Four Trails

Eighteen hikers face Hong Kong’s most excruciating ultra marathon in Robin Lee’s documentary

“Never again. Never again.”

Hong Kong is a lot of things to a lot of people: a place steeped in complex political history; a mecca to certain cinephiles; a haven of incredible food and friendly locals. And to many, it is home to some of the most exhausting hiking trails in the world. There are four of note, here. These are, in the order presented in the film: MacLehose, Wilson, Lantau and Hong Kong. Separately these are long hiking trails that can be done by experienced hikers without too much trouble. Together, however, they become one of the hardest endurance challenges in Asia.

Spanning almost 300 km and 1,400m of elevation, the Four Trails challenge is meant to be completed in under 72 hours. That’s 100km of hiking a day, assuming you want to finish at the cut-off point. For the people featuring in Robin Lee’s Four Trails documentary, 60, or even 50 hours is where the real challenge comes in.

For them, the trails are more than just four simple hiking tracks. They are personal challenges, feats one must overcome, designed entirely by the person running. Each challenger comes to this event with a goal they are trying to meet, and the Four Trails offers a medium through which they can achieve these goals. 

This is where Four Trails succeeds the most: where it allows the runners to tell their own stories. Not everyone gets one, there were eighteen people after all, but those who do have a lot to say and their stories are engaging – moreso than I expected coming in.

Through some fortunate filmmaking coincidences, the movie completely ignores last-minute entrant Jackie Leung, who goes on to not only finish first but do so in record time blindsiding both the other runners and the audience. It’s a sight for sore eyes to see the beloved Green Postbox – now a symbol of achievement to many Hong Kong hikers – even if you’re just sitting in a comfortable sofa, watching these people put their bodies through misery.

For three days straight these men and women face before them, the endless trail agonizing stone steps and narrow downhill paths. This physical torture is punctuated only briefly by moments of respite in local stores, or in the slight moments of rest in a ferry, or the back of a car. A runner describes sleeping on the steps of the trail itself, so the discomfort jolts him back to alertness, allowing him a few more hours of energy on a few minutes sleep. 

These interviews mixed with the footage is what gives Four Trails its power. Because at its core it’s a film about some hiking paths, but it really is about the enduring human spirit that comes out when people put themselves under immense pressure. I came in not sure what to expect, but came out feeling like I’d also climbed alongside them. And now, I could certainly use a rest.

Verdict: As easy to watch as its trails are gruelling, Four Trails is the sort of documentary that takes me by surprise, by making something I thought would be tedious incredibly compelling.

Overall entertainment: 8/10
Violence: 0/10
Sex: Even less/10
Injuries: Oh Pong, how can you go on
Biggest factor: The whims of the public transport system

Four Trails (2023)
Also known as: 香港四徑大步走
Cantonese, English

Director: Robin Lee