TransLantau

The TransLantau race is an incredible endurance event which challenges runners to conquer the hills and valleys of Hong Kong’s biggest island.

Usually, runners gather in the dark at midnight on February 28th for the start of this grueling 100km race across Hong Kong’s largest island. However, due to the coronavirus, getting everyone together in a small space is a bit risky. Instead, organisers are calling this year’s even a “hybrid” event and it is being run over three months. This means that competitors can start and finish the event at any time using the event’s GPS guided app.

Now in its 10th year, TransLantau runs a beautiful but challenging route covering Lantau’s most scenic trails. Runners will start by going through the Chi Ma Wan peninsula, climbing up to the Big Buddha at Ngong Ping, down into Tai O, back across the island and on to the Olympic Trail, to finish again at Mui Wo.

During the race, runners will also have to conquer Lantau Peak, the second-highest mountain in Hong Kong at an elevation of 934 metres, and Sunset Peak, at 854 metres.

Usually, there is a cut off with competitors required to finish the route within 33 hours, with checkpoints throughout the race. Given the virtual nature of the 2021 event, this won’t be the case for this year.

Registration for the TransLantau is often completely full, so if you’ve missed out in the past you can at least test yourself in the virtual event.