Hong Kong runner to tackle 100km around The Peak after growing tired of online nominations and drinking challenges
- Rob Naylor bucks online nomination trend by setting himself 100km challenge round and round the same flat road, having never done ‘anything so boring’
Rob Naylor was tagged in one too many social media challenges, ordered to complete a workout or down a drink when he decided it was time to do something significant. So the Hong Kong-based Australian thought up a gruelling challenge, one he knew he would be bad at – running 100km around the 3.25km loop on Victoria Peak.
“I thought, you know what, I’m sick of all these nominations for push-ups or drinking stupid drinks,” Naylor said. “I did the 145km TDS [at the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB)] last year and on the flats is where I really struggled. I had slower times than on the hills, just because I got mentally churned out.
“I just couldn’t do it and I just walked. It should be a place where I’m picking up time. But I just don’t like running flats.”
So the flat 3.25km loop is unlikely to inspire Naylor to speed around.
“That adds an extra set of boredom, so I thought, let’s do that. I don’t know why I picked 100km. I could have picked 50km,” he said, adding he hopes to finish in 12 hours. “I’ve never done this amount of road running or anything so boring. It’s going to be interesting to see how I manage.”
