TRAILME: You’ve attempted the Oxfam Trailwalker for so many years now. Tell us about your trail walking team? 

Five years ago, when we first started, we told ourselves we’re going to complete the Oxfam Trailwalker every year. We liked the format. Because you have four people in a team, you can all have different strengths. I’ll definitely say I’m in good shape physically, but our captain Jack is strong mentally. When we first attempted Oxfam, Jack was overweight. But once we started training, he gained his health. He’s a nurse, so if he doesn’t sleep at night it’s ok — he can keep going, and going. But for me, I can only stay up in the day. At night I definitely need my sleep. And one of our teammates has great memory. He knows the trail, he remembers the trail numbers, the posts, so he really helps out. One year one of our teammates wore a turban. So when we were competing, others were curious — they were curious about his turban! They were very keen to know our background. We brought very different skills together and that’s why we made a great team. 

How has your experience this year been different? 

Our main target was for the four of us to complete the race together. Apart from the support we get from Oxfam, everything else felt the same — the trail, of course the atmosphere was different. Usually, you have everyone cheering you on, and a big crowd, that was missing. But we stayed together as a team and pushed ourselves to finish the race — so that part stayed the same. 

How often do you train? 

Because this year we have new members, we try to train every week. On Saturdays. We run ten to twenty kilometers together. But when we first took up trail walking, we mostly trained twice a week. 

What’s your favourite part about trail walking as a team? 

My team members keep me going. When you go alone, you might give up. Ah I’m tired today. I’ll just stop. I’m not in a good mood. I’m not feeling well. The weather isn’t great. It’s raining. But when you have friends beside you, or you know your team mates will show up, then it’s very different. If just one of us turns up, the others will turn up eventually. Call it peer pressure, but in a good way.  

I’m fitter than Jack, but he’s mentally resilient. So our target is just not to let him overtake us. If he does catch up with us, then we really grit our teeth and push ahead. And he’ll try and get ahead, and we’ll try and keep up. It’s how we motivate each other. A little friendly competition! 

Is there one memorable memory from all your years as a trail walker? 

That would have to be the time we landed up in a village that was off the trail path and three or four dogs began chasing us. And we were already exhausted, but we turned around, and started running like crazy. But once the dogs were at the boundary of the village they just stopped. So I guess they were protecting their territory. Those dogs, those we remember very well. 

Do you have a favourite trail in Hong Kong? 

MacLehose, Section 4! It’s tough, but you enjoy some great views, so well worth it. 

Do you have any advice for others new to trail walking? 

My advice is that we are born to walk, we must walk. Now you can decide whether you want to walk while shopping, or you want to walk outdoors. And walking in nature is so much better. You can enjoy the fresh air and great views. Whenever we introduce others to trail walking, we tell them to take it gradually — walk first, then run. Trail running needs balance and good joints, so you have to be careful. First walk, and train, and when you’re comfortable, then begin running. 

We wish Billy the very best as he inspires others to take up trail walking in Hong Kong. Stay healthy, and keep up the good work! 

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!