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"Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon" of Chinese Endurance Runners

Fann Chong / 28.05.2009

The North Face known for its slogan Never Stop Exploring saw the great potential of Chinese endurance runners. Kaburaki Tsuyoshi, one of the best endurance runners from Japan, was not in the lead group during the first half of the race but chose to run at full strength and led for the entire second half. At 12:40PM, Kaburaki Tsuyoshi reached the finish line to the enthusiastic applause and cheer of spectators and media. Still breathless from running, he greeted all the spectators and media with "Thank You" in Chinese. Kaburaki Tsuyoshi finished the race in 6:52:20.

The Chief Referee and experienced race organizers predicted it would be a miracle to finish the 100km race in 8 hours; therefore, it was stunning that Kaburaki Tsuyoshi finished the race within 7 hours. Another surprising performance came from 22 year old Yan Yunqiao, a sophomore from North China Electrical Power University who finished second in the 100km. He reached the finish line with the time of 7:15:25. When asked how he felt about the race, he smiled shyly and said, "I have run 5 or 6 marathons, but this was my first time running an ultra distance as long as 100km. I like hiking and running in the mountains. When I was running uphill at the 38 km, I felt I had reached the limits of my body. However, I didn’t stop. I knew I had the confidence to finish it." Stone Tsang from Hong Kong placed third in the 100km race with a finishing time of 7:42:16.

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