Our December AD Member of the Month truly embodied the mantra: “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.”
After months of brutal training, mental prep, and a strict nutritional plan, Matt Rule was well and truly ready to take on the 100km Oxfam Trail Run in Hong Kong.
But on his way to the event, tragedy struck.
As many of you will have seen, devastating fires swept through the Tai Po district. In response, the Hong Kong Government made the difficult decision to cancel the race, a call all participants understood and respected.
Yet, as we said, this story was never just about the finish line.
Throughout his preparation, Matt raised over $25,000 for Oxfam, a charity committed to humanitarian relief, life-saving aid, and long-term anti-poverty work. Following the fires, Oxfam redirected all donations from this year’s Trail Run to support the affected Tai Po communities.
Matt and his team had already secured this incredible fundraising total before the cutoff. Their efforts alone made him an obvious choice for AD Member of the Month, the race would have simply been the cherry on top.
And even though the official event was cancelled, Matt and his team didn’t let that stop them. Determined to honour the generosity of their supporters, they set out anyway and completed 33km across the two toughest sections of the course, climbing almost 2,000 metres, including a single ascent of more than 600m. Continuing further wasn’t realistic without the usual nighttime checkpoint support, but their commitment spoke volumes.
Despite the disappointment, we know Matt is incredibly proud of the journey, the training, and, most of all, the impact made through fundraising. And we are just as proud to name him our AD MOTM for December.
Matt already has his sights set on another Oxfam-style race for 2026 and we’re counting down to hear how that one goes.
Well done, Matt!
