Two Hong Kong expats will run an ultramarathon course in the shape of an umbrella Wednesday as a show of support to all the pro-democracy protesters still camped out on the streets of the city.

John Ellis and Andrew Dawson, both veteran ultramarathon runners, plan to run 102 km over 15 hours on a path taking them to Hong Kong's mountainous trails near the Chinese border and ending up at the main protest site opposite government  headquarters.

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"We deliberately wanted to make it long because it's symbolic of what we think will probably be a fairly long struggle ahead," said Ellis, a 36-year-old Australian who works in investment, told the media hours before they started their run at 4am.

Dubbed the "Umbrella Movement," the protests signify the use of umbrellas by demonstrators as a shield from the heat, rain, police baton, and pepper spray.

The expats wanted to use the protesters' symbol as their route when laid out on the map of the region.

The two started their run in the early hours of the morning at a Hong Kong's Upper Shing Mun reservoir, a mountainous trail near the mainland, away from the urban territories the region is known for.

The expats said their route is not an easy one as it will take them on a loop of the outlying New Territories before passing south and turning to the densely-populated Kowloon territory and then across the harbor to Hong Kong.

They hope to make it to the first protest site by 4pm in Mong Kok and run three more hours to make it to the main protest area across from the government headquarters.

The duo said they will need the help of friends along the way, especially since they will be climbing hilly terrains at 3,000 m. They said at some point, they may feel like giving up but they will go on and show solidarity with the protesters to not give up until they make it to the end.

Expats in Hong Kong have become divided on whether to openly support protesters. Some fear that involving themselves in Hong Kong politics will be seen by China as interference in their affairs while others openly support the demands of the students.

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