The fourth edition of The Dragon Run will take place in Hong Kong on Saturday November 27, 2010.

As in previous years, the race will start in Clearwater Bay, but will then proceed SE to the beautiful and rugged Ninepins Islands, then SW past the spectacular Cape D’Aguilar (home of the Hong Kong Marine Reserve) and then to the finish line at the world-renowned tourist destination of Stanley, the home of the famous Stanley Market.

The course will cover approximately 24km and, with the seasonal NE monsoon winds blowing, should see 10-20 knot winds and great downwind conditions for the majority of the race. A race map is attached. Given that Hong Kong has a tropical climate, water temperatures at that time of year should be around 23 degrees Celsius, with air-temperature between 18 and 27 degrees. Though last year was unseasonably cold – just during that weekend – so so bring something warm to paddle in just in case.

Hong Kong is famous for its tourist attractions, it shops and its restaurants but it also offers a range of great Eastern and Western cultural experiences. Also, as many of the competitors who visited us last year will tell you, it is a truly world class party destination.

Short Course, aka the Chicken Run:

Once again, running alongside ‘The Dragon Run’, we will also be holding a ‘short course. This year it will cover approx 10 kilometers to be held in the Stanley/Tai Tam Bay, which offers more protected conditions. We hope this race will attract as many of those local paddlers as possible who are not competing in the main event, but would like to participate in the day.

This year, we’ve opened the Chicken Run up to OC6 competitors. This is an ideal race for local and overseas clubs to target as a short-distance competitive race. For overseas clubs, please contact lara.wozniak@financeasia.com to see if we can help arrange to have an OC6 available for rental.

In addition, and keeping with the water sports theme of the event, we will also be holding a stand up paddle board race in the Bay. The exact courses will be confirmed shortly.

Prize Money:

We haven’t finalized the main event prize money breakdown yet, but the total purse on offer for ‘The Dragon Run’ will be at least US$15,000. The total amount of cash prizes will be offered based on the level of (international) competition and the number of competitors in each division and will be at the discretion of the race organizers. The prize money break down will be announced soon. ‘Local’ paddlers - please note that this year we will be presenting prizes for the first ‘local’ paddlers in each division. Details to follow.

Ski and OC rental:

There will be a limited number of Epic and Fenn surf skis, as well as OC1’s, available for rent. If you are interested in participating in the race and need to hire a surf ski please drop an e-mail to roughwaterhongkong@gmail.com (for Epic hire) or kaikane@netvigator.com (for Fenn surf ski and OC1 hire). For race enquiries, please contact Jon Dingley (dingley@ttg.com.hk) or Andy Orr (aorr@imgworld.com).

Safety Requirements:

This year, the use of life jackets/PFDs and leg leashes will be compulsory.

Last year’s race Winners!

There was no question, last year the Aussies dominated! Shannon Eckstein in only his third longdistance ski race, won the 2009 Dragon Run, beating compatriots Jeremy Cotter and Tim Jacobs, with South Africans Clint Pretorius and Dawid Mocke coming in 4 & 5. Michele Eray won the women's race in a tight tussle with Aussie Ruth Highman (2nd) and Katie Pocock (NZ) (3rd).