Kenny Wong and Oscar Leung Challenge Extreme Weather in Ultramarathons

TVB actors Kenny Wong (黃德斌) and Oscar Leung (梁烈唯) departed Hong Kong last week to participate in extreme marathon races for an upcoming documentary series Extreme Sprint <極地狂奔>. The five-episode series follows two local racing teams as they compete in ultramarathons at the North Pole and the Sahara Desert.

Kenny Wong Faces Sahara Desert

Kenny Wong followed the team heading to the Sahara Desert for Marathon des Sables, a 251-lilometer ultramarathon that takes place over six days. On Sunday, Kenny contacted TVB via satellite phone to send updates about his progress. “Today is the fourth day [of the race]. I have slept in the desert for three nights now. It is very dry, and I feel rather cold during mornings and nights. There are runners from 53 countries participating in this race. We completed the first day successfully, and met several well-known Hong Kong runners along the way. Today we will began what is described as the toughest stretch of the race course. We will run up a mountain at a 25 degree angle. It is very tall and very steep, so we will have to hike part of the trail with climbing ropes. I will do my best to complete the course.”

Kenny explained that his current situation is drastically different from his experience filming The Dance of Passion <火舞黃沙> in the sand dunes of Yinchuan. He has been unable to sleep well due to the wind and his teammates’ snoring. Kenny also could not shower properly since they must conserve water for the long trek across the desert.

Oscar Leung Challenges North Pole

As Kenny toils in the African desert, Oscar Leung was sent instead to the North Pole to participate in the UVU North Pole Marathon. Oscar, who had been training hard for race day, suffered from low body temperature and frostbites in the -30 Celsius weather and had to stop shortly after completing his eighth lap.

During his satellite call, Oscar sounded weak and in pain. “My body temperature is too low. My face and fingers are frostbitten. My whole body is very cold, and very painful. I really don’t have the energy to continue even if I force myself to. I have already done my best.”

Although exhausted and in pain, Oscar finished what he had set out to do. He rejoined the race after a brief rest and at the end, completed the course in just over 11 hours.

Source: ihktv.com 

This article is written by Katrine for JayneStars.com.