I was consumed. After graduating from university in Australia, I returned to Hong Kong and began my career in Finance. After three years of working, I was earning more than a million dollars per year, however, I became consumed by my work. I believe many people who live in the city also experience this feeling, where we lose ourselves while chasing materialistic goals. We work endlessly to satisfy our consumerist cravings but we become disoriented in our direction of life. One day, I read an article about an amputee runner with visual impairments participating in an ultramarathon. Their story encouraged me and while being spontaneous, I decided to participate in an ultramarathon that took place in the Sahara desert in April 2012.

I wanted to give up. I was ill-prepared for this race. Because of my job, I did not train enough. Over the 254 km course, my confidence began to waver before I hit the 50 km mark. I was tortured physically and mentally: the bipolar weather was 50°C during the day and 5°C at night. My legs shook violently from pain as blood seeped out from my shoes and as grains of desert sand irritated the blisters on my feet. I witnessed many runners being forced to pull out of the race because of their infected wounds. At this point, I felt hopeless: I thought that I would not finish the race. However, peculiarly, every time I was on the verge of a breakdown, I was encouraged by the participants who had disabilities. Some of them had visual impairments, some of them were amputees, and some of them were deaf and hard of hearing. They gave me encouraging messages through sign language. A particular participant whose story really moved me was a seventy-year-old runner. He participated in the marathon to fulfil the dying wish of his son, who passed away in battle. He carried with him a picture of his son in a locket necklace, dangling near his heart as he ran. Compared to these runners who were running in challenging conditions, I had no right to give up as a young man who was able-bodied and mentally stable. Filled with words of encouragement, I finally crossed the finish line.

I stepped up to the challenge again. The journey in the Sahara was especially wonderful. It felt as if I had found the cure to my sickness, where I have found my direction in life. There were two lessons that I learned which are continue to be impactful for me to this day. Firstly, I learned how people with disabilities were full of will and agency, which is something I shamefully did not realize before. Secondly, in order to overcome the many challenges of a marathon, one must have a strong body and soul. After the marathon, I decided to commit to running another marathon and in order to do that, I revolutionized my lifestyle and began long-distance running training. Finally, after two years, I became the first runner from Hong Kong to have competed in ultramarathons across the seven continents, the North Pole, and the South Pole.

My experience with trial rickshaws. Across my ultramarathon journeys, the most dangerous moment I’ve experienced was back in the Sahara desert, in the middle of a dark night. I was lost. I was engulfed by darkness as the temperature dropped to 0°C. I was conflicted: I could not continue to move forward because I was disoriented, risking the possibility I might stray even more from the proper path. However, simultaneously, I could not stop because I feared getting hypothermia. In the midst of my panic, I somehow remembered that there was a team who participated in the race: Four retired firemen from France were pushing a trail rickshaw, carrying children who were sick throughout the race. I calmed down and started searching for tyre tracks on the sand. Miraculously, after a very nerve-wracking half an hour, I was able to find the tracks and reached the finish line. The trail rickshaw saved me. From then on, my destiny was intertwined with this vehicle.

I found my life goal. After returning to Hong Kong, I enthusiastically visited over a hundred primary and secondary schools, and universities. I gave speeches about my experiences running ultramarathons, meeting runners from all over the world who had disabilities, and the life lessons I learned. I wanted to convey this positive attitude and energy to the youths of Hong Kong. In 2016, I founded “Wheel For Oneness”, an NGO that is dedicated to assisting people with disabilities and mental illnesses who struggle to assimilate into society. The organization is also committed to nurturing these people to do what they desire and encouraging everyone to learn from each other and work together to contribute to society, no matter if they have disabilities or are able-bodied.

Moreover, I brought my “lucky item” to WFO, trial rickshaws from France. I made design adjustments to the vehicle, making it suitable for participating in races and also requiring people with disabilities and people who are able-bodied to collaborate for its operation. I hoped that Trail Rickshaw Sports would become an activity that allowed city-dwellers to strengthen their body and soul. In 2018 and 2019, WFO brought a team of secondary school students and runners who had disabilities to participate in a cross-country race in Kyrgyzstan. The team carried children with rare diseases across the Kyrgyzstan Plateau and Gobi Desert. We successfully completed the race.

I love the environment. In 2017, I participated in my second marathon at the North Pole. However, due to global warming, the ice surface on which the competition was held showed signs of cracking, making the organizers reduce the competition area to make the route safe. The route was reduced from nine large laps, from when I participated in this race four years ago, to fourteen small laps. The organizers also emphasized to us participants that we should be very cautious of cracks on the iced ground as we ran in the dark. Or not, we would fall into the ocean in -40°C conditions.

The environment of Hong Kong is blessed. Half of its area is protected by country parks and beaches. As people who live in a city, we are able to exercise outdoors in nature, having an option to do so rather than having to exercise in an air-conditioned gym or in the midst of the air polluted city centre. However, what does our health mean if our environment is not? Therefore, “Wheel For Oneness” simultaneously works to promote environmental awareness, advocating for minimalist and green living.

Let us live inclusively with people who have disabilities and mental illnesses. Let us engulf ourselves in nature.
Let us learn from each other and share with each other.

Lastly, I am thankful for my family. Currently, I still work in Financial Insurance. However, more and more of my time has been dedicated to working for WFO. I would like to thank my wife and young daughter for their constant encouragement and support. I am only this far in my journey because of them.