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  • It's about eight in the morning, where 1,800 people have gathered to run 100 kilometers.

  • That's more than 60 miles.

  • I'm in Hong Kong exploring the booming growth of ultramarathons.

  • While a normal marathon is enough of a challenge for most, more and more runners are tackling

  • distances longer than the standard 26.2 miles.

  • Hong Kong 100 is an annual event that takes place through Hong Kong's many scenic trails,

  • and participants have come from all over the world.

  • From India.

  • Thailand.

  • Germany.

  • I'm from Canada.

  • I'm from the U.S.

  • I'm from Korea.

  • And while this is the first race of this calibre for many,

  • I think I've found the ultra-fan of ultramarathons.

  • This is John.

  • He's completed 17 ultramarathons in the past year alonerunning more than 1,400

  • kilometers in competitions.

  • That's more than the distance between New York and Chicago!

  • Not to mention the distance he's climbed at these races is around 65,000 meters.

  • That's equivalent to the height of Mount Everest's base camp

  • to the peak 18.5 times over!

  • We meet up for a light jog two days before the race.

  • Would you consider it a passion or addiction?

  • Probably a bit of both.

  • John is a busy guy.

  • Aside from his regular extreme races, he works as an investment manager,

  • and is married with two small kids.

  • Hong Kong is such a hectic place to livethere's always things happening

  • from 6 am in the morning to 11pm

  • and for me, being able to get out and run and just escape that, get into nature,

  • all I'm thinking about is my foot falls, it's the way I relax.

  • Well that's quite inspiring that 100k is your way to relax, I'm truly inspired.

  • In fact, he's so obsessed with the sport, he even started a few companies on the side

  • from his full-time job.

  • One of them is called T8, a trail running sportswear brand that makes breathable

  • sports gear specifically designed for long runs.

  • We have an integrated running band, so it can hold your phone, soft flask, your keys...

  • The price of a pair of shorts is $62.

  • And make no mistake.

  • You may think running is an inexpensive sport.

  • But for long-distance trail runners like John, costs can easily go into

  • the thousands of dollars.

  • Pair of shoes: $200. Your GPS watch, that could be $300 or $400, you're gonna

  • need shorts, obviously your t-shirt, you've got hiking poles, that could be another

  • $200, then you got your backpack, that's another $150, coming over, that's the flights,

  • there's gonna be the entrance fees, you've got your hotels, you've got your taxis to

  • the start and the finish.

  • And add in $20 for this tiny phone that John brings with him in case of an emergency.

  • This phone is meant for runners as a way to minimize

  • the amount of weight they bring.

  • It's race day.

  • I'm nervous, scared, excited. Everything.

  • Excited.

  • Super excited.

  • Like a kid on Christmas Eve. It's gonna be great.

  • Excellent. Awesome.

  • While the top runners could finish in as little as 11 hours, all participants

  • have a total of 30 hours to complete the course.

  • The HK 100 course starts in Hong Kong's Sai Kung, and goes across some of the city's

  • most dense hills and mountains, before finishing with Hong Kong's highest peak and a 4 kilometer

  • descent to the finish line in Tai Mo Shan Country Park.

  • In this city, there's no in between.

  • Hong Kong is one of the world's most dense cities and is home to the most skyscrapers

  • in the world.

  • And still, there are extensive trails which support events like this one.

  • Concrete jungle, skyscrapers everywhere, didn't really think about the outdoors

  • but you get here and it's amazing.

  • 70% of Hong Kong when you look at a map, is actually country park.

  • It's all the steep stuff that they couldn't build on and it's so convenient as well.

  • I can leave my office and run for 10 minutes

  • and I'm in a country park.

  • And there's not many places in the world you can do that.

  • This is Hong Kong's hidden secret, its countryside.

  • And it's absolutely stunning.

  • There's quite a lot of logistics that goes into a race like this.

  • Besides the setting up and taking down the starting line and the finish line,

  • each runner has a bag that they can fill up and they can access later in the race.

  • And they can put things like certain foods, that will help them replenish all the calories

  • they're losing, they can put a flashlight in there, because many of them are gonna be

  • running through the night. So, the volunteers are essentially taking

  • the bags to the midpoint of the race so that runners can access their stuff.

  • Trail races are growing in popularity.

  • Just look at this one, which is in its tenth year.

  • In the first, organizers say they struggled to get 200 runners.

  • This year, they say they received nearly 8,000 applications for the 1,800 spots available.

  • The number of trail races in China have blown up in the last decade.

  • In 2009, there were just two.

  • That ballooned to 457 by 2018.

  • It's a relatively new sport in Asia and people are discovering all these different

  • places you can go and travel to, so it is growing exponentially.

  • The world's trying to get fitter, you have all these people looking for the next sport,

  • and trail running for me is just such a logical place.

  • You've got some good trails around.

  • It's been about 11 hours since runners started on the starting line

  • and I've now come to the finish line where they've set up the stage

  • it seems like it really is the ultimate test of human endurance.

  • It's not just the runners' friends and family watching on.

  • Companies are pouring in their money too, with several brands

  • sponsoring individual runners.

  • Northface is my title sponsor.

  • They support me so much, even some coaching.

  • I got picked up by Hoka One One.

  • They started to invest a lot in athletes

  • The technology here is really quite advanced.

  • You can go on their website, you can actually track the runners in real time.

  • John arrives at around 12 and a half hours after starting the race,

  • that's about thirty minutes slower than he was hoping for.

  • But he's pleasantly surprised to see his wife and kid waiting at the finish line.

  • After all, despite the accomplishment, given the frequency of his races,

  • this isn't a very remarkable occasion for this family.

  • You get this sense of euphoria, because all these people supporting you, who mean a lot

  • to you, are rooting for you and cheering you on, and, yeah,

  • that's pretty special.

  • I love the challenge, I love being out there, and just being one with nature,

  • just getting away from the craziness that is Hong Kong,

  • it just grounds me and centers me, it's my meditation.

  • Hey guys, it's Uptin, thanks for watching.

  • Check out more of our videos and let me know in the comments what you think

  • about extreme sports. While you're at it, subscribe to our channel

  • and I'll see you next time.

It's about eight in the morning, where 1,800 people have gathered to run 100 kilometers.

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