, the popularity of Translantau by UTMB for international runners. In this year’s edition, it attracted more than 2,000 runners, including 45% coming from 50 nationalities. Runners from China, Singapore and Malaysia topped the list of international runners.
Indonesian supporter
Things to see and do
Other than racing on Lantau Island, there are many sightseeing opportunities too. Hong Kong Tourism Board hosted some members of the media and elite runners to Tai O fishing village and Ngong Ping on the island. These are tourist stops as well as race checkpoints for the 100KM and 129KM categories.
But really, if time permits, you should spend more time in Hong Kong if time permits. There are lots of places to hike all over Hong Kong. And if you need to get back to the city, there is a regular, direct ferry service from Mui Wo Pier to Central. And you can eat, shop and indulge yourself in Kowloon, Mong Kok or Wan Chai.
Read the course review on Translantau 25 https://toughasia.com/translantau25-suitable-for-your-beginner-overseas-trail-run-journey/
Start planning for your 2024 trail race now!
