We had a long way to go, so I began with a jog. My brother Neil fell in place one stride behind me. The path ahead wound its way around the foot of the mountains. To our right, one of Hong Kong’s most beautiful bays, Long Ke Wan, lapped against the orange clay banks. We ran easily, talking about what we always do when we go for runs — college and friends, backpacking trips, the run ahead and the runs we’ll go on in the future.

The air carried that fresh, morning quiet that is present in Hong Kong only during the winter, when the skies are clear and the temperature crisp and pleasant. By summertime, humidity will climb to 99 percent, and the cicadas will be a pulsing roar. As we ran through the stillness Neil echoed my thoughts: “Save the music for later.”

The MacLehose Trail is 100 kilometers through the mountains along the northern border of Hong Kong. It’s divided into 10 stages, beginning with a concrete path leading to spectacular seaside cliffs and white beaches. The trail carves through jungle, and cuts up and over mountain peaks with shrubbery reminiscent of that found in dry regions of Southern Italy. The MacLehose has been named one of the best hikes in the world by National Geographic, and every October, hundreds of ultramarathon runners converge here and compete to finish the entire course in 48 hours.

It was winter break, and my brother and I were home from our first semester of college in the United States. We grew up in Hong Kong, and had never been so far from home for so long. In a week, we’d make the 16-hour return trip to school. “Let’s do something memorable,” I said. “We should run the MacLehose Trail.”