Tamang and Williams Rock Again in Bonaqua Action Sprint- Repulse Bay
News Release / 14.04.2015
April 12, 2015 Hong Kong- Cloudy but luckily it was not raining today. Over 300 participants lined up at 9 a.m. in the morning to participate in the Bonaqua Action Sprint- Repulse Bay. Santosh Tamang stole the show at the second leg of the Bonaqua Action Sprint series on the technically demanding Repulse Bay course this Sunday took huge lead in the series while Zein Williams grabs the title in women’s.
“Loving the race. It is a relatively easy course to me despite the surface is extremely slippery today. Since I can't swim well, almost 15 runners overpassed me at the very first bit of the race. I had to pay extra effort to surpass them after I finished the swimming part. I really hope these river rock scrambling events can continue in our country parks.” said Nepalese runner Tamang from team HKNTRA, finishing in 1 hour 19 minutes 56seconds.
Next one crossing the finish line is local runner Jeremy Leung Chi Hang from the CMS Fireservices team, finishing in 1 hour 25 minutes 8 seconds.“Second time running the Bonaqua Action Sprint race in Repulse Bay, so I have an idea how the course looks like. It is quite different from the last time because the rain just stopped yesterday and the rocks and trails are all wet. Therefore the weather condition has made the race more technical and challenging. I also realised that Action Asia Events really put extra safety concern with more ropes tied along the river gully and many volunteers guided runners throughout the race. These arrangements are greatly appreciated. Looking forward to the next race in Discovery Bay.”, said Leung.
The third place goes to Swiss runner Michael Allenspach from team Umbulu. Allenspach finished the race in 1 hour 25 minutes and 53 seconds.“Very tough and challenging. First time joining the sprint race. My favourite part of the course would be crossing the river gully. I had the most fun there and wish it could be longer. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in the coming sprint race in Discovery Bay as I am going on a business trip and I know that there won’t be any sprint series again as the AFCD is banning running on the river gorge in all country parks.”, said Allenspach.
In the Women’s race all top 3 women finished in just over 7 minutes from each other with British Zein Williams of Raidlight grabbing the title.
“I’m glad that I got the second win in the series and finished it without injury. I was trying to break my personal record today but I fell four times when I hit the river gully so I realized I have to be less rush. I knew there was no chance to beat my time of last year. As to AFCD’s decision, it's so disappointing that the sprint series and more races are coming to an end due to the AFCD's decision. I really hope that we can change their mind. I think together we can work out a code of conduct and find out the real reason and then we can try and discuss about it and may have a chance to save our races. In my opinion, if some of Hong Kong’s most popular races are canceled because of the Hong Kong government, many of the outdoor enthusiasts will turn to Macau instead if they are looking for joining races in Asia.”, said Zein Williams who takes Women’s lead by grabbing her 2nd golden medal of the series today. Williams accomplished the task in 1 hour 37 minutes 54 seconds.
Next across the line in the Women’s race was Australian Stephanie Che, finishing in 1 hour 43 minutes 40 seconds. “It’s my first time doing the Repulse Bay sprint race. Trail was slippery, rocks are slippery. I think it’s a lot tougher than the Sai Kung one. I fell three times today, yet the weather is perfect for running. I really enjoy exploring the nature side of Hong Kong through running and rock scrambling. I am so glad that I could catch up with the last sprint series. I really hope that there will be more adventure races in the future. The government should listen to our voice and encourage more people to adapt a healthy lifestyle. This is what they really should do.”, said Che who also made the podium in the first leg of the series in Sai Kung.
French designer Elsa Jeandedieu rounded the top 3 finishing in 1 hour 44 minutes 53 seconds. “The race was amazing. It was very wet and technical in some parts but I had fun. I'd rate 10 out of 10 in terms of the course difficulty. So I heard that the sprint race in Discovery Bay on 26th April will mark an end of the Bonaqua Action Sprint series as the AFCD will not allow the organizer to host sprint races again. This decision is very disappointing. I have signed the petition online already and wish I can do more to express my thought about how amazing it is running on trails and crossing the river gorge in Hong Kong. ”said Jeandedieu.
Trail runners started the race with a 500 meter beach run. Followed by a 20 meter swim before running up the 430 meter Violet Hill from the backside through the bush. Continued with the down steep technical trails, and almost 2 km of river rock scrambling in Tai Tam Country Park mixed in on the 2nd half of the course.
The series could not happen without the kind support of Bonaqua, Action X Store, OtterBox, Aquarius, Inov8, Skins, Salonpas, AroundDB, Pearl’s, Herbalgy, Ocean Potion, HKRI, OL&N, Socam, Rocktape, the Action Asia Foundation, and the kind government support from the Hong Kong Police Force, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for granting permission to outdoor sports and Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
