Road Running: Street Legal!

Whether you’re a running nut, an occasional pavement pounder or a complete novice, there are few better places to get moving on foot than Discovery Bay. Mervyn Black reports While the nearby trails are a hive of traffic, it ’s the roads of Discovery Bay that best cater to runners of all fitness levels and you don’t have to go far to find someone in the community ready to espouse the benefits of getting out there. Anita Schneider, founder of local running group The Running Cult, is one such person, with the former CrossFitter embracing road running since moving to DB. “I love spreading the joy of running and I would like everybody to run because it sets you free,” she opens. “You can do it whenever and wherever you want, however fast or slow.” For many road runners, the appeal is that they can almost run on auto-pilot, focused on nothing other than pace and energy expenditure. When you are road running, the chances of having to maneuver around an obstacle like a root or rock are slim. Paved surfaces are consistent and predictable, in DB at least, making it easy for runners to clock in the miles, while freeing their minds. “There’s a lot of personal growth that happens when you step outside your comfort zone, and running is so outside of your comfort zone,” Anita says. “People think that you just start running… and then stop running but there’s so much in the middle that happens. There are lots of wins along the way that people can really benefit from. The world is sometimes such a depressing and stressful place and I think running gives you an outlet.” Active for roughly three years, The Running Cult is a running group for women that focuses on being inclusive, and inspiring people to give running a crack. Operated through a WhatsApp chat (5629 8123), The Running Cult’s sessions normally involve a run of between 4-7km in small groups of four to five people and it is open to women of all ages and fitness levels. “At Running Cult, we’re non-judgmental and we don’t charge money. I always try to create a safe space so people can be included at whatever stage they are,” says Anita. “We don’t all run together because of school drop-offs and stuff, so there is normally a morning and evening group. I’m big on milestones, so we really focus on everyone getting their first kilometre. There are a lot of times where we start together and then people peel off. “I think, in general, people find running very intimidating because of distances and the time it takes. People have a big misconception about what running is and instead of learning more about it, they just don’t do it – they completely exclude it from their repertoire.” Hoping to do away with this misconception, Anita stresses that running is, in fact, easily accessible and something you do at your own pace. “People need to know that most runners run-walk. I’ve done six marathons in the past two-and-a-half years and I walked in every single one of them,” she says, adding, “you don’t need to have a coach or a sophisticated programme to get into running. All you really need is a good pair of shoes.” Like Anita, DB Runners’ founder Peter Morley is quick to extol the benefits of running. “It ’s just a very easy way of staying fit, managing your personal wellbeing and busting stress,” he says. “Running makes you feel good about yourself. “Running is the cheapest sport to access and it’s really easy to do in Hong Kong, particularly in DB because it’s very safe,” Peter adds. “You can start just by walking and then add a little bit of jogging in there and slowly build it up bit by bit. Don’t feel any pressure to do any more than feels comfortable.” With over 100 people in its WhatsApp group, DB Runners (dbrunners.com) sees between 10 and 20 people at most of its twice-weekly sessions. Around in various iterations over the years, the group in its current format recently celebrated its one-year anniversary with, you guessed it, a run. “We have been running for about a year now under the new name DB Runners and if you have a look at the website, it ’s based around the idea that it ’s a free-to-access group and we meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6am,” says Peter. “We mix it up in terms of the different activities that we do, but it’s always running on the roads in DB. Sometimes it’s going up and down hills, sometimes it’s doing loops and circuits – it’s a fun, sociable thing rather than being too competitive and everyone is welcome to join. “We normally have a routine where we start and finish in the same place and people can go as slow as they like depending on their level of fitness. It’s something that isn’t bound by people’s fitness,” adds Peter, a UTMB World Series marathoner. For those weighing up whether to run on their own or in a group, Peter has a very simple message: “I think if you’re part of a group you feel more motivated and you tend to put a bit extra in. If you get injured or you need any tips or support, there are lots of other people who have the experience to help. It’s the social aspect of it. You feel more motivated if there’s a bunch of other people getting up at the same time and meeting every week.” One challenge of running on DB’s roads is just how hilly they are. Peter is a big fan of hitting up Seabee Lane – “it ’s a nice quiet road and one whole loop to DB Road is a mile” – while Anita has you covered at both ends of DB. “The beach loop is the flattest 1km in DB – you go down the beach, around that little lip and up the little steep part onto the main road. Then you go past Seahorse Lane and just before the tennis courts, you go back down to the beach. People who run in DB North, run through the park around Discovery College – there’s another little loop there.” Funnily enough, Anita was one of the many that would avoid DB’s steepest hills, but now that she is training for Action Asia Events HK50 on the trails this October and the gruelling Comrades Marathon – a 90km road run in South Africa in 2026 – she has a different view on things. “If the hills and the heat are something that holds you back, why don’t you do it until it doesn’t suck anymore?” she says. “It’s about embracing the suck. All of a sudden DB is a lot more at tractive to me because it has all the hills, the heat and the humidity of the Comrades – so everything’s worked out perfectly.”