On that day, GRJD went head-to-head with her future team Uglow. She was invited to join GRJD despite living in Europe at the time, so her opposition had no clue what to expect from this out-of-towner. Leng began to investigate his opposition. It was the day the pair met.

Soon, they fell in love and she decided to move to Hong Kong. A year later, in 2020, the race was cancelled again, this time because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the new couple decided to run it as a pair together to mark their anniversary. They reached 80km, on top of Tai Mo Shan, and Leng proposed. They decided not to complete the last 20km.

“This race was the start of my new life in Hong Kong and the start of my relationship. It was probably the most important day in my life because it’s where we met,” Vadovicova said.

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This year, they returned to race together. The race was finally official, although it is virtual this year - which means there is a couple of weeks left for another mixed team to do the race and get the record.

“I felt so good,” Vadovicova said. “This is the best race I’ve ever had in terms of how I feel. I was waiting for the low moment. Usually, after 50km it’s going to happen at some point. But it never came. I never had a big crisis physically or mentally.”

Very few trail races are team events, where runners complete it from start to finish together. For team Uglow, it offered the opportunity for an incredible shared experience. They were supported by around 25 others, who paced them, or manned self-made checkpoints.

All four runners said Uglow was more than a team, it is a family. They even spend Christmas together. When they finished with the record, all four runners embraced.

“It was so emotional,” Vadovicova said. “We were all super emotional. We were thinking maybe we won’t make it. But towards the end, the team spirit and the wish to really do this, not just for us but all the people who were there all day to support, it made us want to push beyond what we thought was possible.”

The first 60km flew by smoothly. All four runners felt good, their pace and their energy matched.

“The chemistry was there, and everyone was enjoying the pace and it was beautiful,” Leng said.

But as they hit 60km, Leng began to flag. His busy work meant that he had not managed as much volume in his training as normal.

“That added a bit of drama. And it added the team work aspect which is big in Trailwalker,” Leng said. “The second half is where the teamwork and the helping each other came into play.”

In turns, Fournier and Perrot pulled Leng along by tying a rope around their waists.

“If it was a solo race I would have dropped out,” Leng said. “It was just going to be pain for the last 40km, I knew it. But that didn’t cross my mind to quit because I have my teammates next to me, and all the support that came out.”

This was Fournier second 100km. The first was the HK100, which was a solo race and a totally different experience.

“It was just amazing. If someone felt they were struggling, there was no shame to say. We were there for each other for 100km. Even though I was quiet and focusing on myself, it was still about the team,” Fournier said.

“I actually said I enjoyed it more when we were struggling and there for each other. It’s not interesting if it is easy. The fact, we had to really fight for it makes it special.”

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Perrot agreed. Even the additional effort of towing Leng was a bonus.

“When one of your teammates is struggling, to be in this position to help them altogether is amazing,” Perrot said. “You can use a rope and it’s like a physical bond between teammates. It was even more emotional. You feel like you are all in it together. We do it together whatever it takes.

“This record, it’s my best memory for a Hong Kong trial race.”

For Leng and Vadovicova it might be a hard memory to top.

“The first three were where we met, where we got engaged, where we set the mixed team record, I don’t know what we do next,” Vadovicova said.

Leng pointed out that there was another challenge, trying to win outright, overall, in a mixed team. As it stands, GRJD’s male team are current overall leaders in the 2021 virtual Trailwalker, and Uglow are second.

If successful, Vadovicova would be the first woman to win the Trailwalker outright.

“I’m still enjoying this year’s achievement. But of course, I’m super competitive so if there is another challenge, and we have one year to prepare, then I’m in,” she said.