Foreign maids first arrived in Hong Kong in the 1970s, when there was a shortage of local full-time housekeepers as the economy began to take off in line with China’s opening up. Today, there are 380,000 maids who make up five percent of the population.

Now, a growing community of maids have taken up trail running for the challenge of the sport and the opportunity to be treated as equals in a society that often discriminates against them.

“On weekdays, people say, ‘Oh, you’re a domestic helper. On weekends, on the trails, they say, ‘Oh, you’re a good runner.’”

— Fredelyn Alberto, domestic worker

Read the full story: New York Times
Photo: Unsplash/Andrew Haimerl