On 11th January 2025, the third Harrow Long Ducker Run in Hengqin was held at the beautiful Hengqin Rowing Park. Organised by Harrow Hengqin this year the event attracted nearly 700 enthusiastic participants, including students, parents, staff, and members of the local community, all coming together in friendly competition to support a good cause.
The Charity Run Continues the Harrow Spirit
The Long Ducker took place along the beautiful Tinmuk River in the Guangdong-Macau Deep Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, with the racecourse lined with lush greenery and gently rippling waters, showcasing Hengqin’s unique ecological environment and modern urban planning.
This year’s Long Ducker featured three different categories: the 8.5km Competitive Group, the 4.2km Standard Group, and the 2.1km Parent-Child Group. These categories balanced both competitiveness and inclusivity, allowing runners of all ages to take part and enjoy the fun and health benefits of exercising together with friendly encouragement.
Mr. Luke Bartlett, Head Master of Harrow Hengqin, Ms. Xu Fengmei, Deputy Director of Hengqin Livelihood Affairs Bureau, Ms. Feng Yuhong, Deputy Director of Hengqin Social Affairs Bureau, Ms. Wu Yaomei, Director of Guangdong Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve Administration, Mr. Eugene Zhang, Assistant Vice President of Hengqin Laisun Novotown, Mr. Danny Zhou, Vice-Chairman of Alumni Association of University of Macau cum. President of a council of Sino-Luso Industry and Culture Exchange Promotion Association (Macao) fired the starting gun for the race.
“It is a community event that allows Harrow to celebrate our beautiful site here on Hengqin island– to welcome parents, friends, sponsors and guests to run alongside our wonderful children in this green river park on a sunny Saturday morning. The stream of runners will be like a snake looping around the course but moving somewhat faster, I’m sure!” said Luke Bartlett, Head Master of Harrow Hengqin, in his speech. He welcomed everyone to the Harrow Hengqin Long Ducker 2025 as we end the year of the Dragon and prepare to enter the year of the Snake. He expressed his honour in hosting this symbolic Harrow event, noting that this was his first Long Ducker in Hengqin but not his first Long Ducker – he ran the 10 miles from Marble Arch in Central London to Harrow School three times about 30 years ago! He hoped the Long Ducker will contribute to the community’s well-being and continue the Harrow spirit through the footsteps of courage, honour, humility, and fellowship.
The Charity Run Supports the Conservation of the Chinese White Dolphin
In 2023, Harrow Hengqin donated the proceeds from its first Long Ducker to a public welfare organisation to promote rural children’s education. In 2024, the funds raised from the second Long Ducker were donated to the Hengqin Guangdong-Macau Deep Cooperation Zone Charity Promotion Association, supporting environmental projects by the Mangrove Conservation Foundation (MCF) in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, such as mangrove conservation, wetland education, and the protection of migratory bird corridors. This year, the funds raised from the third Long Ducker will be donated to the Guangdong Tianxingjian Charity Foundation · Harrow Friends of Harrow Welfare Fund, to support teachers and students in the joint protection of the “marine panda”—the Chinese White Dolphin, which inhabits the Pearl River Estuary, and to create more favourable conditions for the dolphin’s survival. This event has received strong support from the Guangdong Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve Administration.
Through organising events such as the Long Ducker, Harrow Hengqin has not only improved the physical fitness of its students but also nurtured their positive spirit and strong sense of social responsibility. The successful holding of the third Long Ducker was not only a sporting celebration but also a vivid practical lesson in ecological conservation. Harrow Hengqin leads by example, calling on everyone to pay attention to the precious Chinese White Dolphin and work together to protect biodiversity, taking real action to support the planet!
