In its third edition this year, Petty Officer Ruedi Wildi took a ten men Navy squad on an epic journey through some of the most stunning landscapes of Hong Kong. However, the Ruedi Run was far from a walk in the park.

The mission got off to a rocky start as our platoon already got lost at Admiralty MTR station. After some confusion we eventually found our way onto the right track and headed out into the New Territories. An equipment check on the train revealed that Potential Recruit Marcel may be underestimating the severity of the mission ahead – aside from wearing what looked like tennis shoes and a fashionable t-shirt, he carried a large bottle of water in a shopping bag. He looked exceedingly worried as more experienced Sailors sorted out various food and drink supplies into high-tech rucksacks and hydration systems.

In Sai Kung we met up with the leader of the Operation together with additional crew and headed to our starting point in Pak Tam Au. Here we left civilization (i.e. proper toilets) behind, joined the MacLehose trail and headed towards Sharp Peak.

Sharp Peak is known as the ‘Everest of Hong Kong’ thanks to a similar degree of difficulty and an approach route that remarkably resembles the Himalayan giant (see photo). Although it has to be said that at an elevation of only 468m we did not encounter any altitude issues.

What we did encounter on the summit, however, were similar crowds as you would normally find in Causeway Bay on a Saturday afternoon, spoiling a superb view with their noisy chatter. We added a few chants of the Liechtenstein anthem to the commotion as we celebrated the successful ascent by all crew members.

From Sharp Peak we headed down along the ridgeline with a splendid view of the wild and wonderfully beautiful coastline of Tai Long Wan, across some of the best – and most deserted – beaches you’ll find in Hong Kong. And although Petty Officer Martin was keen to work on his suntan by lying on the beach we were on a Navy mission which did not allow for such luxuries.

At Ham Tin we split into two, leaving Petty Officer Ruedi to shepherd the frail and wounded home while the rest of us continued to hurry down the final kilometers to “the pagoda” (a very general position marker of which there are many in that vicinity and which has led to considerable confusion on the previous Ruedi Run).

Eventually all crew found their way to the cold beer and BBQ at Petty Officer Ruedi’s home, including Sailor Robin who on the excuse of a spicy Sichuan dinner the night before had decided to skip the exercise part of the mission – apparently the ‘Robin Runs’ prevented him from joining the Ruedi Run, but not the BBQ of course!