Wong Ho-chung

Wong Ho-Chung launched the ultra-running initiative Project Endless in May 2022, when he ran from Lantau to Tsing Yi, Sheung Shui, Ma On Shan and Lei Yue Mun, before taking a ferry to Sai Wan Ho continue the run from to Kennedy Town—a total of 500km across five days. “Imagine if my participants and I can run in the desert, Iceland, the Amazon Rainforest, Angkor Wat or see the pyramids in Egypt along the way,” he says. “Ultra running is one of the best ways to visit cultural sites.”

He came up with the idea when he took on the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge in February 2022, an almost 300km route that stretches along the MacLehose, Wilson, Hong Kong and Lantau Trails; previously, in his decade of ultra running, the furthest Wong had raced was 160km over 24 hours. But he realised that, by taking a small break between sections while his wife drove him to the next trail, he could recuperate and carry on. “That got me thinking, there’s no knowing how far I could run and how far I can push myself,” he says.

With Project Endless, he wants to find out if, with the appropriate rest time and replenishment, humans can run endlessly. Using himself as an experiment, he set out to look for a sustainable mode of running by stocking up on food and drink in shops along the way, covering the distance during the day and finding shelter at night, and using public facilities for basic cleaning up, all the while carrying his own equipment.

Wong believes that Hong Kong is a great place to train as there is a vast variety in terms of trail length and difficulty; plus the proximity of trails to the city means runners can fuel up in town between runs. “There are also so many uncharted, beautiful spots to discover,” he adds.

But ultra running isn’t only about covering distances. “It moulds you into a better person,” Wong says. “I realise ultra running isn’t only about speed; it teaches me how to adapt to the ever changing weather conditions in the wild. It doesn’t matter if you’re don’t have a head start or good grades at school. It’s about perseverance,” he says.

He used this approach when he previously served as a mentor to young offenders. “I took them on a run in the countryside,” Wong recalls. “I wanted to create a community where my mentees could have a circle of peer and mentors if they need to be listened to.” This inspired him to set up The Peak Hunter Foundation in 2015 (a charity since 2018), where he works full-time as an ultra running and life coach, working with eight to 24-year-olds.

“I want to help them build up the right mind-set to face challenges or relieve stress by re-connecting with nature—things that the current generation can be lacking,” he says. “Ultra running can give them that.”