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<\/a><\/p>\nHong Kong is a huge metropolis, but it contains thousands of kilometers of trails. This juxtaposition of civilization and nature makes a perfect backdrop for the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge. All images are screenshots from the film \u201cFour Trails.\u201d<\/p>\n
The challenge was created by local ultrarunner and German expat Andre Blumberg. Blumberg, motivated to get out of a midlife fitness rut, wondered if he could link together Hong Kong\u2019s four major trails in one go. In 2012, he completed the route over four days, covering 298 kilometers (185 miles) and 14,500 meters (47,572 feet) of climbing.<\/p>\n
While on his own health journey, Andre Blumberg founded the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge, which has taken on cult status for Eastern and Western adventure runners.<\/p>\n The four trails are the 100-kilometer MacLehose Trail, 78k Wilson Trail, 50k Hong Kong Trail, and 70k Lantau Trail. They each pose unique challenges, including vert, technicality, endless stone stairs, navigation, heat, humidity, and, quite notably, monkeys, all while you time your transitions between each trail via subway, ferry, and car through the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n In 2013, Blumberg invited other runners to join the challenge, setting a strict 72-hour target. The challenge quickly caught on with the local community, and the finishing goal was soon reduced to 60 hours. The rarity of sub-60-hour finishers stands as a testament to its brutal difficulty \u2014 as of 2026, there\u2019ve been 38 finishers. Those who finish the course in under 72 hours earn an equally revered title of \u201csurvivor.\u201d Each of these hard-earned honors are traditionally celebrated with a champagne spray upon reaching the iconic green mailbox marking the challenge\u2019s finish.<\/p>\n Jacky Leung becomes the first person to break 50 hours in the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge.<\/p>\n Perhaps humorously for everyone but the participants, over the years, as more runners complete the challenge, Blumberg has found ways to increase the difficulty by limiting runners\u2019 crew to only the start and end of each trail system and by banning poles, music, drop bags, and pacers.<\/p>\n Now, after 15 editions, the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge has earned a cult status among Eastern and Western adventure runners alike. So, what better way to celebrate than with a feature-length film? \u201cFour Trails,\u201d directed by Robin Lee, follows a select group of runners who took on the race\u2019s 2021 edition. While it is rare for a niche trail-running documentary to make waves at the box office, \u201cFour Trails\u201d broke the mold during its theatrical run in its hometown, grossing an incredible 10 million Hong Kong Dollars ($1.27 million), making it the second-highest-grossing documentary in Hong Kong cinema history. It also earned Lee the Best New Director award at the 2025 Hong Kong Film Awards. Now, some years later, \u201cFour Trails\u201d is streaming for free on Tubi<\/a>, Fawesome<\/a>, and Fandango<\/a>.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s long run time allows viewers to connect deeply with Hong Kong\u2019s scenery and city life, as well as the race\u2019s cast of characters. Five runners are followed closely, along with several other featured competitors. During this edition of the race, the seed has been planted to be the first sub-50-hour runner. While several\u00a0pursue this goal, one man,\u00a0Jacky Leung, breaks the barrier with an effort that seems both perfectly calculated and emotionally driven. For the women, Nikki Han captures an elusive sub-60-hour finish, incredibly her second time finishing the challenge under 60 hours.<\/p>\n Nikki Han is one of few women to have broken 60 hours at the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge. During \u201cFour Trails,\u201d she finishes under 60 hours for an incredible second time.<\/p>\n The film focuses on some of the back-of-the-pack \u201csurvivors\u201d as well. Will Hayward, one of the final survivors, describes his strengths as grit and stubbornness. As someone who went head-to-head with Hayward for the final eight hours of the 2019 Big Dog\u2019s Backyard Ultra, I can attest to this grit. He has no quit, and in \u201cFour Trails,\u201d this is once again on display. Hayward recalls his first ultra at CCC, when the weather was awful, and his friends called to say they\u2019d quit. He admits he didn\u2019t even realize that was an option.<\/p>\n Viewers watch runners navigate a stark contrast of environments: scrambling through stony staircases and sweeping ridgelines, then sitting directly on public subway floors and scrambling for food and drinks inside 7-Eleven storefronts the next. The cleanliness of Hong Kong is highlighted, as no level of tiredness would cause this author to sit on the floor of any of those places in New York City, Philadelphia, or any other major U.S. city.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n