Running News Daily

China dominates as You Peiquan and Xiang Fuzhao take titles at the Vibram Hong Kong 100

Mainland Chinese runners dominate the field on both the men’s and women’s side

China’s top trail runners were certainly not deterred from coming to Hong Kong given the city’s ongoing political protest scene, as the top spots was claimed by a mainland runner in the men’s and women’s categories at the HK100, a 103 km course that is based around the city’s famous MacLehose Trail.

You Peiquan won the men’s division with a time of 10:00:17, while Xiang Fuzhao won the women’s division with a time of 11:28:59. Yo led for most of the race in his attempt and set a new course record. He said he has only been competing for two years and has only now figured out how to master his nutrition for races. Yo also said he doesn’t have a coach, runs a lot on his own and mostly does laps on an empty stomach on a track to train.

“I started off very excited and might have overdone it,” said Yo through translation, who came first in the Captsone 60K and the Devil’s Ridge 60K last year. “For the last two hills I basically had to walk.”

China’s Jing Liang came second with a time of 10:33:10, and compatriot Deng Guomin with a time of 10:39:28, came third for the men. The race features less than 100 racers over two divisions.

Xiang, who finished second last year in the HK100 in more than 12 hours, said she felt good at the halfway point and then kept building from there.

“I said at the press conference that I would like to win in my third year,” said Xiang, who beat her time from 2019 by around 58 minutes. “This year I wanted to take it a bit more aggressively and at the midpoint I was already 20 minutes ahead. A lot of running is a mathematical game I think, looking, assessing and adding your times, and after that it was all about catching more time as I went on.”

She said this year came down to having more people help her prepare for the race.

“A lot of it was having a sponsor and a lot of support from everyone around me, and accommodation and training. And most importantly today I really wanted to be the champion.”

 

(01/20/2020) Views: 1,557 ⚡AMP
by Patrick Blennerhassett

Ultra runner Jared Hazen, is focused on winning the Vibram Hong Kong 100km ultramarathon

Jared Hazen is focused on winning the Vibram Hong Kong 100km ultramarathon, starting at 8am on Saturday, by leading the race as early as possible. The American speedster believes that although it is possible to podium by running conservatively, runners need to push from the start to come first.

“I’ve moved up, late in races, to a podium a spot. But trying to win is playing a whole other game, you have to be at the front of race the whole time,” Hazen, 25, said. “You're not going to luckily sneak your way into first place.”

The HK100 is the first race of the Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT). It is one of five UTWT races in Asia, including the Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji. It starts in Sai Kung and snakes across the New Territories to Tai Mo Shan.

Hazen said in any race, the reports you get in checkpoints about how far other runners are ahead of you can be inaccurate, making it hard to overtake them: “It's better to manage yourself while in the lead.”

However, pushing from the start is a risk as it is all or nothing, and you can blow up.

“I think it's OK for it to be nothing on some days,” he said. “But you have to hold yourself accountable to a certain extent. Sometimes it was stupid and you blew a chance. But you've got to give yourself a chance. Can you walk away with your head held high?”

Hazen added that although American runners have the reputation for going out hard, with an all or nothing attitude, it was only recently that the Europeans earned the same reputation: “I feel like it’s flip-flopped. But it’s because some faster American athletes have got into the sport recently.”

Owing to the HK100’s UTWT status, the start line is packed with talent. Foreigners, like Hazen, travel to Hong Kong and many unknown but equally talented mainland Chinese runners also attend. The past two editions have been won by mainland Chinese men and women.

Hazen said he knew the Chinese runners by name only. Usually, he is familiar with the field because he races the same events in the US so often. He knows his competitors’ styles, strengths and weaknesses.

“So this will be new. But that is what this year is about a little bit, stretching myself and racing new runners,” he said.

“I've been doing the same races for too long. There are some really cool races on the UTWT and I just want to participate in that more. I want to be more of an international runner and not a US runner,” he said. He is also targeting the Transvulcania in La Palma, Spain, in May and the CCC in Chamonix, France, in August.

Hazen is also returning to the Western States 100 mile (161) this summer, where last year he ran the second-fastest time ever. It would have been the course record had his training mate Jim Walmsley not beaten him that day and set the record.

(01/17/2020) Views: 1,750 ⚡AMP
by Mark Agnew

Vibram Hong Kong 100 was elevated to Series in the Ultra-Trail® World Tour

Vibram® Hong Kong 100 is delighted to announce its elevation to “Series” level in the Ultra Trail® World Tour (UTWT). This confirms Vibram® Hong Kong 100’s place among the eight most prestigious trail races in the world and as the only Series event in Asia. This further increases the race’s allure to athletes competing for top rankings in the UTWT, the world’s premier trail racing series. The 9th edition of the Vibram® Hong Kong 100 will be held on 19 and 20 January 2019. The race was first held in 2011 and has quickly become one of the most popular events in the global trail running calendar, attracting over 7,000 applicants from 60 countries for just 1,800 places. Hong Kong hosted the UTWT 2017 awards ceremony in January this year, the first time the celebration has ever been held outside Europe. Janet Ng, the Vibram® Hong Kong 100 Race Director, said the race’s elevation was “a tribute to the Hong Kong trail running community, which provides incredible support for the race, along with roughly 1,000 volunteers, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, St. John Ambulance, the Emergency Services, the sponsors and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. It’s great to see all this hard work and enthusiasm acknowledged, and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the festivities here in Hong Kong in January”. (12/06/2018) Views: 1,447 ⚡AMP

Hong Kong 100 Ultra Runner Winner Disqalified

Runner Liang Jing crossed the finish line in 9:28:35 and in first position, but has been disqualified for receiving support outside the checkpoints, which is not permitted by the race rules. Liang Jing explained that he asked for water from a hiker and understood that he had permission to swap his empty bottle with her full one, as he pushed himself to the limits. He expressed regret at this misunderstanding, apologized for his behavior, and stated that there would never be a repeat. (01/27/2018) Views: 1,410 ⚡AMP

Alex Nichols ready for Vibram Hong Kong 100k

Alex Nichols is in Hong Kong! He’s starting his 2018 racing season off early with the Vibram Hong Kong 100k. Alex Nichols of Colorado Springs was second (and top American) at Western States and third at the highly competitive Grand Trail des Templiers in France. He also won the Black Canyon 100K. "The guy puts his head down and puts in one solid performance after the next, all without any hype," says Meghan Hicks (I Run Far website) (01/24/2018) Views: 1,512 ⚡AMP