Egyptian pharaohs, rotund little yellow minions from the movie franchise and giant dalmatians mingled as they made their way to the 2km finishing point in the annual Sedan Chair Race on The Peak yesterday.
The eight pharaohs carrying their sedan won the Best-Dressed Team award. It was their first such race and they had spent three months preparing for it.
"We chose Egypt as our theme because it is one of the emerging markets, and we felt that the pharaoh best represents the country," the team's cheerleader Karman Fung said.
The team had bought their costumes on the internet, and lined their eyes and drew on moustaches to make their characters appear more lifelike.
The pharaoh team was not the only group that put so much effort into their costumes.
A group of "dalmatians" sacrificed their personal comfort to better play their parts as the spotted dogs, donning self-decorated canvas shoes that were not ideal for running.
"It's really hard to run in these shoes, but we thought it necessary to match the outfits," said So Tsz-fung, a City University student who was collaborating with the Guide Dogs Association for the race. "We wanted to show that guide dogs can play many roles in human lives," he said.
The team also incorporated Cruella De Vil, the dog-fur-wearing villain in the Disney classic , as well as 's slinky dog and green army men into their entourage. Their film-camera sedan earned them the Best-Decorated Chair award.
The sedan race also saw more than 20 organ transplant recipients take part, turning up dressed as Superman.
Chan Kwok-ming, leader of the team from the Transplant Sports Association, took part in his first sedan race after his kidney transplant three years ago. "I feel so much better after the transplant," said the 50-year-old sports lover who completed a full marathon this year.
Martin Wong Yim-wah, the association's founding chairman, said they hoped to promote awareness of organ donation. "Our Superman outfits remind the others that they, too, can be a hero when they take part in organ donation," he said.
And while the yellow umbrella has become a popular symbol in Hong Kong because of the ongoing Occupy Central democracy movement, it made no appearance among the crowd of painstakingly decorated sedans in the race.
Eris Lau Ching, director of the Sedan Chair Charities Fund that organised the race, said she was not surprised. "As our event is for charities, we do not wish to get involved in politics. Most of our participants are expatriates, and the extent to which they are involved in local current affairs is not as large as that of the locals."
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Pharaohs rule in the sedan chair dress stakes
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