A Hongkonger’s epic 4,000km charity run from Peking to Hong Kong
- David Griffiths, general manager of a sports centre, raised more than HK$1.5 million for disabled athletes
- Despite running 50km per day, he barely lost any weight ‘because of fantastic Chinese hospitality’
“Epic run from Peking to HK,” ran a South China Morning Post headline on July 28, 1983. “The general manager of the Jubilee Sports Centre, Mr David Griffiths, will start out on an epic feat on October 25 – to run from Peking to Hongkong. The aim of the 4,000-km ‘Marco Polo Run’ is to raise $1.5 million for disabled athletes in Hongkong and China,” the story continued.
“He is planning to spend about 10 hours a day on the road,” reported the Post on August 8, covering about 50km per day “followed by a back-up team including a physiotherapist and an interpreter.”
Beginning in the Chinese capital, Griffiths’ ultra-marathon would take him through the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong, calling in at major cities including Wuhan, Kaifeng and Canton.
“More than 1,000 spectators huddled in the drizzle of Tienanmen Square [sic] cheered as Mr Griffiths (42) set off, accompanied to the outskirts of the capital by six Chinese runners,” the Post recounted on October 26.
Having completed 950km of the run, Griffiths “narrowly escaped” a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Shandong that killed at least 34 and “caused considerable damage”, according to a November 10 article.
By December 6, Griffiths had reached Hunan and was on schedule to complete his run on December 18, the Post reported.
Griffiths arrived at Wan Chai Sports Ground at “11am sharp”, formally ending his epic endeavour. “The outstanding performance can only be described as a remarkable demonstration of man’s ability to break the barriers of physical and mental endurance,” Dr Harry Fang, chairman of the run’s organising committee, told the Post.
“Mr Griffiths has already far exceeded the $1.5 million target,” the story continued.
Commenting on his condition, Griffiths said: “I was not as light as I thought I would be because of fantastic Chinese hospitality […] 20-course dinners are unbelievable – you can’t lose weight then.”
