A press conference for Sands China Macau Eco TrailHiker 2016 was held yesterday at the Venetian Macao, hosted by Macau TrailHiker Ltd.’s director Robert Kirby, where it was revealed that the seventh and latest iteration of the annual activity is proving more popular than ever before.
This year’s edition will be held on Saturday, October 29 with the theme, “Exploring the Greener Side of Macau with You.”
Two separate races will be held: a 30km “Corporate Challenge” at 8 a.m. and a 10km “Family & Fun Event” at 10 a.m. The courses will follow the same route as in the previous year.
The event accepts participants from Macau and, as of this year, from Hong Kong, mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan and other territories.
Over 320 teams had already registered before the official opening yesterday afternoon after the press conference, representing a significant rise over the 200 or so teams that had registered this time last year.
The registered teams represent almost 65 percent of the 500-team quota for this year’s event, which will be awarded to registrants on a first-come-first-served basis. Additionally, the organizers expect a total of 2,000 competitors for the event’s 10km and 30km races.
“I think the reason for the event’s growing popularity has something to do with the fact that it is different to what else is around at the moment. It’s not just the race, there is also the jersey and the buffet event, so people really see it as more of a carnival,” Kirby explained to the Times. “It’s a community event and many people often stay right until the end.”
The “Wellness Boulevard,” which promotes healthy living, will also return after its debut last year. It will include a variety of health foods, sports equipment, organic products, and showcase assorted health and fitness equipments.
Organizers are also introducing an electronic tracking system for teams in the 30km race, which will feed real-time information back to audiences at the finish line. The system also improves safety measures on the course.
Future plans to develop the event includes a possible 20km category and a “Junior TrailHiker Event” for students and schoolchildren, said Kirby.
“There are age limits for the current events and that may be putting off some younger people, but with a dedicated course in future we will expect the number of young participants to increase,” he said in response to a journalist’s question.
The TrailHiker event is a community activity that seeks to support charity organizations in the territory and internationally, as well as promote eco-friendly policies and lifestyles. Each year, organizers hand-pick beneficiaries by evaluating the needs of the local community.
Over the years, the event has raised a cumulative MOP1.8 million. Organizers expect the latest contribution to break the MOP2 million ceiling.
The event also provides ample opportunity for other charitable contributions. According to the organizers, tast year 171 pairs of used running shoes were collected and donated to the “Save Our Soles” charity in the Philippines.
During the press conference, Kirby also announced that the two charity beneficiaries for this year’s event would be the Rotary Club of Macau and Richmond Fellowship of Macau.
Richmond Fellowship of Macau promotes good community care and practice in the field of mental health, providing a range of accommodation options, training and work opportunities. The Rotary Club of Macau works with international counterparts as well as volunteers to provide help and services for the needy, the sick, the elderly and others.
Macau Daily Times is a media partner of Sands China Macau Eco TrailHiker 2016.
tdm to provide official trailhiker coverage
Starting this year, the TrailHiker event will partner public broadcaster TDM to bring coverage of the activity to Macau audiences. TDM will operate a mobile radio station on location to conduct interviews with organizers, and will also host a post-event program to be aired on the TDM Chinese TV station.
“TDM is willing to bring this event to the public of Macau through our TV and radio as well as multimedia platforms, as we know TrailHiker has become a popular event, especially in the community of runners,” said Andy Ho, TDM’s controller of communications division. “It’s not only a race, but also a good chance for community contribution and team-building.”
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