An Asian Race-Cation: 2025 HK50 Race Report
- Jen Bloss
- Nov 1
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 3
And now continent #6 is complete!
Why I Chose to Run the HK50
In my pursuit of running an ultramarathon on every continent, I had to find a suitable race in Asia. This was actually quite the challenge! Personally, I do not like to run in heat and humidity. I also didn’t want to run in snake-filled jungles. And, many races in Asia have significant language barriers, are in smaller cities that are hard to get to, or are just WAY more difficult than I wanted. It is hard to find an ultramarathon in Asia with less than 5,000ft of elevation gain!
Oddly enough, I’ve always had a desire to run in Hong Kong. Something about the tropical blue waters and surrounding lush islands juxtaposed with endless lines of skyscrapers is enthralling. So when I couldn’t find any “cold” or “easy” races in Asia, I turned to finding one in the place I’ve always wanted to run anyway- and found the HK50, put on by Action Asia Events.
Why Should Runners Visit Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is actually a very easy place to travel to! There are numerous direct flights from the USA, English is one of the official languages, and there is excellent public transport and tourist infrastructure. And there are SO many runners there! I saw runners in the street everyday, and there are tons of trail networks and races in the country. And between all of the dumplings, noodles, and bakeries, carb-loading is easily accomplished. My friend and I also spent time in Taiwan (amazing!) and did a day trip to Macau on this race-cation, so there is a lot to be explored. And according to an article on TimeOut, the HK50 is #5 Most Scenic Race in Asia!
2025 HK50 Stats
Distance: 32.5 miles (per GPX file), 33.6 miles (according to my watch)
Elevation gain: 4,036 ft (per GPX file), 4,424ft (according to my watch)
Weather: low 70s to start, getting up to 80 degrees. Sunny.
Five words to describe the race: Views, rocks, pavement, forest, stairs
HK50 Pre-Race Details: Registration, Packet Pickup, Swag
I really appreciated a few things about registration for the HK50. First of all, a very detailed sizing chart was available for the race shirt. Race shirts are notoriously unpredictable in their sizing, so this was nice for making an educated guess. I still chose wrong, but that was on me. However, the shirt is in Top 3 of ugliest race shirts I’ve ever received, so it doesn’t really matter. Second, they gave you the option to buy a pack of Precision Hydration gels and pick it up with your race pack. At the time of registration, I had not tried these gels yet. But a week later I did, and now they are my favorites! I wish I had ordered some to pick up, because that would’ve saved me some space in my toiletries bag. The only other race swag was a hot pink reusable cup for the aid stations.
Packet pickup took place the week before the race at a sports store in central Hong Kong. The weird thing is that this store was on the 12th floor of a building! It felt very sketchy in the moment, but was legit. The craziest thing I noticed about Hong Kong is that the city is very layered- stores and restaurants are not just on the ground floor of a building, but second, third, or even twelfth!
HK50 Race Morning
The race started on top of the most famous mountain in Hong Kong, Victoria Peak. This saved me from needing to go there as a tourist during my trip! There were shuttles from major points throughout the city to the start, and this worked out very well. Once at the top, there were real bathrooms available, and a very casual starting area. There was also a last-minute registration/packet pickup area. And thankfully a bag drop-off area, and those bags were transported to the finish line.
The race started at exactly 6:45am. There were no waves, just one big group coming off the start. This was very problematic. The course was crowded for the first 8+ miles, and it was a constant fight to pass people on the single track. There were even times when people were so bunched that everyone came to a complete standstill. And of course, the first two aid stations were overly crowded and chaotic because of this. Hopefully the race will add some wave starts in the future**.
HK50 The Course
The course started on the famous paths around Victoria Peak, and continued to showcase the gorgeous Hong Kong skyline at many points along the course. A lot of the course was pavement, which really surprised me. Sometimes it was paved trails, and a small amount of it was on roads. Much of the course was shaded because it was in the forest/jungle, and this was such a lifesaver on a warm day!
We ran over small creeks, and up and down small staircases. There were a lot of paved narrow sections that seemed to be over aqueducts, or something of the sort. In the first half of the race, the course was mostly runnable, lots of pavement, and only a handful of climbs. Very doable!
A Gnarly Change in Terrain
Starting around mile 17ish, running became very challenging. While much of the course was flat, it was full of ankle-breaking rocks. The trail was treacherous, with rocks jutting out of the ground at all angles, none of them flat. For miles-if not the majority of the rest of the race- it was impossible to run without risking an injury, or falling and hitting your head. So I power-hiked these sections, often feeling like a prancing pony as I took tiny steps and lifted my feet high.
During the race I rolled my ankle 3 times, fell once, and collided with a boulder once. And I felt like I was lucky to get out mostly unscathed. The cool part was that this section was very pretty and jungle-y, channeling “Legends of the Hidden Temple” vibes.
Time to Climb
Close to mile 28, things took a turn upwards. Straight upwards. This commenced a miles-long stretch of staircases! Very very steep staircases, both up and down, in the hot sun. It was pretty brutal. I knew that most of the climbs came at the end, but I didn’t realize I’d be doing miles of continuous steps! I felt like I was on the Great Wall of China. If your knees were hurting you at this point, this section would have been the nail in the coffin.
This section also felt very remote. It was more in the interior of the island, and lush green hills stretched in all directions. When I was at the last aid station, which was just before starting this brutal stretch, I thought I was maybe an hour from the finish and in the home stretch. But I was very, very wrong.
It ended up taking me 2.5 hours to go the last 5.6 miles, because of the terrain! I never would have guessed it would take me so long, and I did not have enough water for it. This was also the hottest and most exposed section of trail. I was also unsure of exactly how far I had to go, and this left me feeling exasperated and “over it” a little bit past the 50k mark. I’d heard people at the start line said that the race was 51k (31.6 miles), yet the GPX file said it was 32.6 miles, and the course on my watch had a countdown of how many miles were left that seemed to never get lower. It turned out to be 33.6 miles. The last section was so long and slow that it felt like I would never finish.
HK 50 Aid Stations
The aid stations (“checkpoints”) were very basic, with only bananas, oranges, crackers, water, and electrolyte drink. While it was a cupless race, they handed out individual bottles of electrolyte drink, which sort of defeats the point of being cupless. And with the exception of the last aid station, most of the checkpoints were inefficent, with no bathroom facilities. The volunteers were friendly though!
There should have been a checkpoint between mile 27 and the finish (or really, I wish I had known how long this distance would take in real life), because this last section takes significantly longer than any other section and is the hottest and most exposed. I assumed 1L water would be enough for 6 miles, but it definitely was not, and I regret not filling my 3rd soft flask!
HK50 Finish Line
The course looped back to finish at the same place as checkpoint 2. I almost shed a few tears when I got there, because I was so ready to be done and the race started to feel like it would never end! The finish line had some fun things- takeaway boxes of a hot meal of noodles, fancy sparkling waters, and beer. My friend came to meet me at the finish line, which was wonderful. I was very thankful that we could get an Uber back to our hotel easily as well!
In Conclusion
The HK50 is a nice race, and for the most part, I had a great time. It totally delivered on what I was hoping to get out of the race- amazing views of the Hong Kong skyline, gorgeous surrounding water, islands, and forests. It was just very challenging terrain in the second half of the race! Poles would've been a lifesaver for that part. But I wouldn’t recommend poles in the first half, as the course is too crowded during that time and trails too narrow, so trying to get around people who were using poles was frustrating. If you’re looking for an ultra-running adventure in Asia and have strong ankles, the HK50 might be a good fit for you!
It's hard to believe that I have only 1 race left in pursuit of my goal of running an ultramarathon on every continent! Check out my other international race reports from Australia (and New Zealand), Africa, South America, Europe, and North America!
**I emailed the race about the crowding and they responded saying that it is something they are looking to improve in the future
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