The sentiment struck after hiking 25km over the hills of Stanley and Central. In an exclamation of exhilaration and knees gone tired, Lady Lucy Tang wrote on her blog 'OH, WHAT AM I DOING!' as she realised the enormity of the challenge ahead - next weekend's RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009.
Four encouraging postings from friends - including one who wrote down a schedule of multiple 35km runs with a weighted pack - and it is clear the 250km, six-day stage adventure is not just a race, but a community as well.
Though there are 214 competitors from 38 countries taking part in the race starting next Sunday, nearly a third are from Hong Kong or are based here.
It is by far the largest local representation for the Hong Kong-based company, RacingThePlanet, which has been organising ultra-marathon-style races since 2003.
The Hong Kong mix of 51 men and 29 women seems to offer everyone a person to cheer for: a woman favoured to win the women's division; a motivational speaker; a racing enthusiast who rises at 3.30am to squeeze in 30km before the stock market opens; and, to prove it isn't all just a little too superhuman, a woman who has never before competed in a marathon, much less a 10km race.
Tang, the wife of Sir David Tang, falls into that final category and will run the race as part of a team raising money for Eve Appeal, a charity that supports ovarian and other gynaecological cancers. Her teammates are UK-based Sissel Smaller and good friend Annabelle Bond, who have both climbed Mount Everest.
