Visually-impaired Trailwalker shares trailwalking experience

Experts provide medical and hiking tips

Oxfam Trailwalker, one of Hong Kong's largest and most popular annual hiking fundraisers organized by Oxfam Hong Kong, is scheduled to be held on 14 – 16 November this year. The theme for this year is “Partnership. The True Trailwalking Spirit”. In a team of four, 1,300 teams comprising 5,200 walkers, will take the 100km challenge along the MacLehose Trail and other trails. A briefing session was held today with over 300 walkers attended. Mok Kim Wing M.H., a visually impaired trailwalker and the winner of “State Street Overcoming the Odds Award 2013”, shared his experience on how he led his team of visually and hearing-impaired trailwalkers to finish the trail. Medical and physiotherapy professionals were also there to provide medical and hiking tips.

Mok founded two Fearless Dragon teams composed of visually and hearing-impaired walkers and participated in Oxfam Trailwalker in 2013 for the first time. He hoped that the teams would be able to demonstrate their strength despite their physical limitations, as well as to show the community that people with disabilities could integrate into the society. They have undergone intensive training three times a week consistently for eight months. Despite the various disabilities of Mok and his teammates, they remained strong and gradually developed a bond as well as the ability to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They also believed that “a loss of sight is not a loss of view, and a loss of hearing is not a loss of perseverance”. Finally Mok and his team were able to complete the trail in 32 hours 19 minutes together.

At the briefing session, Brenda Wong, Fundraising Manager – Events, Oxfam Hong Kong briefed walkers and their supporters on event details and safety measures. As walkers’ safety is the primary concern of Oxfam Trailwalker, we have invited a doctor and a physiotherapist to offer medical and physiotherapy advice to all participants and supporters to help them prepare for the challenge.

Dr Kenneth Wu, a Specialist in Emergency Medicine, Associate Consultant, Accident and Emergency Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, shared some tips in treating common medical problems, such as exhaustion, foot blisters, and muscle cramp. He also reminded participants to conduct a Pre-participation Examination (PPE) and to have sufficient physical training beforehand. Frank Hung, from the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association - Sports Specialty Group, has provided physiotherapy tips to the participants and advised that good training is the best protection against injury. Super Trailwalker Frankie Tong also shared tips gained from his over 10 years of trailwalking experience, and encouraged participants to try their best to finish the 100km journey.

In a team of four, walkers are required to complete the 100km rugged MacLehose Trail and other trails within 48 hours, from Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung (Start Point) to Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club, Tai Tong Holiday Camp in Yuen Long (Finish Point). Oxfam Trailwalker has grown from a Gurkha-led training event in 1981 into one of the world's largest hiking fundraisers. Since the 1986, more than 81,000 trailwalkers have raised over HK$422 million to support Oxfam's various poverty alleviation and emergency relief projects in Africa and Asia, including Hong Kong and Mainland China. The fundraising target of Oxfam Trailwalker 2014 is HK$31 million.

This year, Oxfam Trailwalker is held in 16 cities in 10 countries in Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), Belgium, England (South Downs, Yorkshire Dales), France, India (Bangalore, Mumbai), Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain (Girona, Madrid) and Hong Kong.

About Oxfam Trailwalker: http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk

Oxfam Trailwalker Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/oxfamtrailhk

Click to download Oxfam Trailwalker Factsheet here (PDF)

About Oxfam

Oxfam is a worldwide development organisation that mobilises the power of people against poverty.
 

For media enquiries please contact:

Cindy Chan
Communications Officer
Oxfam Hong Kong
Phone: 3120 5201
Email: cindyc@oxfam.org.hk

Melanie Chan
Senior Communications Officer
Oxfam Hong Kong
Phone: 3120 5175
Email: melaniec@oxfam.org.hk

Over 300 walkers attended the Oxfam Trailwalker 2014 Briefing and they were practicing warm-up exercise.

Over 300 walkers attended the Oxfam Trailwalker 2014 Briefing and they were practicing warm-up exercise.

Brenda Wong (Fundraising Manager – Events, Oxfam Hong Kong) briefed walkers and their supporters on event details and safety measures.

Dr Kenneth Wu shared some tips in treating common medical problems.

Frank Hung has provided physiotherapy tips to the participants and advised that good training is the best protection against injury.

Super Trailwalker Frankie Tong shared tips gained from his over 10 years of experience, and encouraged participants to try their best to finish the 100km journey.

Mok Kim Wing M.H., a visually impaired trailwalker and the winner of “State Street Overcoming the Odds Award 2013”, shared his experience on how he led his team of visually and hearing-impaired trailwalkers to finish the trail in 32 hours 19 minutes.

Mok Kim Wing M.H., a visually impaired trailwalker and the winner of “State Street Overcoming the Odds Award 2013”, shared his experience on how he led his team of visually and hearing-impaired trailwalkers to finish the trail in 32 hours 19 minutes.

Over 300 walkers attended the Oxfam Trailwalker 2014 Briefing and they were practicing warm-up exercise. Over 300 walkers attended the Oxfam Trailwalker 2014 Briefing and they were practicing warm-up exercise. Brenda Wong (Fundraising Manager – Events, Oxfam Hong Kong) briefed walkers and their supporters on event details and safety measures. Dr Kenneth Wu shared some tips in treating common medical problems. Frank Hung has provided physiotherapy tips to the participants and advised that good training is the best protection against injury. Super Trailwalker Frankie Tong shared tips gained from his over 10 years of experience, and encouraged participants to try their best to finish the 100km journey. Mok Kim Wing M.H., a visually impaired trailwalker and the winner of “State Street Overcoming the Odds Award 2013”, shared his experience on how he led his team of visually and hearing-impaired trailwalkers to finish the trail in 32 hours 19 minutes. Mok Kim Wing M.H., a visually impaired trailwalker and the winner of “State Street Overcoming the Odds Award 2013”, shared his experience on how he led his team of visually and hearing-impaired trailwalkers to finish the trail in 32 hours 19 minutes.