Friends Reunite 38 Years Later for Oxfam Trailwalker
TRAILME: Congratulations on your Oxfam performance, Jack! How did you discover trail walking?
Jack: At the end of 2016, I was overweight, I should say obese. Billy is a sportsman. Christmas Day 2016, Billy said you should come with me. He said you’re forty years old, you might have hypertension, diabetes, and who knows what else. So I said ok, ok, I’ll come with you. Two weeks later we started hiking and we went to Tai Mo Shan. We saw the sign for the MacLehose trail. And we were both new to hiking, so we had no idea what to expect. Then we discovered it’s 100K long. And we looked it up and discovered people did in one go. They must be crazy, I thought. Billy said, let’s do it. I told him that I’d support him. Then he said, no, you have to do it with me. I said no way! I told him if I walked twenty kilometers I’d have to rest for three days. He kept insisting. So I joined boxing class and went jogging with him and lost around twenty kilos in one year, with Billy training me.
TRAILME: That’s a wonderful story.
Turns out there were a lot of people who join the Oxfam Trailwalker, but there wasn’t a full team to represent our local Sikh community. So we made a team. We looked for others to join. Our motivation is to bring in older people from our community to engage — because in our community, after retirement, folks just hide themselves away, so we wanted to encourage them to take up sports. We wanted to create a senior team. We also wanted a ladies team. Our plan is to grow and encourage others in the community to join hiking and take up sports.
TRAILME: It looks like you’re succeeding in inspiring others to join. You’ve completed the Oxfam Trailwalker multiple times now. What was different this year?
This year’s team was a special reunion — the Batch of ’94. The four of us were classmates since we were six years old, all through primary and secondary school. We’ve known each other for thirty-eight years!
On the trail, in an ordinary year you see thousands of people out and walking together. It’s a great energy. I still appreciate TrailMe app and Oxfam for making it possible this year. At least we kept going with a virtual run, after last year’s cancellation. The Trailwalker gives us a reason to keep training.
TRAILME: Billy tells us you’re the mentally resilient one.
I just know that when we have a target, we have to finish it. Billy takes the lead, but I’m always at the rear. I say on my watch no one is going to get hurt, no one has to worry about cramps or taking ill, because I’m a medic, I’ll look after them.
And if someone is going to drop out, I can always talk them into staying. I was almost a hundred kilos when I started hiking, so I know how difficult it can be. I tell others my story, I tell them you can do it too.
TRAILME: Do you have a favourite trail in Hong Kong?
I like The Twins — Ma Kong Shan. It’s near my home. 1,300 stairs in one go, you can train hard in a really short time. The best part is that once the hike is done, I can just walk back home. Convenience plus good views.
TRAILME: Any words of advice for others new to trail walking?
Trail walking is good for you no matter what age you are. It’s just a matter of time and practice. Everyone can do it.
The other thing I noticed is that hikers need to be well equipped with food and water. New trail walkers often carry very little water. As a nurse I always carry 500ml of water in my backpack — rescue water, not for me, but for someone who really needs water. Few years ago there were hardly any drinking points, now it’s getting better. It’s important to stay hydrated.
Of course, physical fitness is important, but mental resilience is the real difference. There are so many who want to give up at some point. I tell them, if you give up, don’t you have to walk home from here? I say, imagine you’re walking home now, and keep moving. That’s why they made me captain. They said, anybody can be physically fit, but you keep us going!
We wish Jack and his mates the very best for the future. Stay healthy, keeping walking!
