Big Buddha hosts Buddha You Run on 7 November
Published on 10/11/2026 at 07:43 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSKey points in brief
- Big Buddha in Hong Kong will host the Buddha You Run trail race on 7 November 2026.
- Po Lin Monastery will organise three race distances starting and finishing at Ngong Ping Earth God Plaza on 7 November 2026.
- The course will pass the statue and other Lantau landmarks, including the Wisdom Path and Phoenix Mountain.
- Race participants will collect their packs in Lai Chi Kok between 30 October and 1 November 2026.
Big Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha) in Hong Kong will host Buddha You Run on 7 November 2026, linking the statue with a trail race across Lantau Island. Po Lin Monastery is organising the event, which starts and finishes at Ngong Ping Earth God Plaza.
The race gives the landmark a specific role beyond its usual status as a visitor attraction. All three announced courses include the steps leading to the statue, making the Big Buddha a checkpoint and part of the course itself.
Buddha You Run brings a trail race to Big Buddha
Buddha You Run will begin at 9.15am on 7 November 2026. The programme includes 18-kilometre, 8-kilometre and 3-kilometre trail races, with the 3-kilometre option including family categories.
Po Lin Monastery is the organiser, while Ngong Ping 360 and Kwoon Chung Bus are listed as supporting partners. The organiser's race programme identifies Ngong Ping Earth God Plaza as the start, finish and prize-giving venue.
The event is open through registration rather than being a general public festival. The organiser's page states that there will be no on-the-day registration, so visitors who intend to run must complete the registration process in advance.
Big Buddha becomes a checkpoint on Lantau routes
The 18-kilometre course travels through Cha Yuen, Ngong Ping Nature Trail, Tung Shan Famen, the Wisdom Path and section three of the Lantau Trail. It then reaches Phoenix Mountain, Pak Kung Au, Tei Tong Tsai and Nei Lak Shan Country Trail before returning towards Ngong Ping.
The 8-kilometre course follows a shorter circuit around Nei Lak Shan, while the 3-kilometre route also passes the Wisdom Path and ends with the climb to the statue. The published route details place the statue among the race's named cultural and natural landmarks.
That route design connects the monument with the wider Ngong Ping landscape. Runners will encounter the statue as a fixed point within a mountain course, rather than only as the final stop on a sightseeing itinerary.
Po Lin Monastery sets the event timetable
The monastery has run Buddha You Run since 2015, according to the organiser's event page. The 2026 programme also lists timing systems, checkpoints and separate arrangements for the three race distances.
For the longest course, checkpoints include Tung Chung Road at Pak Kung Au, the Nei Lak Shan trail near the cable-car turning station and the Big Buddha. The 8-kilometre route has checkpoints at Tung Shan Famen, the Nei Lak Shan trail and the statue, while the 3-kilometre route includes Tung Shan Famen and the statue.
Registered runners must follow the designated sequence. The organiser also states that the race may be cancelled if a red or black rainstorm warning, or a typhoon signal number 3 or above, is issued within 12 hours before the start.
Visiting Big Buddha: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Buddha You Run takes place on 7 November 2026, starting and finishing at Ngong Ping Earth God Plaza on Lantau Island.
- The event is for registered runners. The course passes the statue, and the organiser says there is no on-the-day registration.
- Runner transport is arranged from Tung Chung Bus Terminus for the 18-kilometre, 8-kilometre and 3-kilometre groups. Return options listed by the organiser include Ngong Ping 360 and New Lantao Bus services towards Tung Chung, Tai O or Mui Wo.
- The course includes rough, narrow mountain paths and the stairway to the statue. The organiser says runners must not stop to take photographs on the course.
- Race packs are scheduled for collection from 30 October to 1 November 2026 at a venue in Lai Chi Kok. Collection is also available at Po Lin Monastery from 3 to 6 November 2026.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Big Buddha on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Big Buddha
When does Buddha You Run take place at Big Buddha?
Buddha You Run takes place on 7 November 2026, with the start scheduled for 9.15am at Ngong Ping Earth God Plaza.
Where is Big Buddha and how do you get there?
The statue is at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. The event organiser lists transport from Tung Chung and return options by cable car or bus for registered runners.
What is Big Buddha?
Big Buddha is the large Buddhist statue at Ngong Ping beside Po Lin Monastery. During Buddha You Run on 7 November 2026, it will serve as a checkpoint on all three announced routes.
