Ultra Trail World Tour - Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race
Record Breaking Hong Kong 100 in First UTWT Tour Race of 2018
Press Release / 31.01.2018
Last weekend (January 27th– 28Th 2018) the 2018 season of Ultra-Trail® World Tour was launched when 2000 runners were on the start line at 8AM on Saturday morning. This edition was full of surprises and officially started the UTWT season.
A Special Week
The week before was very special. Indeed, Andrea HUSER and François D’HAENE were present for the Award Ceremony. The occasion to close the season 2017 and reward the champions. Andrea was on the start line to start her UTWT season. A lot of incredible athletes participated but nothing happened as planned for American and European elite favourite runners. During those 100Km and 4500m+, the Chinese runners took the lead very early in the race and never let it go.
No Real Battle For The Women's Race
Mia Yao (CHN), won the race very easily. But the Chinese not only won the race, she smashed Nurias Picas’ Course Record with 40 minutes! An incredible performance from the athlete. Behind her, the Nepalese runner Mira RAI, finished at 2nd place after almost an hour. To complete the podium, Fuzhao XIANG, another Chinese runner, finished 6 minutes after Mira. Miao Yao was just too strong!
Confusion At The End Of The Men's Race
What an incredible race from, once again, Chinese runners! The top 10 was very tight during 80Km, until Liang Jing and Min QI accelerated.
The first one crossed the finish line in front of Min QI. But an event put his victory in question.
“Runner Liang Jing (bib #34) 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, apologised for his behaviour, and stated that there would never be a repeat.”
Liang Jing, did not respect the rules in receiving support outside the checkpoints. The decision was taken by the organization to disqualify Ling Jiang. Min QI eventually won the race. Finishing 15 minutes after QI, Alex Nichols (USA) took the 2nd place, 20 minutes in front of Yun-Hui Yu (CHN) 3rd.
A Great Atmosphere
Vibram® Hong Kong 100 Ultramarathon was a great success. Every finisher received a great acclamation when they crossed the finish line. There even was a wedding a proposal at the end of the race! A 76-year old man finished the race at the 901st position! It was an amazing atmosphere for the first stage of 2018 Ultra-Trail® World Tour.
SleepMonsters
