Every year, our supporting Check Point, number 9, always means a challenge, to both the tired, exhausted runners as well as the volunteers. It's because we need to provide an overnight support service in an restricted area.
This year’s Hong Kong 100 took place during the coldest day that Hong Kong has experienced in six decades, with temperatures falling below zero on the course’s highest peak, Tai Mo Shan. As a result of the cold weather, a lot of local “frost chasers” drove their cars up to Tai Mo Shan in the hope of experiencing snow in Hong Kong for the first time in their lives. This resulted in total traffic gridlock to and from the finish point and on the last 2.5 km of the route and the consequent decision to re-route the last part of the course onto trail and away from the congested road to ensure safety of the participants and volunteers. A decision was made to call off the race after about 21 hours because ice formed overnight on the last 6 km of the route, making the run in to the finish treacherous.
The annoucement did disappoint a lot of runners who reached our CP. It was becasue most of the runners who reached our CP did not aware of the adverse weather conditions up in Tai Mo Shan, and to finish the race also meant a lot to them. We had to deal with a lot their emotional feelings. Even worse was that some runners were reported missing, so we had to handle with the police as well as firemen at the same time. It was one of the chaotic situations we had never encountered! Afterall, the best news was that all missing runners had been reported safe!
This year’s Hong Kong 100 took place during the coldest day that Hong Kong has experienced in six decades, with temperatures falling below zero on the course’s highest peak, Tai Mo Shan. As a result of the cold weather, a lot of local “frost chasers” drove their cars up to Tai Mo Shan in the hope of experiencing snow in Hong Kong for the first time in their lives. This resulted in total traffic gridlock to and from the finish point and on the last 2.5 km of the route and the consequent decision to re-route the last part of the course onto trail and away from the congested road to ensure safety of the participants and volunteers. A decision was made to call off the race after about 21 hours because ice formed overnight on the last 6 km of the route, making the run in to the finish treacherous.
The annoucement did disappoint a lot of runners who reached our CP. It was becasue most of the runners who reached our CP did not aware of the adverse weather conditions up in Tai Mo Shan, and to finish the race also meant a lot to them. We had to deal with a lot their emotional feelings. Even worse was that some runners were reported missing, so we had to handle with the police as well as firemen at the same time. It was one of the chaotic situations we had never encountered! Afterall, the best news was that all missing runners had been reported safe!
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