Asia Trail May / June 2015

Asia’s first trail running magazine May / June 2015

Performance Enhancing Drugs in Running Professional Mountain Runners an urban legend?

Bags, Apparel & More Tested Smiling Trail Assassin:

Wyan Chow Pui Yan HONG KONG HKD 48

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SINGAPORE SGD 9.90

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MALAYSIA MYR 12

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THAILAND THB 200

9 772409 503000 >

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INDONESIA USD 5

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philippines PHP 235

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MAY / JUNE 2015

asiatrAilmag.com COVER

42 Wyan Chow Pui Yan, first local woman to win the Vibram Hong Kong 100.

Photo: Alexis Berg.

12 Photo: William Cheang

48

60

70 Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

05 Editor’s Note 06 Race News TransLantau

Hong Kong Grand Slam Transgrancanaria

Cordillera Mountain Marathon

King of the Hills Mountain Marathon

Series - Sham Tseng

Ultra Trail Hong Kong

To The Top of Hong Kong Challenge

CNY Grand 3 Tour

Hysan Healthy Hike & Run

Bonaqua Action Sprint - Sai Kung +

Repulse Bay

LBC Valentine’s Day Race

Hard as Nayls

Run for Smile

Race for Water

JN 50km

Gunung Nuang Ultra

Ultra & Trail Unseen Koh Chang

West Kathmandu Valley Rim & Stupa

to Stupa Marathon

Photo: Alexis Berg

38 TRIVIA

70 body mechanics

TransLantau Key Numbers

FEATURES on cover 42 Runner profile

The Smiling Trail Assassin: An Interview with Wyan Chow Pui Yan

48 Training

Training in the Heat

REGULARS 54 RACE

Plight of the Professional Runner

To Pole or Not to Pole

74 geek runner

PEDs: Ethics, Issues, and Trail Running

78 NUTRITION

Carbohydrates versus Healthy Fat for Energy Fuel

80 Race Directory 82 marketplace

60 Gear

Food, Apparel & More Tested

64 FIRST STEPS

Why You Should Race and How to Prepare

Digital Edition

To read Asia Trail online, visit www.asiatrailmag.com

68 ASK THE COACH

How to Pace Well in Racing

3

Editor’s Note

Editor: Clement Dumont

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Claudia Sing COPY EDITOR: Dominik Sklarzyk

RACE NEWS EDITOR: John Ellis Matt Moroz CONTRIBUTORS: Andy Dubois Doug Tahirali Jeff Ooi Joshua Steimle JP Alipio Katia Kucher Matt Moroz Olivier Baillet Rachel Jacqueline Richard Bull Zhu Hou Shuai

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alexis Berg Claus Rolff

Graphic Designer: Miho Yawata

Publisher: Asia Sport Connection Limited 39, Tung Wan Tau, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

For advertising, please contact: Sabrina Dumont +852 5193 8707 sabrina@asiasportconnection.com GENERAL inquiries: info@asiasportconnection.com SUBSCRIPTION: visit www.asiatrailmag.com Issue #10 Bimonthly ISSN 2409-5036

© 2015 Asia Trail. All rights reserved.

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct.

However, we accept no responsibility for any error or omissions. All material published in Asia Trail is protected by copyright and unauthorized reproduction in part or full is prohibited.

asiatrailmag.com @asiatrailmag asiatrailmag

#asiatrailmag

Moroccan Zaid Malek finished 3rd at Transgrancanaria (83km). Photo: Alexis Berg

W

The Joy of Dedication

e are delighted to see Asia Trail captivating Southeast Asia at the same pace as are trail running events — just have a look at the impressively extensive race calendar on our new website. You can virtually race every weekend, and some dedicated (or perhaps crazy) runners actually do! Allen Ng (Asia Trail team), for the second consecutive year, finished the Grand Slam Hong Kong (four 100km events) with the best cumulative time, together with 43 other dedicated runners. Wyan Chow Pui Yan, the rising local elite is also a dedicated runner who, within a mere three months, became the fastest woman at the Oxfam Trailwalker, a podium finisher at The North Face 100 a month later, and the winner of the Vibram Hong Kong 100, but finally — alas! — dropped out during the Transgrancanaria, her first overseas ultra (p. 42). This reminds us that no matter how serious you are, our bodies still set the limits and need proper time to recover.

We frequently read about elites and even professional runners traveling the world to race, but are they really living out their passions? Our journalist Rachel Jacqueline investigated the issue to find out that at least some of the buzz is actually an urban legend (p. 54). Hypes aside, the rapid evolution and proficiency of our sport is definitely driving trail gear towards minimalism. On this note, Moroccan Zaid Malek (photo above) finished 83km in less than 9h (3rd place) at the Transgrancanaria wearing the new Salomon S-Lab 1L vest. As such, we tested this hydration vest for you (p. 60). Although best recommended for short races, elite runners do not hesitate using minimalist gear during full-length ultras, and many of us are likewise following this trend. And speaking of minimalism, this May, Kílian Jornet, our favourite minimalist, is going to attempt his ambitious ascent of Mount Everest.

With the new season, heat and humidity are now the inescapable routine, while some will use this opportunity to take a break, others will add onto their ultra training. To make the most of the summer, read some of the useful and practical training tips provided by our coach Andy DuBois (p. 48). Finally, when it comes to effective racing and training, pacing accordingly is a must, as almost every one of us always tends to start too fast (p. 68).

Asia Trail is growing, thanks to the incredible trail running community in Asia.

Editor: Clement Dumont

5

Race News

Final but Probably Toughest 100km Race in

Hong Kong Grand Slam TransLantau www.translantau.com

By John Ellis, Gone Running

L

ast weekend’s TransLantau marked the final and probably toughest 100km race in this season’s Hong Kong Grand Slam (HK Grand Slam: Hong Kong’s unofficial challenge of completing the four 100km trail races in each trail running season), so it was no surprise to see a strong field toe the line for the 11:30 p.m. start, which was completed with a traditional Chinese lion dance.

An enforced course reroute cut out 300m of early climbing, but the race still boasted slogs up Lantau, Sunset, and three other 400m-plus peaks, for a thigh-burning 5,900m of positive elevation gain. Early expectations for a fast race, however, were dashed by the damp, slippery conditions and low visibility in the high-elevation mist.

Kosuke Kurosawa from Japan led out early, followed by last year’s runner-up Jacky Leung and Taiwan-based Czech Petr Novotny. However, they were soon reeled in by early favourites, Australian Vlad Ixel and Santosh Tamang from Nepal. The leading pair then traded blows until the brutal bushwhacking climb up to Nei Lek Shan (2km; 500m D+) at around 62km.

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

A 50km edition runner on his way to conquer the 2,600m of positive elevation gain. Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

Race News From here, Ixel pulled away and never looked back, finishing the final stage in a blistering 11.6 km/h, to win comfortably in 13h 25min 11s. “The second half of the race was in daylight so I could open up my stride and enjoy the race. I was happy to win yesterday even though I wasn’t pushed to my limits, and [race director] Clement Dumont did a great job with the course showcasing Lantau,” remarked Ixel.

Tamang held onto 2nd place with a brave 14h 16min 36s, and last year’s Lantau Vertical champion Kawai Wong from the Hong Kong Fire Services Department rounded out the podium with a wellpaced 14h 40min 7s. Special mention goes to Pig Chan and Allen Ng from Asia Trail, who blitzed the team of two category in 15h 20min 29s.

In the women’s race, Tor des Géants finisher Qu Li Jie of China started slowly but pushed out to the front on the third stage, eventually stretching her margin to almost half an hour by Chi Ma Wan. She would eventually hold on for the win in a very respectable 17h 47min 43s, less than 5min ahead of

TransLantau Results 100km

fast-finishing Australian Joanna Kruk in 17h 52min 11s. Despite racing as a team of two, Nicole Lau of Cosmoboys finished 3rd female in 17h 59min 29s, and commented: “It was my first time to race in the fog at night and I couldn’t see the route clearly at Lin Fa Shan and Sunset Peak. The time was not as good as expected but we were happy as it was our third time to finish TransLantau together.”

International runners dominated the 50km edition (2,600m D+), with Chengdu-based American Justin Andrews continuing to nab Hong Kong silverware, taking 1st in a relatively comfortable 5h 42min 31s. Australian Majell Backhausen prevailed in a sprint finish with local 2XU athlete Ying Tsang in 5h 50min 44s. The women’s champion was Filipino HKTR runner Irene Montemayor in 7h 44min 27s, ahead of Hong Kong’s Olivia Chan in 7h 52min 49s and Ivy Chung in 7h 57min 20s.

The winners of the 25km race were Joel Deschamps from France and Ukrainian Oksana Riabova, while American David Woo and Canadian Joyce Edmondson took out the 15km version.

50km Men (Overall)

Men (Overall) 1

Vlad Ixel (Australia)

13:25:11

1

Justin Andrews (USA)

05:42:31

3

Wong Ka Wai (Hong Kong)

14:40:07

3

Tsang Chun Kit (Hong Kong)

Women (Overall)

05:50:45

2

Santosh Tamang (Nepal)

Women (Overall)

14:16:36

2

Majell Backhausen (Australia)

05:50:44

1

Qu Li Jie (China)

17:47:43

1

Irene N Montemayor (Philippines)

07:44:27

3

Nicole Lau (Hong Kong)

17:59:29

3

Chung Choi Lin Ivy (Hong Kong)

Team of Two

07:57:20

1

Wong Kwok Ki (Hong Kong)

07:19:21

2

Hung Ho Fung (Hong Kong)

07:20:53

Jessy Chan (Hong Kong)

07:38:27

2

Joanna Kruk (Australia)

Team of Two

17:52:11

1

Ng Kwok Lun (Hong Kong)

15:20:29

2

Kwok Chi Ming (Hong Kong)

17:32:25

Nicole Lau (Hong Kong)

17:59:29

3

Chan Wai Yiu (Hong Kong)

Wong Tze Wan (Hong Kong) Leo Chung (Hong Kong)

2

3

Chan Mei Fung Olivia (Hong Kong)

Sze Tai Heung (Hong Kong) Luk Siu Kong (Hong Kong) Yip Yin Ting (Hong Kong)

07:52:49

7

Race News

Hong Kong

Grand Slam Finishers

2014/2015 W

ith the completion of TransLantau in March, the Hong Kong trail running season for Hong Kong’s 100km ultras has come to an end. In the span of five months, 44 ultradistance trail running fanatics (in the 2013/2014 season the number topped at 32) have finished the Hong Kong Grand Slam by completing Hong Kong’s four 100km trail races: Oxfam Trailwalker (November 2014), The North Face 100 (December 2014), Vibram Hong Kong 100 (January 2015), and TransLantau (March 2015). Total time taken for the finishers ranged from 56h to 113h.

Special mention goes to Allen Ng Kwok Lun, Chan Wai Yiu Pig, and Paul Tsang who have achieved the feat of completing two consecutive Grand Slam events (2013/2014 and 2014/2015).

Hong Kong Grand Slam Finisher Results Men

Women

Allen Ng Kwok Lun

56h 29min 1s

Yuen Kit Shan Jojo

72h 52min 27s

Ng Pak Hong

63h 38min 7s

Chan Siu Hung Winny

83h 6min 29s

Chan Wai Yiu Pig

59h 13min 46s

Pig Chan and Allen Ng (left and centre) won TransLantau 100's Team of Two category. Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

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Leung Wing Yan Kitty

The oldest finisher (61 years old):

Paul Tsang

82h 55min 55s

94h 4min 16s

2016

Race News

Dong Li on the Podium at the Ultra-Trail World Tour

Transgrancaneria Transgrancanaria - Spain www.transgrancanaria.net

T

he Transgrancanaria, held on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, was the third race of the 2015 UltraTrail World Tour. The gruelling course (125km; 8,500m D+) combined with the weather conditions resulted in a high race carnage: Only 53% of the 600-plus runners successfully finished the race.

Dong Li from China took 3rd place on the women’s podium. Besides Dong Li, 11 other Asians from China, Japan, and Nepal also finished the race.

Transgrancanaria Results Ultra-Trail World Tour - Stage 3 Men

Women

Grinius Gediminas (Lithuania)

14:23:37

Picas-Albets Núria (Spain)

16:53:27

Guillon Antoine (France)

14:39:35

Dong Li (China)

18:15:55

Hermansen Didrik (Norway) Amdahl Sondre (Norway) Cointre Cyril (France)

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14:30:07 15:06:37 15:28:22

Chaverot Caroline (France) Huser Andrea (Switzerland)

Vilaseca Manuela Vilaseca (Brazil)

17:16:48 18:37:53 18:42:59

Race News

Chinese runner Yan Long Fei was leading early in the race, but dropped at 80km with a heavy headache. Photo: Alexis Berg

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Race News

Stairway to

the Magical Mount Pulag Cordillera Mountain Marathon - Philippines www.cordilleraconservationtrust.ph

By Jp Alipio

The lush greenery at Mt. Pulag creates a myriad of colours.

Photo: William Cheang

A

t 2,400m above sea level at Mount Pulag in the Philippines, the stars sparkled clearly above and there was the slightest sliver of the moon overhead. The cold was a crisp 10°C with a hint of moisture. There was a nervous energy in the air as 195 runners toed the start line of the first edition of the Cordillera Mountain Marathon at 4 a.m., waiting anxiously to set off into the darkness, focusing only on what was illuminated by their headlamps ahead and the light from a million stars above.

The Cordillera Mountain Marathon (42km; 3,000m D+) is one of the highest marathons in the Philippines with 60% of the route taking place 2,000m above sea level.

Forty minutes after the start, still under a carpet of stars, the first two runners — Marcelino Son-Oy and Mayo Sinpoda — reached the summit. Notably, both runners are from the Kalanguya tribe that lives in the villages around the mountains. To Son-Oy and Sinpoda, Mount Pulag is their home and the source of their livelihood: the forests surrounding the mountain are the watersheds for the villages and provide a stable supply of water to the people and its farms. In addition, many

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

of the villagers supplement their income through hiring themselves out as mountain guides and porters.

For both the runners, the Cordillera Mountain Marathon would be their first time running a marathon, and a mountain marathon at skyrunning elevation at that. Yet watching the two men duke it out at the summit, 2,900m above sea level, you would think they were running on flat paved roads at sea level while their closest competitors were 20min behind.

From the start line, mountain marathon runners had to run past the village of Babalak, Kabayan, through vegetable gardens into the mossy oak forest on the western side of the mountain, dodging between twisted stunted trees so thick they obscure the sun and create their own weather — splendidly, at 2,600m the forest opens into the grassland prairie at the summit inhabited by dwarf bamboos.

At 5 a.m., the mountain marathon runners reached the first of the four summits they would hit at 2,780m, followed by three more summits on the grassland at 2,825m, 2,845m, and 2,855m. From these four points on the grassland, you could see all the villages and towns

Race News

From the four summits one could see the sea of clouds rolling through the forested slopes of the mountains. Photo: William Cheang

of Cordillera stretching from north to south — seeing the Lingayen Gulf and the lights of the coast to the west and to the east, the runners were treated with a spectacular sunrise with the sea of clouds rolling through the forested slopes of the mountain. The weather was good, just the right amount of rain the day before provided for the spectacle that greeted each runner as they summited each of the four peaks of the mountain of the gods.

From the grassland, the runners descended almost 2,000m through the wet cloud forest on the eastern slope, literally running down into the clouds for 10km to the village of Danggo, Tinoc, in Ifugao. Son-Oy and Sinpoda reached the village just 2h after the start, dancing their way down gracefully through the forest, running over the most technical section of the course with loose rocks, wet roots, slippery mossy ground, and steep sections with loose soil.

Danggo (1,140m), home to the famed Philippine rice terraces, was the halfway point of the marathon course and was the first meal station stocked with locally cooked rice cakes and peanuts. From Danggo onwards, the course would slowly take back all the elevation

it lost and climbed its way back to the finish line over a single track dirt road for 21km. This was the most difficult section of the course as the relentless climbing coupled with the altitude and terrain conspired to make it a slow slog back up to 2,400m.

Once the climbing began, Son-Oy started to make his move and slowly gained over Sinpoda. First a few seconds, then as the climb progressed, this extended to a few minutes. By the time Son-Oy crested the last pass at the Apunan saddle aid station, he was a full 15min ahead of Sinpoda and by the time he reached the finish line, he was a full 20min ahead, finishing one of the most punishing mountain marathons in just 4h 54min 52s! The course might very well have been flat and at sea level as far as he was concerned — and the crowd, especially the locals living in Babadak relished the win from one of their own.

The real winners today though are the villages around the mountain: Cordillera Mountain Marathon is not simply a race, but also a development project meant to create value within the wild spaces of Mount Pulag and drive the economies of these villages to reduce the need to expand the farms into the protected areas.

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Race News

Stone Tsang

Breaks the Full-Marathon Record King of the Hills Mountain Marathon Series Sham Tseng www.seyonasia.com

By Matt Moroz

Running in the beautiful surroundings of Sham Tseng and the Tai Lam Country Park. Photo: Claus Rolff

T

he KOTH race series culminated with the fourth race of the 2014-2015 trail running season in the beautiful surroundings of Sham Tseng and the Tai Lam Country Park. The series ended in spectacular fashion with a new course record, but the series’ reputation was tainted once again with results not exactly representing the efforts of runners on the day.

Similarly to the season opener on Hong Kong Island back in late November, the race was blighted by insufficient course marking, meaning that many runners took wrong turns and ended up getting lost. These problems greatly affected both the results on the day as well as the overall series greatly, as there were issues at the front of both the half- and fullmarathon lengths.

The full-distance race was led by Australian Vlad Ixel from the off. Ixel reached the second checkpoint in 1h 21min 23s to lead Hong Kong favourite Stone Tsang Siu Keung by around 40s. Soon after this Ixel’s race for the day’s and series’ victory was over. A wrong turn dropped Ixel 141 places before the next checkpoint and he was left to complete the race with a sense of great disappointment.

This dissatisfaction was echoed in the half-marathon race with the early leaders getting lost and falling way down the leaderboard. Michael Allenspach led at the second checkpoint, with David Woo just 5s behind. The two had built up a significant lead before it went wrong for them too.

Similar to Ixel, the two finished feeling somewhat robbed of their race as they dropped to 344th and 361st respectively.

In the front of the remaining race, it was Tsang who ran beautifully to break the Sham Tseng full-marathon course

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

record in a time of 3h 31min 46s. We can take nothing away from Tsang but wonder how much faster he and Ixel may have been if they’d been racing each other throughout.

Second place finisher Clement Dumont also ran fantastically and likewise finished under the previous course record in 3h 33min 36s. Making up the men’s podium was the real find of the 2014-2015 Hong Kong trail running season, Nepali Santosh Bishwash (Tamang). Though a further 10min behind Dumont, Tamang once again confirmed himself as one of the region’s best trail runners.

The women’s race was full of spice with leading contenders Marie McNaughton and Zein Williams going headto-head. In the Lantau race, McNaughton was victorious over Williams, and Sai Kung saw the reverse. This time a very close race saw Williams leading for the first half of the race before McNaughton closed the narrow gap to take up the position of front-runner. The gap remained small throughout the race but McNaughton managed to extend this to almost 3min with less than 3km left to run. Although victory seemed assured, Williams rallied to close the gap to a mere 68s at the end, with the two finishing in 4h 19min 17s and 4h 20min 25s. A fitting end to a great battle between these two fine athletes over the race series. Making up the women’s podium was Jeanette Wang, coming in 17min behind McNaughton. Wang ran a wonderfully consistent race and maintained her 3rd position from the very start.

In the half-marathon race, while Woo and Allenspach were busy attempting to rejoin the race, Bryan Crane managed to stay on track and secure victory in 2h 15min 3s.

His victory came by almost 2min from Sean Haggerty and Ryan Whelan who finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The women’s race saw no surprises with the ever-impressive

Race News Emma Bruce leading the way yet again to win by a similar margin as Crane, in a time of 2h 40min 19s. Pamela Beech

finished in a very respectable 2nd place, with Nia Cooper a further minute behind in 3rd.

Marathon Series Ranking King of the Hills

William Davies

Queen of the Hills

Marie McNaughton

Male Open

Allen Ng

Male Open

David Woo

Male 45-49

Michael McComb

Male 45-49

Jo Koster

Age Category Winners

Male 40-44 Male 50-54 Male 55-59

Male 60 & Over Female Open

Female 40-49

Female 50 & Over

William Davies Hau Ping

Chan See Kau

Chan Hoi Nam Zein Williams

Marie McNaughton Au Yeung Cham

Half-Marathon Series Ranking

Male 40-44 Male 50-54 Male 55-59

Male 60 & Over Female Open

Female 40-49

Female 50 & Over

Robert Smith John Bruce Rae-Smith Leung Ping

Peter Wong Chun Tung Cheung Kwan Yee Emma Bruce

Yeung Mei Lun

Race News

Ultra Trail Hong Kong Kicks Off with the Longest Trail Race in Hong Kong Ultra Trail Hong Kong www.ultratrailhk.com.hk

By John Ellis, Gone Running

Running down Cloudy Hill. Photos: Fuse Choy

T

he inaugural edition of the Ultra Trail Hong Kong kicked off on Feb. 27 with 168 intrepid adventurers signed up for Hong Kong’s longest official trail race of 175km (9,500m D+). This monster course started near Tai Tong and took in large sections of the MacLehose and Wilson trails, as well as The North Face 100 route and its own unique trails, before finishing at the Tai Mei Tuk BBQ site. The shorter race joined at Lam Tsuen, skipping the Tai Lam Chung, Tai Mo Shan, and Pat Sin Leng sections, but still packed a punch at 93km (5,000m D+) for the 86 entrants.

As a testament to the difficulty of the race, only 37 runners would finish the full course within the 50h time limit, with special dispensation given to three runners finishing

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

over the next hour. Joint winners in 39h 31min were Hong Kong locals Alex Fan, Lau Hoi Fai, Wong Tze Wan, and Chung Pak Hang, with Yuen Kit Shan taking the women’s crown in 43h 45min.

In the 93km race, Lam Chi Yung led from start to finish, running out a comfortable winner in 15h 58min, ahead of Eagle Lee Kin Wai and 2014/2015 Grand Slam (Hong Kong’s unofficial challenge of completing the four 100km trail races in each trail running season) finisher Lino Lopes. For the women, Suzanne Liu finished strongly to collect the win in 21h 29min, beating Poon Yuk Pui and Kennis Cheung Ping Ting.

Race News

Stone Tsang’s

Third Win in March &

Claire Price’s

Domination of the Women’s Field Salomon To The Top of Hong Kong Challenge www.tothetop.hk

By Matt Moroz

A race that always attracts very gifted trail runners from the region. Photo: Yan Yan

T

he Salomon-sponsored race from sea level to the top of Hong Kong (Tai Mo Shan) always attracts very gifted trail runners from the region. Salomon-sponsored athletes are always highly likely to attend and this in turn offers other runners the chance to battle with these runners and potentially take a few high profile scalps along the way.

Stone Tsang Siu Keung may well be the ultimate scalp here on the Hong Kong trail running scene. This Champion System Adventure-sponsored runner won in great style in 2014, a full 12min ahead of fellow elite runner Clement Dumont. This year Tsang returned to defend his crown without the threat from Dumont. In very dominant fashion, Tsang secured victory for the second year running. Although completing the 30km course a full 6min slower than in 2014, the margin of victory was larger and, by the end, extended to 18min.

The men’s race was more a race for the podium than the top spot. Yuen Wan Ho won this battle while only 2min separated the second place from the fourth. In 3rd place Gerald Yip ran 3min faster than in 2014, and this faster time catapulted him from sixth position last time. The ever-present Allen Ng ran 23s faster than he did during the previous event, but remained in 4th place. Ng has been improving his time every year and with a bit of luck will secure a deserved podium place in 2016.

If Tsang is the ultimate scalp in the men’s race, then Salomon-sponsored Claire Price would tick the same box in the women’s event. Like Tsang, a victory over Price is

considerably difficult to come by. Although Price missed the 2014 race, her winning time of 3h 12min 55s in 2013 (16min clear of 2014 winner Olya Korzh) would be warning enough to any young aspirants looking to take her on.

In predictable fashion, Price proved to be far too strong for everybody else. This year her winning margin grew to 28min as she ran a fantastically controlled yet powerful race.

Her winning time this year was 3h 16min 39s, while Nicole Lau took 2nd in some style herself, in a time of 3h 44min 36s.

Lau has had a great season, running beautifully all year. This only reinforces the great strength of Price and bodes well for her upcoming races internationally. Flora Ching completed the podium in the women’s race finishing 11min after Lau.

Although the 30km race would be considered the ‘elite’ race, the event proves to be very inclusive with both a 10km race and a 2km kids’ race. Salomon-sponsored Max Lau took the spoils in the 10km men’s race to further please the race sponsors. His winning time of 57min 14s gave him a fairly relaxed finale as he finished 1min 19s ahead of second. Korzh chose to race the 10km herself this year and backed up her 2014 30km victory with another 1st place. Korzh could have finished the race cruising, as she pulled out a win by a clear 5min 40s.

The 2km race saw 43 kids (future trail running superstars) line up. This great addition to the event ended in victory for Chan Chun Hei in 10min 10s in the boys’ race, and an equally impressive performance from Fung Sze Wan saw her take the girls’ race in 11min 10s.

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Race News

Happy New Year (Again) CNY Grand 3 Tour www.xterace.com

By Matt Moroz

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Race News

C

hinese New Year is a big deal in Hong Kong.

On Saturday, March 21 (the third day of the lunar new year) race organisers of XTE put on a trademark technical and challenging trail race to commemorate the occasion and offer a respite from family dinners and fireworks.

XTE offered a New Year’s Day race back on Jan. 1, and many of the same runners were back for more New Year’s fun. The ‘gweilo’ New Year’s race was won

by Matt Moroz, but fittingly the Chinese version was won by local legend Tsang Chun Kit (aka Ying Ying).

Over this fun, tricky, and hilly (2,300m D+) course Moroz was forced to settle for 2nd position after an always strong and ever-impressive (and everpresent) Ying Ying took off with purpose on the final big climb up to the top of Hong Kong’s highest peak, Tai Mo Shan. The two had run together for the first 21km but it was Ying Ying that had the strength and power to kick on this time around.

Yuen Wan Ho completed the men’s podium, 26min behind the leader. The honourable mention goes to the very talented Allen Ng who finished 10th after much New Year’s celebration!

Perhaps predictably (though it never gets boring), Marie McNaughton dominated the women’s race in the same way that she won the Jan. 1 event. This victory over Olya Korzh by 15min showed her trail running quality and incredible rise throughout the 2014-2015 season. Third placed women Tai Fung In finished a further 35min behind Korzh to make up the podium.

The race was universally enjoyed by all and provided yet another great example of how far XTE races have progressed over the past 12 months.

Runners on the way up to Rooster Ridge, the first big climb. Photo: Son Chung

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GEAR UP For Summer!

Race News

Another Victory for

Stone Tsang HYSAN Healthy Hike & Run www.actionasiaevents.com

By Matt Moroz

Lovely trail shaded by overhanging bamboo in Tai Lam Country Park. Photo: Action Asia Events

S

unday, March 22, saw a tantalising choice for Hong Kong-based trail runners. While XTE’s Sea To Summit race was being played out on Tai Mo Shan, Action Asia’s HYSAN Healthy Hike & Run explored the beautiful trails of Hong Kong’s Tai Lam Country Park. The race passed through Sham Tseng, the start/finish point of the King of the Hills Mountain Marathon race earlier in the month, offering many of the same delights. Why this race is billed as particularly healthy compared to all the other hikes and runs is anyone’s guess.

Hong Kong trail running royalty was in attendance in force. No surprises at all for picking the winner of the 21km main event as the king of the trail, Stone Tsang Siu Keung.

Tsang lives locally and is very familiar with these trails. The fact that he backed up his KOTH - Sham Tseng first place (and new course record) with a victory here should have been expected. Tsang’s talent is mesmerising and continues unabated. With his generous, unassuming personality to back up his talent, no one would ever begrudge him of yet another victory.

Cut from the same cloth is the up-and-coming (potential future legend) Santosh Bishwash (Tamang). Tamang again had to be content with 2nd place. Tamang finished in a very respectable 1h 56min 52s, but Tsang’s 1h 51min 7s on the day was exceptional. Third place went to the very talented Maurice Devlin. This Scottish national showed his absolute strength to hold off formidable opposition and ensure a podium place. Special mention must also go to Michael Allespach who finished just 1min 36s behind Devlin in

5th place. Having been in Hong Kong for a very short time, Allespach is transitioning and improving very quickly — in our humble opinion, a force to be reckoned with in the 20152016 season.

The women’s race was also blessed with a very talented field. One runner in particular was a true woman on a mission. After destroying the field and the course record in Action Asia’s Bonaqua Action Sprint - Sai Kung, Zein Williams lined up with confidence and an eye on the course record for this race too. The time to beat was that of the 2012 winner Lucy Marriott, an incredibly fast 2h 11min 57s. Without anyone close to her on the day, Williams still managed to keep pushing throughout. With only the final hill remaining, Williams buried herself to make it to the top and the end of the race comfortably within the previous record, to set a new mark of 2h 10min 20s.

The race for 2nd place was also comfortable with highly accomplished French national Charlotte Henry showing her racing consistency and pushing Justine Clark down to 3rd place 7min back. Clark took victory in the 13km version of the race in 2014 and confirmed her talent with another fine performance.

In the shorter races of the day, this year’s 13km winners were Chung Tak Lun, in 1h 5min 7s, and Marie Gaschignard, in 1h 22min 53s. These results were matched by Long Ki Mo and Yuka Nagano in the 5km race, in times of 26min and 30min 48s respectively.

23

Race News

Santosh Tamang and Zein Williams

Grab the Titles in Both Sai Kung and Repulse Bay

Bonaqua Action Sprint - Sai Kung and Repulse Bay www.actionasiaevents.com

Santosh Tamang won both the Sai Kung and Repulse Bay races. Photo: Action Asia Events

Participants enjoying a splash at Repulse Bay. Photo: Action Asia Events

N

epalese Santosh Tamang and British Zein Williams, winners of the first leg of the Bonaqua Action Sprint Series in Sai Kung, won again in the second leg at Repulse Bay. Tamang won the race in 1h 19min and Williams in 1h 37min.

25

Race News

A Fun Interlude in a Stacked

Trail Running Season LBC Valentine’s Day Race www.lantaubasecamp.com

By Matt Moroz

A

lmost five months into an intense season of trail running, Lantau Base Camp’s Valentine’s Day Race offered Hongkongers something a little lighter and fun on some of the less travelled trails of Lantau Island.

The race is run by couples, romantically or otherwise attached. Mixed, women’s, and men’s categories ensure fun for everyone on a short but challenging course. While the atmosphere is very relaxed the 14km race manages to pack a lot in, including 800m of climbing. 2014 overall and mixed team winners (and course record holders) Olya Korzh and Tsang Chun Kit (aka Ying Ying) returned to defend their title and almost succeeded. While powerfully overcoming the challenge in the mixed category offered by Marie McNaughton and Matt Moroz, they were no match for the two fast paced guys Etienne Rodriguez and Pavel Todorov who took the overall win comfortably.

The time Todorov and Rodriguez had to beat for a new course record was 1h 27min 11s, but they missed out in the end, finishing in a still very speedy 1h 28min 34s. By dominating from the very start they were perhaps not pushed to run as fast as they were capable of. Korzh and Ying Ying took it easier this year and finished 8min slower than in the previous edition in a still very respectable 1h 35min 20s. McNaughton and Moroz completed the podium a further 3min behind after leading the mixed category until the halfway point.

Leading the women’s pairing was ‘Adventure Power,’ winning in their category by 1.5min in the closest battle of the day. Christina Yeung and Elena Chow’s winning time of 2h 30min 28s gave them victory over ‘DB Girls,’ a team made up of Stephanie Frossard and Carine Milcent from France.

2014 champions return to defend their title and almost succeed. Photo: Wilson Chong

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Race News

Local Star

Allen Ng

Powers onto a Very Easy Win Hard As Nayls www.hardasnayls.com

By John Ellis, Gone Running

Marie McNaughton on her way to another victory.

Photo: Claus Rolff

T

he inaugural Hard As Nayls charity race, in memory of Hong Kong running legend Andy Naylor, took place in unseasonably hot and humid conditions on April 19 with a sell-out field of 550 runners turning out for the full-course (42km; 2,000m D+), half-course (17km; 900m D+), and family run (7km; 400m D+) events.

Australian road specialist Darren Benson and Nepalese dynamo Santosh Tamang traded the lead in the full category until the fourth stage when they missed the Wilson Trail turn-off, allowing local star Allen Ng to turn a 4min deficit into an 8min lead. Allen didn’t look back, powering onto a very easy win in 4h 26min 54s, trailed by John Ellis in 4h 46min 36s and Tamang in 4h 53min 2s.

As expected, the women’s race was a showdown between Marie McNaughton and Zein Williams, with

one wrong turn and less than 3min separating the pair.

“Zein was gaining fast on the last hill so I had to push hard,” reflected McNaughton, who did enough to take the win in 4h 59min 48s. Williams in 5h 2min 33s and Sai Kung ANTS (Andy Naylor Track Session) regular Sherrin Loh in 5h 7min 15s followed hot on her heels.

In the half distance, local ANTS favourite Maurice Devlin was on target for a comfortable win before crashing out with only 200m to go, allowing Thomas Hardcastle, James Park, and Raidlight title sponsor Pierre Le Magnan to share the podium. Caroline Creswell led from start to finish in the women’s race, followed in by Heidi Selch and Rachel Andrews, with less than 3min separating the three.

Peter and James Dingley won the family run fairly comfortably in 52min 1s.

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Race News

Ying Ying Runs for Charity Run for Smile www.operationsmile.org.hk

By John Ellis, Gone Running

C

harity runs are becoming more popular in Hong Kong and March saw the first Run for Smile event, organised by Operation Smile China, which raised money and awareness for children born with cleft lips and palates. Over 400 runners started the 10km course at the Central Ferry Piers, taking the Mid-Level escalators up to Conduit Road, then the Morning Trail, and the Hong Kong Trail section down to Cyberport.

Despite a total climbing elevation of 550m, there were some blistering times, with the top three all breaking 45min: Man Wa Tang in 42min 26s, Tsang Chun Kit (aka Ying Ying) in 43min 30s, and Jonathan Lau Yiu Fun in 44min 35s. Ying Ying, who had surgery on his cleft lip as a child and is an ambassador for Run for Smile, praised the mixed urban-trail course for its variety of “ferry, Soho area, hills, countryside, and Cyberport, very interesting.”

In the women’s event, Olya Korzh won comfortably in 51min 43s, ahead of Nathalie Darbon in 54min 53s, and Cara Taylor in 55min 30s.

Ying Ying is the ambassador for Run for Smile. Photo: Jun Sat

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Race News

Trail Runners Experience the Daily Hardship of

Lugging Water on Backpacks Race for Water www.raceforwater.adropoflife.org.hk

By John Ellis, Gone Running

Each participant has to carry and run with 4.5L of water in a wicker-basket. Photo: A Drop of Life and Wendy Lee

C

ombining trail running with a good cause has become much more popular in Hong Kong, and Sunday on March 22 saw the Race for Water event raise awareness about the importance of water-saving practices in an effort to conserve our depleting water resources. Over 2,800 runners and hikers took on the challenge, lugging around a 4.5L water bottle in a wicker-basket ‘backpack’ to experience firsthand the daily hardship of Chinese peasants.

Either running solo or in teams of two or four, for the 15km distance participants followed a loop course that started at the Peak Galleria and followed large sections of the Hong Kong Trail, whereas the 30km runners added an extra loop around Lady Clementi’s Ride.

Benny Li Kin Sun made a late move to win the 30km solo race in a time of 3h 26min 27s, while Tsoi Yin Yin took out

the women’s race comfortably in 3h 49min 46s. In the team races, Yeung Kam Hung and Ng Kam Tai of Team 438 were too strong in the pairs, breaking the tape in 3h 19min 18s, while Lee Wai Kin, Ching Lee Fai, Lam Yim Lung, and Kwan Wai Chun from Team 802 blitzed the field to smash the team of four category in 3h 10min 29s.

In the 15km race, individual winners were Lau Tsun Ling in 1h 24min 17s and Leung Ying Suet in 1h 46min 50s, both winning by a wide margin. Li Wang Chun and Ng Tsz Wai from Team 350 were too strong in the team of two race, coming in 1h 24min 55s, while the HK Police Force team of Ng Cheuk Yin, Yick Ka Lun, Ice Tang Yu Hin, and Tsim Hoi Kin ran 1h 42min 31s to narrowly win the fours. Special mention goes to Asia Trail’s Clement and Sabrina Dumont for the mixed pairs win in 1h 50min 54s.

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Race News

A Visual Feast in

Jiangnan JN50 Ultra Trail - China www.jn100trail.com

By Zhu Hou Shuai

J

JN50 Ultra Trail (50km; 3,600m D+) is a race that is not only a physical challenge, but also a visual feast: Your eyes will be fixed on the picturesque mountains, historical sites, ancient trails and villages, tea gardens, gorges and bamboo forests.

Together, these provide a glimpse of the long history of Siming Mountain, and a sample of the scenic spring in the Jiangnan region.

Perhaps it was God’s will: After several days of dense fog, the sky was clear on race day, contributing to perfect racing conditions for the 60 runners arriving from all around China.

The race started with a relentless 700m climb to the first checkpoint, creating a wide gap between runners. At this point, Kunmingbased Wang Xiao Lin, a Tor des Géants finisher, took advantage of altitude training in his hometown to distance himself from the rest of the runners, closely followed by local runner Xu Jian Yong. Between the first and second checkpoints, runners had to negotiate a very steep technical descent through a bamboo forest.

Just after the third checkpoint, the turnback point of the race, the race leadership shifted: Xu was leading, followed by Li Lei, Zhu Yong Bin, and Wang. However, the undulating last 20km allowed Wang to demonstrate his climbing skills yet again, giving him the men’s title in 6h 55min, followed by Xu and Li.

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Runners experiencing a sample of the scenic spring in the Jiangnan region.

Photo: Chai Qing Jun

Race News

12-Hour Trail Race

in Malaysia Gunung Nuang Ultra - Malaysia www.myultrarunning.com

By Jeff Ooi

S

et at the base of Mount Nuang (Gunung Nuang in Malay), located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, the Gunung Nuang Ultra is a 12h trail race in which participants have to complete as many 10km in/out loops — consisting of a 530m positive elevation gain — as possible within the stipulated time.

To qualify as a finisher, each runner must complete a minimum of five loops (50km). In the third edition of the Gunung Nuang Ultra that was held on March 1, 212 of the 225 starters managed to clinch a finisher’s medal.

Steven Ong on his way to grab the men’t title.

Photo: Tey Eng Tiong

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Race News

Discover the Trails of

Koh Chang

Ultra & Trail Unseen Koh Chang - Thailand www.runthailand.com/race/ultra-trail-unseen-koh-chang-2015

S

et on Koh Chang, the second largest island of Thailand, Ultra & Trail Unseen Koh Chang boasts of long stretches of white sandy beaches, beautiful waterfalls, lush mangrove forests, and trails lined with green bamboo clumps.

Photo: Teelashot UTKC2015

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

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Race News

Kathmandu’s Ultra Runners Spoilt for Races

Kathmandu West Valley Rim and Stupa to Stupa - Nepal www.ultratrailkathmandu.com

By Richard Bull

The course for Kathmandu West Valley Rim passes through fields and villages above the smoggy mess of Kathmandu Valley. Photo: Ruta Kisieliute

K

athmandu’s ultra runners are spoilt. Numbering perhaps a hundred in total, they’ve had three 50km trails to try this year already, the latest two being the Kathmandu West Valley Rim and the Stupa to Stupa 50km.

The former, as the name suggests, follows, quite enthusiastically, the valley’s western horizon. Google Earth states some 4,400m of climb and of 4,000m descent, which can’t be right, but it’s at least 3,000m just adding up the major climbs.

The route first takes in Jamacho Peak (as does the Stupa to Stupa 50km route), whose start line, in the morning, offers views of the Himalayas as a return on the 700m-climb investment. Leaving the old growth forests, the route passes through fields and villages above the smoggy mess of Kathmandu Valley.

After 15km completed, there is a 900m bushwhack, all the more difficult for not being able to see the end of it due to the view-obscuring trees. Gorgeous blood-red rhododendron blooms are occasionally scattered over the trail.

The 22km saw many giving up their 50km dreams and taking the 33km shortcut. The 50km lost height to the lovely

sleepy valley of Chitlang, traditional architecture, terraced fields, and forested hilltops. It’s through this valley that Kathmandu’s first car was carried in for the immensely overprivileged elite back in the 1930s.

Despite coercing local children to help place ribbon markers in the hope that they would then leave them in place rather than steal them to play with, the first two runners lost their way, adding extra kilometres to their route. Hom Lal Shrestha finished first in 6h 19min. Mira Rai was first female in 6h 31min 30s, that’s 2.5h faster than just one year back when this was her first ever ultra.

In search of a more manageable 50km route, an idea came to run from the Monkey Temple to Bouddha on a full-moon day. Both places are packed with worshippers pulled by the moon, making for very atmospheric start and finish locations.

The route mixed hills, forest trails, and monasteries, all the while keeping a view out across the Kathmandu city. A full 28 people finished the course, which is an ultra record for Kathmandu’s races.

Next ultra — the all-new Annapurna 100, taking place Oct. 10, 2015.

37

TRIVIA

TransLantau Key Numbers

33%

2,021

Based on registrants

# of participants at the start line

Men Women

Percentage of overseas participants who travelled to Hong Kong to join TransLantau

1,418 603

90,275km

Profile of Participants by Gender Number of Participants

1,000

Female

853

Male

800 547

600 420

400 201

200 0

42% 58%

15

76%

55%

81%

45%

24%

25

50

Distances offered in TransLantau (km)

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

19%

100

Total distance covered by all finishers

2.3 Times

around the world

TransLantau Key Numbers

TRIVIA

Total elevation climbed by all finishers

5,059 534

Number of ascents up Lantau Peak Number of ascents up Mount Everest

73%

of participants took electrolytes in the race

73% 54%

of ultra runners took energy gels, while took less than 5 gels in the race.

900L 95kg Coca-Cola consumed at TransLantau

19%

Total sugar consumed in Coca-Cola

Participants who drank more than 1L of Coca-Cola (based on 50km and 100km runners) www.translantau.com

39

PROFILE

The Smiling Trail Assassin:

An Interview with Wyan Chow Pui Yan

By Rachel Jacqueline

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

L

ook at photos of Wyan Chow Pui Yan running the 2014 Hong Kong Oxfam Trailwalker and you could be forgiven for thinking it was just an ordinary race. She spent the day smiling and laughing with her teammates. She made it look easy. Yet when she and Tsang Chun Kit (Ying Ying), Thomas Lam, and S. K. Tang came over the line in under 13h, she, with that iconic wide-mouthed smile of hers, officially became the fastest woman in the race’s more than 30-year history.

Wyan believes that the secret to her success on the trails is “Focus.” Photo: Alexis Berg

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PROFILE

Exuberant-looking Wyan Chow amid the other elites at the start line of Transgrancanaria. Photo: Alexis Berg It wasn’t a fluke, either. She’s dominated the last six months on Hong Kong’s trail running scene: After grabbing the Oxfam Trailwalker record in November 2014, she followed it up with a comfortable third place finish at The North Face 100 Hong Kong in December.

Her real success, however, came in January when she became the first local woman to win the Vibram Hong Kong 100. Despite a niggling cold, the smiling assassin slowly moved up the field all day, leaving reigning champion Francesca Canepa, a die-hard Dong Li, and record holder Claire Price in her wake. She finished in 12h 24min — more than an hour faster than her time the previous year (when she finished second), the third-fastest time from a female in the race’s five-year history and only 6min slower than Lizzy Hawker’s 2011 time.

And for a few fleeting weeks, she sat on top of the Ultra-Trail World Tour global rankings and felt on top of the world. Despite notching up three major 100km events in just three months, quitting her job to focus on a new career, she quickly set her sights on her next challenge: the UTWT series race, the Transgrancanaria in Spain in March 2015.

Is it hardly surprising, then, that all those kilometres started to add up? It wasn’t meant to be on the island of Gran Canaria that day, and a few weeks on, Wyan still has her feet up.

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

“It’s been a big couple of months,” she admits over the phone, while letting out her signature giggle. Asia Trail caught up with the woman behind the smile to learn more about her running, her plans, and her dreams.

Many people around Asia only know you from your results these last few months, but when was Wyanthe-runner born?

I ran my first race 16 years ago, aged 22, and I was lucky to get third place. The experience encouraged me. After that I started taking part in local road races [AT: Wyan holds a personal best of 40min 50s for 10km], triathlons, and eventually got into trail and adventure racing. I took part in my first Oxfam Trailwalker in 2002 as a team of women; we finished in 24h. Later in 2008 as team Cosmogirls we finished in 19h. For a while I got into the gym and started weightlifting and bodybuilding. I am the Hong Kong record holder in powerlifting in the 47kg category.

When did you change your focus to ultra running?

Around three years ago. Sometimes you need new challenges. In 2013 I took part in the Oxfam Trailwalker again with the HKUST MBAAA Speed Ladies team; we were the fastest females that year in 17h. My first ever solo 100km race was the 2014 Vibram HK100. I finished second.

The Smiling Trail Assassin: An Interview with Wyan Chow Pui Yan What drove the pull back to running?

I just love the feeling I get when running on the trails: I am light and happy. Being in nature seems like the place I’m meant to be. I feel really ‘in the moment’; I really feel myself letting go. Plus, when you train hard and race hard, you can really feel it — your heart is racing and your breath is heavy — you can really feel how hard you’re pushing, you know? It’s powerful, that intensity and focus. Running is also my time with friends. We all love running, we love the sport and we love the outdoors. Spending time with like-minded people — it’s just fun.

When I have a target,

100% of my focus into that one thing.

I just put

You look so relaxed when you run. Do you consider yourself competitive?

To be honest, my hero Stone Tsang always told me to smile when running, so I think I’m just programmed to smile when I run — running means smiling to me. Of course you go out there to do your best, but I don’t actually like too much competition: I have lots of trophies but I don’t keep them all, only ones that are meaningful.

So what’s your secret then?

Focus. If you really want to do something, you really need to just focus on that one thing. You can’t have two or three or more things that you’re doing. When I have a target, I just put 100% of my focus into that one thing.

Can you give me an example?

In the lead up to the 2015 Vibram HK100 I counted my calories in every meal. Nutrition is so important. It’s key to my performance and keeping my body strong. I don’t often catch up with friends for dinner or treats; I eat most of my meals at home. Or if I go out, I just drink and don’t eat. That takes a lot of discipline and focus.

What’s your diet like?

I eat very, very simple food. Like a piece of toast and an egg. Maybe some tofu. A can of tuna. It’s all very straightforward. I count all my calories and the nutrition profiles of what I’m eating. It depends what sport I’m doing or if I’m preparing for a race. When I’m bodybuilding my diet is very high protein; when training for ultra running I’m

PROFILE

eating more carbohydrates.

Ultra runners are notorious for refuelling on burgers and fries, even Kílian Jornet eats Nutella straight out of the jar. Are you telling me you don’t eat junk food at all?

Yup, I don’t touch it. I avoid sugar. I just drink my tea black, and I avoid sweets unless I’m really craving them.

But it all pays off in the end…

Absolutely. Winning the Vibram HK100 was like a dream. I always train on that same trail. I had done the Oxfam Trailwalker just two months before it. I know every rock, every stone — it’s like my home. And to put it all together like that, I still can’t believe it.

How did you feel on the day?

I originally ran with the intention of just enjoying myself. A few days before the HK100 I was really sick: I had a cold, I was all blocked up. But on the day the weather was beautiful. I had many friends there. It felt like a party. And I just enjoyed myself. Looking back I really don’t know how I got the time I got.

It was a good time. When did you know you were going to win?

When I crossed the line at checkpoint nine, I just thought to myself, ‘If I just keep working, and try my best, then next year I don’t have to run the Vibram HK100 ever again.’ If I did my best, I knew that it would be it for me.

(Laughs.)

So is that the last Vibram HK100 performance for Wyan? Will you not race next year?

For the Vibram HK100 I’m not sure I’ll ever top that performance! So I’ll probably volunteer next year: volunteers on races are always my favourite, and it’s nice to give back. They were so encouraging during the Vibram HK100, so I think I’d like to try that.

How are you feeling now?

Honestly right now my recovery has not been so good.

I’ve really overtrained; I can’t function properly. I can’t do high impact training, my heart rate is still quite high and I always feel very tired. Right now I’m just feeling really ‘off’ training. I’m sort of avoiding it and don’t look forward to it. Right now is the time just to take it easy; my body is craving some proper recovery after such an intense few months.

No one really talks about the lows that follow the highs, but it’s such a big part of racing ultras.

Exactly. This happened last year, around the same time after Vibram HK100. I had also done three big races: a marathon in Taiwan a week before Vibram HK100 and the Oxfam Trailwalker just two months before. I remember I also felt like I’d overdone it then. It’s a similar feeling to how I’m feeling now.

45

PROFILE

The Smiling Trail Assassin: An Interview with Wyan Chow Pui Yan

What are you doing different this year in terms of recovery?

This year I have a more sophisticated system of recovery: I’m using heart rate variability (HRV). I’m using the heart rate monitor with HRV readings. It tells me whether I need to rest or whether I can push it a bit harder. And — you guessed it — right now it’s telling me to keep relaxing and take more rest.

In Transgrancanaria you pulled out 70km in. What happened?

Truthfully, I was really unprepared for the terrain. In Hong Kong there are a lot of stairs — and I am really conditioned for the stairs. But in Europe they have lots of ramp-like hills and I simply wasn’t trained for them. The first 10km in Transgrancanaria is super steep and within this short time my hamstrings and calves were really hurting. I was undertrained for the conditions. But after winning in Vibram HK100 I was top of the leader board at the UTWT, and with Janet Ng’s help I was able to secure a spot in the Transgrancanaria and try for a worldwide ranking for Hong Kong. I don’t regret it. It was an incredible experience.

So will you try to do another race in the UTWT this year to secure a ranking?

I don’t know. Everyone’s been asking me whether I’ll do The North Face 100 in Australia in May, or another race at the end of the year. But I really need to get my body recovered first. And until I’m back to normal, I can’t go back to training again like I used to.

Would you ever consider the 100mi distance?

A 100-miler is a different type of competition from 100km. You really need to be prepared for something like that — you simply don’t know how your body is going to react 24h in. And the temperature differences from daytime to nighttime. Never say never, but not now.

What has been the biggest lesson out of the last six months?

You really have to choose your races wisely. You have to choose a race that suits you. And I’ve raced too much.

What’s next for Wyan?

Long term my goal is to climb Everest. It’s a big goal, and there are lots of steps in the process but I’m determined. It’s my dream. I start my climbing training in Mongolia in June.

What else is on the agenda this year?

I hope to get more people, particularly women, into trail running.

Together with Wong Ho Chung I’ve designed a trail running beginner’s course, including fitness and skills like balance, agility, coordination, speed. I think trail running is so important for Hongkongers: they need a place where they can relieve their stress. I also want to spend more time volunteering and leading blind runners.

Looking back 20 years from now, what impression do you hope to leave on trail running in Hong Kong?

I want to have shared my passions with other Hongkongers; to have helped established a lasting platform to help people enjoy the sport and also relieve their stress. Most of all, I want to have kept on running — there are many more mountains to climb.

Rachel is a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist from Australia who only discovered her love for trail and ultra running four years ago. Twitter: @raejacqueline / Instagram: @raejacquelinehk / Blog: a-little-rae-of-sunshine.com

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Eat & Train like Wyan Essential Stats Name: Wyan Chow Pui Yan

DOB: 31/8/1978 (37 years old) Born: Hong Kong Weight: 49kg

Height: 156cm

Years ultra running: 13 years

Career highlights: 1st woman, 2015 Vibram HK100; 3rd woman, 2014 TNF100 HK; fastest female, 2014 Oxfam Trailwalker; 2nd woman, 2014 Vibram HK100.

Training Regime

I typically follow an eight-day training cycle, where I include the following sessions depending on how I feel: 1 x Long run over 30km.

1 x Long run on trails, around 8h.

1 x Heavy weight training.

1 x Agility, balance, coordination, power, speed.

3 x Recovery runs (around an hour).

I aim for a weekly total mileage over 110km.

Daily Diet

I stick to a simple diet, which typically looks like the following: Breakfast: A boiled egg and a bowl of oatmeal.

Lunch: Tuna, rice, and plenty of veggies.

Dinner: Rice, tofu, and plenty of veggies.

Snack: Two pieces of fruit.

Total: Around 1,500 cal.

TRAINING TRAINING

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY JANUARY / JUNE / FEBRUARY 2015 2015

TRAINING

Training in the Heat

This doesn’t mean dehydration is to be desired. Faster runners generate more heat, therefore sweat more and will be unable to replenish fluid losses with their water intake. But this doesn’t affect performance provided you drink to thirst.

By Andy DuBois

I

n most places in Asia running in hot weather is unavoidable. We can either take a break in the hotter months or learn how to cope with the heat. Unlike running in the cold, when you can just add more layers to stay warm, training in the heat is a lot more complex of a challenge. Understanding what happens to your body when exercising in hot conditions as well as knowing what you can do to improve your ability to train and race in the heat will make a big difference to both your performance and enjoyment of training during the hotter months of the year.

How the Body Responds to Running in Hot or Humid Weather In order to regulate its temperature your body sends blood to the skin where blood vessels dilate, allowing the heat to dissipate into the skin. The skin then sweats and the resultant evaporation of that sweat effectively cools your body temperature down.

As blood is diverted to the skin the brain keeps blood pumping to essential organs, leaving less blood flowing to your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In effect, this makes it more difficult to absorb any sports drinks or gels and can lead to nausea, increasing your risk of severe dehydration.

Pouring cold water on the head and the neck will reduce your core body temperature and allow you to continue running faster for longer.

Photo: Alexis Berg

Since oxygen-rich blood is being diverted to your skin this means that there is less of it available for delivery to the muscles.

Less oxygen to working muscles means your heart has to work harder to supply the muscles with enough oxygen to maintain the same pace; for this reason race times are always slower in the heat. Unfortunately, the oxygen-rich red blood cells aren’t needed for cooling, blood plasma is, but as the body can’t separate the two, oxygen delivery to the muscles is compromised.

The idea that the body’s mechanism for detecting hydration levels doesn’t operate effectively when we exercise is a myth. The main criterion is to drink to thirst as drinking more than we need has far more serious consequences than dehydration. The first sign of dehydration is thirst. Provided you don’t ignore thirst you will be fine.

The main criterion is to drink to thirst as drinking more than we need has far more serious consequences than dehydration.

In humid conditions in which sweat doesn’t evaporate our core temperature can continue rising until we either slow down enough so that heat dissipation starts matching heat production or until we employ external cooling techniques.

Hydration There is a myth, still being promoted, that anything more than 2% dehydration will impair performance.

This is untrue as studies in both marathons and Ironman triathlons have shown that the most dehydrated athletes, with dehydration levels up to 10%, were the fastest — it has been reported, for instance, that Haile Gebrselassie was 10% dehydrated when he set his marathon world record.

Sweat Rates Another popular myth suggests that you should make sure you drink to match your sweat rate.

Research has shown that you can lose weight without any change to your hydration status. One way that this can happen involves how glycogen (carbohydrate), in order to be stored in the muscles, bonds itself to water molecules. For every gram of glycogen stored in your muscles you need 3-4g of water.

When that glycogen is needed it releases the water molecules into the

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body for hydration purposes. Since we can store 400-500g of glycogen in our muscles this equates to 1.5-2L of water that our body can use for hydration.

This doesn’t mean we can ignore hydration. Remember, the most important message is to drink to thirst.

Don’t force yourself to drink a certain amount per hour and don’t try and replace the exact amount you lose in sweat with fluid when you exercise.

light headed, nauseous, dizzy, and we may even start vomiting. We may experience a ringing or echoing in our ears, a tingling in our face and hands, and a lack of coordination. Our sweat rate may increase or stop altogether, and our skin may become moist and clammy. If you have any of these signs, stop exercising, lie down with your feet slightly higher than your heart, and apply cold towels to reduce body temperature.

Researchers have found that

training in the heat improved the VO2 max measure of athletes when they returned to cooler conditions in much the same way that training at a higher altitude improves performance at sea.

Running Speed The faster we run the more body heat we generate. So in hot conditions it’s actually more dangerous to run a hard interval session than a long easy run that generates far less body heat. But in the heat even running at an easy pace will feel harder as there is less oxygen being delivered to your muscles than when running at the same intensity level in cooler conditions. It is important to remember this and resign oneself to slower training speeds when needed. Don’t try to stick to a set pace, be guided by your rate of perceived exertion rather than running speed.

Heat Stress If we are unable to control our internal body heat we will start to feel

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Cramping in the Heat This is a topic that is still being debated by scientists.

What we do know is that no study has shown that blood sodium concentrations are abnormal in people who experience exercise associated muscle cramping.

There is also no correlation between dehydration and cramps.

The latest theory is that cramps are related to neuromuscular fatigue. The more fatigued we are the more likely we are to cramp.

Since we need to work harder to run the same pace in hot conditions we are more likely to cramp.

Electrolytes This is where it gets interesting. Since sodium levels in people with cramps, or those suffering heat stress, aren’t low, why take sodium or indeed any electrolytes?

Anecdotally, we know that many people suffer badly when they don’t take electrolytes during races or hot weather training sessions. The reason for this is yet to be fully explained as this can’t solely be caused by low sodium levels. One theory is that sodium has a stimulatory effect on the brain, which helps keep cramps at bay.

Researchers have found that ingesting pickle juice will alleviate cramps within 90s. This is nowhere near long enough for it to be ingested and absorbed through the GI tract. The

theory is that it stimulates a reflex in the back of your throat and this in turn triggers a reflex that reduces or stops the cramp.

The take-home from all this is that intaking electrolytes is worthwhile but why it is they work, we still don’t know.

Cooling Techniques Since people suffering from cramps or heat stress are often not dehydrated and don’t have low sodium levels we need to look at other ways to minimise heat stress while improving our performance in the heat.

The main focus should be on reducing core body temperature through the application of ice and water.

The areas of the body where the blood vessels are closest to the surface of the skin are the head, groin, armpits, wrists, and neck. Pouring cold water or placing ice on these areas will help reduce your core body temperature and allow you to continue running faster for longer.

Unfortunately, this isn’t easy for trail runners as there are very few, if any, places to get ice-cold water on the trails, so we need to be a little more creative. Taking a frozen water bottle or two with you, as well as ice-cold water to drink, means you will have access to cold water for both drinking and cooling for at least an hour or two. If your run is longer than that, then you need to choose a route that allows you to access cold water. The hotter or more humid the day, the colder the water you bring along should be. For many of us this may mean returning home after an hour or two and restocking our supplies.

Another technique is to apply ice to your body. You can put ice cubes between your cap and your head, wrap them in a bandana and tie it around your wrist or neck, or lodge the ice between two sponges and place it under your clothing. If you can get ice or cold water to those areas where blood vessels are closer to your skin,

Training in the Heat

TRAINING

Modifying your training methods in the hotter months will help you to maintain an effective and enjoyable training routine.

Photo: Alexis Berg

you will help reduce your core body temperature.

Pre-Cooling Cooling your body temperature before you head out for a run has been shown to improve your ability to run further and faster in the heat.

One method is to drink an ice-slushie just before your run.

Researchers found that after drinking a slushie at a temperature of of -1°C subjects ran 19% longer than when they drank cold water at 4°C.

Another method is wearing an ice jacket beforehand so you start your run feeling cold. The same effect can be achieved by taking an ice bath before your run. Essentially, anything that lowers your core body temperature before your run will allow you to run for longer.

Acclimatisation Repeated exposure to the heat will allow you to perform better in the heat. Heat training stimulates your body to produce more blood plasma.

With more blood plasma there is less need to divert blood away from other parts of the body to the skin, which means you can continue running faster for longer. Athletes who are better acclimatised will also start sweating sooner, which will help cool their body more effectively. Full acclimatisation takes around two to three weeks, with most of the changes occurring in the first week.

Benefits of Running in the Heat You may be thinking that running in the heat will have a negative impact on your performance since your training sessions are run at a slower pace. But researchers have found that training in the heat improved the VO2 max measure of athletes when they returned to cooler conditions in much

the same way that training at a higher altitude improves performance at sea level. These benefits only lasted 10-15 days, but it means if you are travelling to a race in cooler climates you will take those benefits with you. However, the protocol used in this research involved the subjects being mildly dehydrated and exercising at a level just hard enough to raise their core temperature to a modest level. So it’s not the type of session you want to do regularly, however a short, moderately paced session performed in a mildly dehydrated state may improve your performance when the temperature cools down.

Avoiding the Heat Many of us will train early or late to avoid the heat of the middle of the day, but in fact humidity is more of an issue than heat. Sometimes the early morning or evening can be the most humid time of the day, so take into account both heat and humidity in

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Training in the Heat

If you dread the heat then every run in hot weather becomes an ordeal to suffer through, whereas if you can

learn to embrace the challenge, training will become a lot more enjoyable.

2-TRM x ASIA TRAIL.pdf

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deciding when to run.

Also take into consideration the type of session you are doing.

If it’s a short, hard session then it’s more important to avoid hot and humid conditions as the risk of heat stress is higher. During longer, slower runs it is easier to manage your body temperature using the suggestions I have discussed earlier.

Clothing What to wear depends on humidity. If it’s humid then moisture-wicking fabrics that allow as much evaporation as possible are best. On very hot, dry days where your top is bone dry seconds after you pour water over yourself, clothing that stays wet for longer, like cotton, will keep you cooler — although it will weigh more, so there is a trade-off.

There is debate whether to wear a cap or visor, but a cap offers the advantage of being able to put ice between your head and the cap to cool the head down. A wet cap will keep your head cooler than a visor, which exposes the top of your head to the sun.

Changing Your Mindset If you dread the heat then every run in hot weather becomes an ordeal to suffer through, whereas if you can learn to embrace the challenge, training will become a lot more enjoyable. By being prepared with ice and cold water, modifying your training routes, and properly choosing your time of day there is no reason you can’t maintain an effective and enjoyable training routine throughout the hotter months.

Andy is an award-winning personal trainer and elite endurance athlete specializing in ultra running. You can find more useful info on his ultra running coach website (www. mile27.com.au).

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RACE TRAINING

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY NOVEMBER JANUARY / JUNE / FEBRUARY /2015 DECEMBER 2015 2014

RACE

Plight of the Professional Run ner

By Rachel Jacqueline Illustration by Kirk Wescom

G

oing ‘pro’ — it’s a romantic notion. Spend your days carefree, roaming through mountains, eating copious amounts of carbs and travelling, all expenses paid, to the most beautiful locations around the world. As the sport of trail and ultra running explodes, the possibility of becoming a ‘professional mountain runner’ seems to have become a reality. Or has it?

Rachel Jacqueline finds out.

Scan any elite’s Instagram account and it’s hard not to get a little jealous: picturesque mountain scenes intersected by the odd magazine cover and baked goods fresh from a woodfired mountain oven coupled with a healthy green juice. While you’re grinding it out in your office job, they’re #livingthedream.

Or at least that’s what you think.

While the ‘professional mountain runner’ does exist, truth is, it is largely urban legend.

“There are runners who are making enough money to live between a primary sponsor and a secondary sponsor, for sure, but we’re not talking boatloads of money — though it’s more than I make,” chuckles the

iconic ginger-haired Bryon Powell, editor of iRunFar. com. He would know — for the last seven years he’s been travelling the globe providing race coverage on his website and has witnessed, first hand, the growth of the sport internationally.

While the ‘professional mountain runner’ does exist,

You already know who the ‘professionals’ are: the Kílians, the Krupickas, the Choriers, and the Olsens.

They’re swathed in fancy kit, flown to races, have their accommodation paid for, and breeze to the starting lines of some of the world’s most iconic races having not paid for entry (and possibly not having even filled in the registration form themselves).

But a true professional mountain athlete? They’re a rare breed. And there are nowhere near as many, and they earn nowhere near as much as you think, cautions Powell. “Honestly? I’d say there are less than a dozen runners in the US.” “But then again… While many appear to be professional, I can’t think of many who aren’t also coaching, race directing, or something else,” he says.

“There really aren’t many making it work without something auxiliary.”

The majority of support offered to most ‘professional’ athletes in the sport is benefits-in-kind, like race entry fees and travel support. Some are compensated by the brands they represent through payment for services like training camps or contract work within the company; others, like those

truth is, it is largely urban legend. at The North Face, are encouraged to go on fully paid-for ‘expeditions.’ Film projects and other side businesses are another way for ultra runners to make a living.

But for the most part? “It’s just free gear,” says Powell.

The position in Europe is fairly similar. Asked to name truly ‘professional’ European mountain runners and WAA (What An Adventure) athletes, Antoine Guillon, Cyril Cointre, and Christophe Saux scratch their heads. “Maybe Sebastian Chaigneau and Julien Chorier?”

They failed to name themselves, of course. For the past two years the ‘three musketeers’ of ultra running have been racing for WAA as practically full-time athletes, racing five to six races internationally a year and given cash compensation. However, besides the reimbursements, they also dabble in race directing and other

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Plight of the Professional Runner activities, like acting as spokespersons for the brand.

But even they don’t consider themselves professionals. “I don’t think there really is such a thing as a professional runner as there is always work — marketing, photographs, video,” says Guillon. “I don’t know many runners who only run.”

In Italy, Francesca Canepa admits the struggles of trying to run at a professional level. Based in Courmayeur in the Italian Alps, she works as a snowboarding instructor in the winter and a part-time English translator in the summer to support her running. “I try to be a full-time runner, but it’s very difficult in Italy,” she laments. “Kailas gives me clothes, I get some shoes — but it’s really not enough.”

Where we are now in the sport is, however, a long way from its humble beginnings. According to Adam Chase, team manager for Salomon Running in the USA, we are in what he terms the ‘fifth’ phase of the sport. The first consisted of the older bunch with “leathery skin wearing hiking boots and drinking from canteens”; those of the second generation were more technical and had some sponsorship, primarily

by Montrail. “The third wave was when runners like Scott Jurek started to bring some youth and speed into the sport… he was one of the first to get paid as an ultra runner.” This was just over 10 years ago.

Then came the fourth wave: Speedsters like Kílian with big budgets bringing mountain running to the screen, adding the fear and adrenalin that’s made the sport sexy. And that’s brought us to the current phase, says Chase: “The onslaught of new sponsors… including the young Nike team and a lot of fast female runners and sponsors like HOKA, TNF, Altra, The three ‘musketeers’ of Team WAA were in Hong Kong for the 2015 Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race (from left to right: Antoine Guillon, Christophe Le Saux, and Cyril Cointre). Photo: Claus Rolff

RACE

Salomon, NB, and, less so, Adidas, Brooks, Mizuno, Pearl Izumi, La Sportiva, Inov-8, Vasque, and others.”

small number that are getting cash in the sport,” says Sammons. “And we’re trying to help that.”

Organisations like Ultra-Trail World Tour and Skyrunning are also changing the face of the sport. “A couple of years ago, the big names at the big brands could travel, but without a team it was

Indeed, while more people are running, races are still small in comparison to road running. “In the US, the growth of the sport is somewhat restricted because of permits — racing in parks it’s hard to get too many people racing,” explains Powell. “Races with 200 to 400 people are considered

While sponsorship still largely means “free or discounted shoes,” says Chase, “for the first few companies named above… there is some financial support,” he confirms.

And while it’s working, the UTWT is “running at a loss,” she claims.

Which brings us to the question —

does going full-time actually make you better? hard to compete internationally,” says Powell. “But the UTWT and Skyrunning are really starting to help athletes that wouldn’t otherwise be able to travel overseas.”

In addition to enabling elite athletes to participate in the world tour, in its second year the UTWT is sponsoring three elite younger runners to take part in the Madeira Island UltraTrail race in April.

UTWT representative Marie Sammons is familiar with the struggle of runners in an increasingly professional — yet under-supported — sport. “More and more I’m seeing athletes trying to find a solution to having more time to train,” she says.

“They’re realising they need to be more professional in the way they train and prepare for a race. They also need more time to travel.”

“Not many brands or sponsors are able to provide cash — it’s a really

a ‘big race.’ Less people, means less sponsors and less prize money, keeping the sport small.”

“I feel that sponsors need to see a massive popularity in the sport before we see more professionals,” says Sammons. “And we might be getting there, but we’re not there yet.”

And while it’s a romantic notion to be a ‘professional mountain runner,’ it has its pitfalls. Part way through The North Face’s short video, “Curiosity,” about the 2014 Ultra-Trail du MontBlanc, for example, you see Tim Olsen suffering. “I’m really disappointed in the day, and relatively, this is like my job right now,” he reflects, “and you don’t want to suck at your job.”

He’s one of several runners who’ve publicly expressed the pressure of fulltime running: Adam Campbell famously quit his job as an attorney in 2013 only to return to the practice a year later in 2014. “Although I love the freedom

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Plight of the Professional Runner

RACE

American ultra-distance trail runner Anton Krupicka is one of the very few professional runners in the world. Photo: Alexis Berg Which brings us to the question — does going full-time actually make you better? “You can only run so many hours a day so I don’t think a nontaxing job would be too much of a problem, as long as there is flexibility to travel and train,” says Chase. “It comes down to being careful with your schedule and energy expenditure — but I don’t see the need to be full-on to the exclusion of other work.”

to run and train where and when I want, I’ve been struggling with where I see myself going in sport, as well as my life, and feel like I’m missing some stability,” he explained on his blog.

“Ultimately, I’m not willing to dirtbag it and give my everything to sport at this stage of my life and that’s what’s required to be a full-time athlete, especially a mountain/ultra runner where the endorsements and paycheques aren’t huge.”

Many have tried, and their experiences diverge. After his historic win at the 2013 Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji, blitzing the then world’s-best Julien Chorier, Japanese ultra runner Yoshikazu Hara decided to move from full-time work as a doctor to parttime to pursue his running. He is not financially supported by HOKA, his sponsor, just given gear. And his results so far, apart from a podium at the Tarawera Ultra Marathon, have been mediocre. “I had huge achievements before when I was working full time and training full time, so it’s difficult to say whether full-time training actually makes you better,” he says.

According to Canepa, the benefit of being a full-time professional runner is not about more training, however — it’s about having the money to travel and race internationally, not to mention having the time off work. “It’s really, really expensive to go around the world… ultra runners need financial support. We really need it,” she pleads.

If you ask Saux, being ‘full-time’ comes down to simply being less stressed, and having time to enjoy the finer things in life. “I think if you were fully supported you could have better life quality, but I don’t think it would make you a better runner.”

“You will have more time to enjoy your life — when you work 50h a week you just work and sleep,” adds Cointre, who later confirms: “We are very happy — we are living our passion!”

Rachel is a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist from Australia who only discovered her love for trail and ultra running four years ago. Twitter: @raejacqueline / Instagram: @raejacquelinehk / Blog: a-little-raeofsunshine.com

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GEAR

Food, Apparel & More Tested

W

By Team Asia Trail

Mammut MTR 201 3/4 Tight (Men)

www.mammut.com.hk | HKD 990

The 3/4 tights provide considerable freedom of movement, dry quickly, and have UV protection while the ‘VentiStretch’ panels (a technical term for material with larger holes) located behind each knee allow for breathable ventilation.

The latter being a useful feature as, despite the great comfort of the tight fit, the bottoms do tend to ride up and scrunch behind the knee. The tights’ flat seams prevent chafing and can be worn with confidence even without any undershorts. A zipper back pocket is large enough for a few gel packs.

e have reviewed a wide range of products from trail foods to anti-chafing creams for your consideration.

Mammut MTR 201 Long-Sleeve Zip

www.mammut.com.hk | HKD 990

The soft elastic material makes wearing the shirt comfortable during long runs, and helps avoid undesirable chafing. The shirt is highly breathable, especially with the front zipper letting the ventilation be adjustable.

As the shirt is form-fitting, it can be worn as a base layer, but also works great as a standalone shirt. The shirt’s reflective logos make runners more spottable and thus ensure greater safety.

Lululemon Surge Short 5”

www.lululemon.com.hk | HKD 620

These shorts rapidly became a favourite of the reviewer with their stylish design as well as very soft and stretchy sweat-wicking fabric. The side zipped pocket is very convenient. The unique waistband loops can, for example, be used for tucking in a light windproof jacket or, if the temperature is getting too hot, your shirt.

Lululemon Metal Vent Tech Tank

www.lululemon.com.hk | HKD 520

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Lululemon’s ‘Silverescent’ antistink technology does an excellent job at keeping the athlete cool as well as feeling and smelling fresh. The material’s gossamer, almost buttery-like softness combined with flat seams enhances comfort. Those who prefer snugger fitting gear should opt for buying at least one size down, as the garment tends to be on the long and loose side. Perhaps its muted and understated colours may not be to everyone’s liking. Though on the upside, repeated washing does not produce any shrinkage nor does it misshape the tank. | ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

PJUR 2 SKIN ANTICHAFING

hk.pjuractive.com | HKD 144 (100mL bottle)

The first samples in Asia were tested during the TransLantau event, and many runners were satisfied on the results. It simply does the job: Lubricate the chafingprone areas without affecting the breathability of your skin. The best thing to do is to test it yourself with the sample included exclusively within this issue of Asia Trail!

Food, Apparel & More Tested

A day with FE Luxe 3/4 leggings www.adaywithfe.com | HKD 750

These leggings are comfortable with a superior stretch that doesn’t restrict movement. The fabric feels a bit thin but there is no visible show-through. The only complaint is they sit a tad too low in the back, but pairing them with a longer top like the Fé halter yoga top solves the problem. Do take to heart the care instruction advising not to tumbledry this garment. This reviewer forgot their pair in the dryer, and effectively the legs loosened up a bit just after one wash.

GEAR

A day with FE Hyacinthe Performance Halter Yoga Top

www.adaywithfe.com | HKD 500

A comfortable, hip-length yoga top made of polyamide and elastane. Double layers of fabric around the chest with removable pads make sure there is no show-through. The elastic halter strap is not adjustable but it fit this reviewer very well. The garment has a very snug fit that neither restricts movement nor moves around.

Patagonia Active Mesh Bra

www.facebook.com/patagoniahk | HKD 360

With double layers of polyster and spandex, this bra fits well and feels soft. It can be worn alone or under a top. The coverage area is not very conservative. But because it fits so well, one doesn’t need to worry about slippage during movements. The bra is not padded but it is possible to insert pads. It’s the perfect bra for yoga though one may wish for thinner and more breathable material for serious cardio exercises.

Squeezy Carbo Load Drink and Energy Drink

www.squeezy-nutrition.com | HKD 145 (500g of Carbo Load Drink and Energy Drink)

Drinking two to three bottles of Squeezy Carbo Load Drink daily is a convenient way to carb-load before a race. It comes in powder form, which makes it easy to carry during a race.

Although Carbo Load Drink was developed for pre- and post-runs, the reviewer finds that the drink helps with her performance during long and multi-stage races. The drink comes in a lemon flavour that the reviewer seems unable to get tired of. For shorter, hard intensity workouts and races, the reviewer uses Squeezy Energy Drink, which likewise comes available in sachets.

PH Mountains App

www.phmountains.com | Free

Download this app and start your adventure in the mountains of the Philippines. The app has a list of mountains, all of which can be sorted alphabetically, by elevation, by climbing difficulty, or by location — meaning that you’ll instantly be able to discover the nearest mountains around you.

You can keep track of your adventures, and share them with your friends via social networks. The map feature lets you see your current location relative to the various nearby mountains. Lastly, be motivated by the different nature-related inspirational quotes shown each time the app is launched!

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GEAR

Food, Apparel & More Tested

LED LENSER H7.2

www.facebook.com/ledlenser.hk | HKD 935

www.facebook.com/ ledlenser.hk | HKD 800

This German-engineered ‘OptiSense’ technology headlamp weighs 93g while providing 220 lumens of light. The battery life varies from 5-20h depending on the power setting used. The automatic light adjustment is great for reading maps on the run. The lithiumion battery is located in the front light unit and can be easily recharged via a mini-USB cable — though the ability to use traditional batteries is a great back-up option.

This model has been upgraded to include a more userfriendly dim function, and enhanced to include additional lighting functions, including a brighter beam (250 lumens) with longer lasting illumination (up to 60h). You can adjust the intensity of the beam simply by rotating the circular adjustment around the light itself — the beam can be narrowed while increasing its intensity. This versatility makes it a top accessory for all types of trails — with added focus for technical sections or broader illumination for more open terrain.

Led Seo 7R

SUUNTO Ambit 3 Run

www.suunto.com | USD 300 (without heart rate monitor)

This colourful GPS-enabled watch should seduce trail runners with its simplified and dedicated running features. The navigation (‘Run a Route’) feature is very useful when exploring new trails. After your run, you can transfer data to your device using Bluetooth connectivity, which is indeed convenient. The slight downside is Movescount.com, the Suunto-created website, which still doesn’t match those of the other competitors, but this will affect only the data addicts. The battery life is 10h for a 1s GPS recording rate (and 15h for a 5s GPS signal).

Salomon S-Lab Sense Set

www.salomon.com | HKD 990

Jax Coco

www.jaxcoco.com | HKD 16 per 330ml tetrapak

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Without question, the best coconut water you can get your hands on, short of drinking it directly from a fresh coconut. Its flavour is balanced and is not too sweet, and there’s none of that artificial, bitter, or — what’s perhaps most unpleasant about certain inexpensive brands of coconut water — metallic aftertaste. Jax retails for slightly more than your average coconut water, but if you can afford the splurge (though calling it a splurge is probably a bit of a stretch), then it’s well worth your money. | ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

‘Extra-light’ — a mere 80g — is the main criteria of this minimalist hydration vest. The highly breathable and comfortable material is a welcome for summer runs, although you can only carry 1L (two soft flasks of 500mL).

While you can easily drink on the go with little practice, when it comes to refilling your flasks, some dexterity is required to successfully fit the containers back into their rather tight pockets. A good vest for short races.

FIRST STEPS

Why You Should Race and How to Prepare

By Joshua Steimle

I

a m the least competitive person you could ever meet. I don’t even like watching competitive sports, let alone playing them. But I love running in races. More than that, I find it necessary.

Why I Race I got into running in 2007 when I decided to compete in an Ironman triathlon (still working towards that goal). Within my first year I raced in a sprint distance triathlon, a half-marathon, a half-Ironman, and a full-marathon. Then something interesting happened. I wasn’t signed up for anything, and I stopped training. When I registered for a new race, I started training again. Over the years, I’ve noticed that regardless of my good intentions, when I’m not signed up for a race, I don’t train, or at least I don’t train very well. When I’m enrolled for a race, it puts that little edge in my life that makes running a priority. It’s the difference between getting out of bed or staying in bed, between pushing myself and being lazy, between having a plan for my runs or just going out and running wherever. Having learned this about myself, I make sure I’m always signed up for at least one race at all times, preferably one that is less than three to four months away.

How I Prepare For a Race When I was a kid my father often told me “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I used to keep my training and planning very simple, sometimes only in my head. These days however I enjoy getting a bit more scientific about it. Right now I’m training for my first 50km, which will be the longest run I’ve ever completed. I haven’t planned out every single run, but there are some basic rules of thumb I’m following: •

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Train on the course: Not everyone has this luxury, but when you can train on the course,

| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

•

•

even if just once, it makes a huge difference for trail running. Having some familiarity with turns and twists, rocks and roots, and landmarks will help you feel more confident. More than once I’ve gotten lost during a training run on a course and was glad I was getting lost while training rather than on race day.

Train the way you’ll race: Perhaps the #1 rule of racing is to not introduce something new to your running the day of the race. That goes for shoes, socks, nutrition, sunglasses, or anything else. If you’re going to use it on race day, use it during your training.

Taper: Two to three weeks before a long race I start doing increasingly shorter runs. The week of the race I will only do easy, short runs. This allows my mind and body to fully recover from the more intensive training I have done so that I’m in peak shape on race day.

How I Race As I said, I don’t race against anyone else. OK, I’m lying. That’s what I always tell myself going into a race, but once I’m in a race, I can’t help myself. It’s hard to see someone 20 feet in front of me and not say, “I’m going to work to pass that guy and then not let him pass me.” It’s hard to not push myself if I think I can place — something that hasn’t happened... yet.

But that’s all just good fun, and as long as I finish I’m happy regardless of the outcome. But I always do set a goal for my races, and hitting that goal gives me a big lift. I’m really not competing against anyone but myself. One of the most rewarding experiences for me is running the same race more than once and improving each time. Here are some tips to make your race day enjoyable: •

Plan it out ahead of time: Save yourself the stress and make sure you have all the details right. Write it all down. Print it out. In your plan include whatever you need to do, have a detailed

FIRST STEPS

•

•

•

checklist of what to bring, make sure you know when and where to get your race packet — and if you’re not sure about something, ask the race directors.

Get friends and family involved: I’ve only gone to one race where my family didn’t go with me. It felt like a waste of time. I didn’t know anyone else in the race, I felt alone, and I promised I would never do it again. It might be different for you, but if you have kids, bring them with you. My kids love being a part of the race atmosphere, and it has inspired them to get excited about running. Getting friends to race with you can make the event more enjoyable as well.

Show up early: You’ll be able to shake off any pre-race jitters, warm up, take care of anything you may have forgotten, and perhaps meet some new friends. Most importantly, you won’t be late.

Be gracious: Race directors and volunteers are special people. The directors have probably worked 10x as hard as you have to be ready for this race, and they don’t even get to run in it. Make sure they know you appreciate their efforts, and if there’s a problem, try to solve it in a constructive manner

When I’m enrolled for a race, it puts that little edge in my life that makes

running a priority. rather than just complaining. These people have a lot on their plates and need all the help they can get.

If you trail run without racing, and sometimes find your motivation lacking, try signing up for a few races during the next year and see if you find that extra push you’ve been missing. It sure worked for me.

Joshua is the CEO of MWI (mwi.hk), a digital marketing agency, and a writer for various business publications including Forbes and Entrepreneur. He lives and runs in Hong Kong. You can contact him @donloper or josh@mwi.hk.

Sign up for the next TransLantau to put that little edge in your life that makes running a priority. Photo: Eddie Chiu

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ASK THE COACH

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

ASK THE COACH

How to Pace Well in Racing

By Olivier Baillet

D

uring races, it’s easy to lose sight of one’s own limitations.

A lot of athletes — should I say the majority? — ruin their race because they try to run faster than what their body can actually handle. There is of course the effect of race day excitement, the feeling that the anticipated day for which one has trained for months has finally arrived, and then there are the other competitors who also tend to push their own pace and often run faster than their capability, not to mention the energy of the cheering crowd, etc.

does not instantly react to effort — it may take up to 3min, if not more, to creep up and show how hard your effort actually is. HR also varies depending on the weather conditions and your own general state. That is why your competitor’s arsenal needs to include a good sense of pacing.

From total beginners to seasoned athletes, it is always a challenge to maintain a certain

From total beginners to seasoned athletes, it is always a challenge to maintain a certain ‘coolness factor.’ The main difference between both types of competitors is that seasoned athletes have acquired an ingrained sense of pace of what they can and cannot do.

This sense of pace may be lost for a few moments here and there, but it comes back quickly and automatically. Strong athletes know how to optimally pace themselves for a 10km on the roads, a 50km on the trails, or a 160km in the mountains.

‘coolness factor.’

Taken in isolation, speed data (km/h) on the trail are unreliable, mainly due to the changes of terrain.

Heart rate (HR) data (measured in beats per minute) are better, but HR Vlad Ixel's mastery of pacing wins him the TransLantau. Photo: Assaf Arbiser de Courcy

Clever training, and experience, will give you that sense of pace.

Pacing Play in Longer Sessions During your longer sessions, try different perceived speed levels. Early on the run, go at what feels slow for 10min, then medium for 10min, and then hard for 10min, recording your speed and HR data from your watch for each interval. Later towards the middle of the run, do the same, then once again towards the end of the run. Once home, compare all your data and analyse how fatigue affects perception.

Repeat the exercise over the weeks.

Some days, you may ‘go blind,’ not

watching any data during the run, only checking them once home and comparing them with the perception you had during the different sections of the run.

Conversely, on other days you may try to stick to what you think should be your pace and HR at a certain perception, and analyse if the perception is indeed in line with what you expected. The important thing is to get the feel for what your body can handle and mentally record your sensations.

Pacing Play in Shorter Sessions During shorter interval sessions, listen to what your body is telling you and voluntarily play with the intended target pace. Assuming you have a speed and/or target HR goal for your interval, spend some time under the target, some time at target, some time above, up and down, down and up, and sense how it feels. Get in the habit of doing more than just executing your workouts: use your senses to analyse your sensations — don’t just suffer and passively run! Aim to learn what pace you can handle in the process, what feels manageable and what does not.

The more you train and race, the better you will be at pacing. But for those who are beginners, instead of waiting for experience to naturally provide you with that quality, remember that significant knowledge can be gained by consciously playing around with different paces and analysing the sensations in your body.

Olivier is the founder of beyond the line — endurance coaching and consulting (www.beyondthelinecoaching.com). He trains athletes to reach their best at swimming, biking, running (road and trail), and triathlon competitions. He himself is a seasoned athlete, having completed the Ironman World Championship three times, as well as the UTMB where he finished 75th overall.

69

BODY MECHANICS

To Pole or Not to Pole

By Doug Tahirali

Poles are prevalent in hilly races.

Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

Perceived Advantages:

Perceived Disadvantages:

1.

Reduce impact forces on joints and muscles.

3.

Increase balance and stability on technical trails and water crossings.

1.

Increased energy expenditure, both physical and mental.

3.

Safety risk when falling — fractures and new piercings!

2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Improve posture and increase propulsion.

Improve running rhythm and cadence.

Reduce/eliminate hand swelling.

Scratch legs without bending.

Defensive weapon.

8.

Psychological aid in training after lower limb injury.

2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Gripping causes increased tension in arms, shoulders, and face.

Loss of use of hands.

Necessity of gloves due to abrasions.

Weight and ease of storage on pack.

Snag on things with very sudden results.

More gear = more problems.

Potential damage to trail areas.

Becoming dependent on them.

To Pole or Not to Pole

BODY MECHANICS

L

ooking back at videos from the last few years of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, it’s hard not to notice the forest of poles.

Still, despite their prevalence the use of poles in races is not universally accepted. Ultimately though, the decision should be personal and involve a lot of testing — and thankfully, there is enough research on the subject to help us make a more informed decision.

Based on the various studies performed, it seems that running with poles does increase energy expenditure but it can help in stability, rhythm, propulsion, and impact reduction.

Some research argues that poles work best uphill, others say the same for downhill, and much of the studies were done on a treadmill.

Some say shorten the poles on uphill and lengthen when going downhill. I say: If it appeals to you give it a try! Work on the rhythm and cadence and build up the involved musculature. To pole or not to pole? Up to you whether those advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but have fun finding out!

To pole or not to pole?

Up to you whether those advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but have fun finding out!

The decision to pole or not to pole should be personal and involve a lot of testing. Photo: Claus Rolff

If you are interested in the available research on the subject of poles, please refer to the following for more information.

To begin with, in 1981 Dr. G. Neureuther1 published a study that found that running with poles (RWP) decreased leg strain by 5kg per step — that means tons on a long run!

Researcher Lori Bolt et al.

(2000)2 found that poles reduced the knee flexion during the swing phase and significantly increased maximum hyperextension of the hip at toe-off. They believed some of this was due to a counterbalancing force to the added arm movement and weight. They also found that most impact forces were decreased and

peak propulsive force supplied by the body was also reduced when RWP. Also in 2000, Christopher Knight and Graham Caldwell3 did an uphill treadmill study that showed RWP caused a small increase in heart rate and decreased lower leg exertion.

This led to lower stride lengths and a decreased rating of perceived

71

BODY MECHANICS NUTRITION

To Pole or Not to Pole

exertion — suggesting that the increased energy output was balanced by the decrease in impact forces.

At a similar time Erich Müller along with Hermann Schwameder (2003)4 found a decrease in joint forces during downhill runs. Michael Bohne and Julianne Abendroth-Smith (2007)5 studied 15 experienced hikers carrying varying loads downhill and found a reduction in some of the forces at the hip, knee, and ankle when using poles.

John Willson et al. (2001)6 concluded that poles allowed people to walk faster with less impact forces.

Glyn Howatson et al. (2011)7 took 37 volunteers up and down Mount Snowdon in the USA, some with poles, some without. The group with poles reported a lower subjective exertion rating and their muscles bounced back quicker the next day by both subjective and objective measures.

As usual we see conflict in results from medical science. On a hilly course, Michael Saunders et al.

(2008)8 found an increase in VO2 max and heart rate with no perceived subjective exertion. Yet the same year Matthieu Foissac et al.9 found no significant increase in VO2 max and heart rate at a 20 degree incline on a treadmill when poles were used!

Foissac’s group also found RWP reduced lower limb muscle activity.

However, musculature activity in the upper limbs was up 95%. This tension also led to the tightening up of the face. 2008 was busy as Stephane Perrey and Nicolas Fabre10 compared energy expenditure in 12 volunteers on a treadmill and found that poles did indeed increase energy outlay but only in downhill situations.

Visibly, studies regarding poles are mixed. One would think the

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

added movement involving poles would cost more energy! In fact 2011 Nordic walking studies by Vaida Sokelienë and Vida Cesnaitienè (2011)11 found the added load increased heart rate by 15% in comparison to comparable walking without poles. Milan Kůtek12 found in 2012 that poles increased heart rate by 15-20%. Petr Bahenský13 did similar tests and found the heart rate to be up only 4.5%. Many studies were on treadmills, which, particularly for trail running, are very different from outdoor conditions.

Yannick Daviaux et al. (2013)14 found running with poles increases stability and reduces load on the body: “these results support a facilitating effect of pole use for propulsion during level running and for the absorption phase during downhill running.”

The 2012 European Athletics Innovation Award15 went to a paper considering the advantages of running with poles. Its hypothesis was that pole use, by decreasing impact and injury and increasing safety and training effect, would increase the benefits of running while decreasing foot load. The authors found more intensive breathing, more recruitment of chest, arm and shoulder muscles, and therefore more energy used.

Depending on speed, the foot can take a load many times that of the bodyweight on each foot strike.

They found running with poles showed less impact force, more forward/forefoot strike, and a subjective perception of stability.

This paper concluded running with poles “is highly efficient in increasing the physical impact of running but decreasing the leg joint overstraining.”

Doug has been a physiotherapist for 26 years and currently practices at Jardine House Sports and Spinal Clinic (www.physiohk.com). This column aims to explain how body parts work and how you can care for and fix them.

References 1.

Neureuther, G. “The Ski Pole in Summer.” MMW Munch Med Wochenschr 123.13 (1981): 513-4.

3.

Knight, Christopher, and Graham Caldwell.

“Muscular and Metabolic Costs of Uphill Backpacking: Are Hiking Poles Beneficial?”

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 32.12 (2000): 2093-101.

2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Bolt, Lori. “The Effect of Running Poles on the Kinetics and Kinematics of Jogging.” Ball State University (2000). Web.

Müller, Erich, and Hermann Schwameder.

“Biomechanical Aspects of New Techniques in Alpine Skiing and Ski-Jumping.” Journal of Sports Sciences 21.9 (2003): 679-92.

Abendroth-Smith, Julianne, and Michael Bohne.

“Effects of Hiking Downhill Using Trekking Poles While Carrying External Loads.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 39.1 (2007): 177-83.

Willson, John, M. Torry, et al. “Effects of Walking Poles on Lower Extremity Gait Mechanics.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 33.1 (2001): 142–7.

Howatson, Glyn, P. Hough, et al. “Trekking Poles Reduce Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury during Mountain Walking.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 43.1 (2011):140-5.

Saunders, Michael, G. Hipp, et al. “Trekking Poles Increase Physiological Responses to Hiking without Increased Perceived Exertion.”

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22.5 (2008): 1468-74.

Foissac, Matthieu, R. Berthollet, et al. “Effects of Hiking Pole Inertia on Energy and Muscular Costs during Uphill Walking.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 40.6 (2008): 1117-25.

Perrey, Stephane, and Nicolas Fabre. “Exertion during Uphill, Level and Downhill Walking with and without Hiking Poles.” Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 7 (2008): 32-8.

Sokelienë, Vaida, and Vida Cesnaitienè. “The Influence of Nordic Walking on Physical Fitness of Elderly People.” Ugdymas, Kúno Kultura, Sportas 3.82 (2011): 45-51.

Kůtek, Milan. “Běhat Sholemi? Rozhodně Ano!” Run 7.6 (2012): 54-7.

Bahenský, Petr. “Comparison of Responses of the Organism to Load Exerted by Running with Poles and Without Poles.” Indian Journal of Research 3.3 (2014):140-1.

Daviaux, Yannick, F. Hintzy, et al. “Effect of Using Poles on Foot-Ground Kinetics during Stance Phase in Trail Running.” European Journal of Sport Science 13.5 (2013): 468-74.

Tvrzník, Aleš, and Milan Kůtek. “Running with Poles as an Efficient Training Method Eliminating Overstraining of Athlete’s Feet.”

Winning paper of the 2012 European Athletics Innovation Awards.

GEEK RUNNER

PEDs: Ethics, Issues, and Trail Running

By Matt Moroz

S

uch is the continued concern regarding the misuse of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) that as of Jan. 1, 2015, bans have been doubled by the World Anti-Doping Agency from two years to a minimum of four for using banned substances. PEDs have become commonplace in sport. From the long history of abuse in cycling, through the highly publicised Ben Johnson affair, to more recent stories in baseball and other sports, the use of these drugs for physiological adaptation is neither new nor surprising.

Long before PEDs, there was of course cheating in sport. This is not a new phenomenon. PEDs merely act as one of the more sophisticated techniques of getting an unfair advantage. Drugs may offer a greater health risk than cutting corners in a race, or getting a motorcyclist friend to chauffeur you between remote checkpoints, but may also offer a far lesser chance of being detected in the long run. In ultra and trail running this is perhaps more true than anywhere else as very few races have any form of drug testing.

So with the vast number and variety of PEDs out there, and the undeniable psyche of some athletes to win, or at least improve, at any cost, can we realistically believe that

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

our sport is somehow immune to these problems? In Matt Rendell’s “The Death of Marco Pantani” the author makes the point that in any sport there will always be individuals willing to do whatever it takes to win, or even just improve within their peer group, in order to gain acceptance and kudos. This could be in the guise of a gym fiend looking to make some quick strength and muscle gains to lift heavier than his friends, or a mid-pack marathoner looking to run a new personal best time. Rendell argues that it’s less for obvious financial gain and more so for the innate desire to win that leads certain people to do anything for that ‘improvement.’

The cocktail of what is out there and being misused to enhance performance grows all the time.

The arms race between the doctors looking to aid their athletes and the testers is far from being a level playing ground. Often only after a new compound is already being used and enough users are gaining an advantage does it come into the awareness of the testers. They must then in turn figure out a conclusive test for the given intervention. With more and more sophisticated methods of administering a PED and other sophisticated methods of disguising the use of the drug, the testing agencies have their work cut out.

GEEK RUNNER

Did You Know That: International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) and World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) implement anti-doping tests on their major competitions — both in and out of competitions. Trail races that are tested include WMRA World Mountain Running Championships and IAU Trail World Challenge.

Europe’s Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) and USA’s Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon are two of the very few trail races that have anti-doping tests.

75

GEEK RUNNER

PEDs: Ethics, Issues, and Trail Running

Some of the more popular and recently discovered PEDs include the following:

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids

Peptide Hormones Erythropoietin

Genetic Therapy

AICAR GW1516

A very revealing and worrying survey in sport research is the ‘Goldman Dilemma.’ In the study researchers ask elite athletes whether they’d take a drug that would ensure victory in their chosen race if it came with the price of death within five years. Over half of respondents answered ‘yes.’ Interestingly nonathletes were asked the same question, with success in their personal life representing the prize, achieved for the same costly price. In this study the 50/50 response for taking the drug fell to only two out of 250 respondents.

Trail running does seem to attract quite a different crowd compared to other sports. The natural environment, the simplistic beauty of the sport, and the general support and camaraderie between competitors sets it higher than many other sports in many of our eyes. These aspects are certainly favourable when it comes

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Testosterone and synthetic forms of testosterone can stimulate athletes to build muscle and aid in greater training load through faster recovery time.

Insulin and the human growth hormone also affect the endocrine system and improve muscle growth and red blood cell production.

This glycoprotein hormone triggers the production of red blood cells. This form of blood doping uses the injected drug in order to kick-start this process in the athlete’s body. The athlete may achieve the same results by infusing saved red blood cells back into their own blood stream. This is also dangerous and banned.

This type of doping is touted as the future. Genes to modify given physiological traits can be injected directly into the muscles, lungs, etc., to enhance their athletic potential. An athlete’s own genes may also be tampered with in order to control them in a desirable way.

This ‘exercise in a pill’ helps stimulate glucose uptake by skeletal muscle cells, enhancing endurance without any training.

Enhances a gene involved in slow-twitch muscle development.

to considering whether the sport will ever be rife with PEDs. The argument that ‘there is very little money in trail running so why would people cheat’ seems too simplistic however. With less prize money and sponsorships than most sports, the access to disposable income to spend on potentially expensive drug regimes is of course reduced, but not every program has to be as advanced as Lance Armstrong’s in order to pay dividends. The idea that prize money is the defining factor is also short-sighted, as athletes can change their lives without big purses through endorsements, book deals, training, and speaking engagements.

So must we assume that some trail runners are using PEDs? The answer unfortunately seems to be ‘yes.’ The evidence that issues are coming closer to home is building. Natalya Volgina was stripped of her win at the 2013 Two Oceans ultra in South Africa after

testing positive for metenolone while South Africa’s Comrades ultra has also seen controversy with 2012 winner Ludwick Mamabolo cleared of a doping charge ‘on a technicality.’

So what about testing, should we or shouldn’t we? Some believe that drug testing comes with an ‘admission of failure’ or ‘admission of guilt,’ that if testing is implemented then our sport is already blighted. Ultra legend Ellis Greenwood disagrees however, making the point that “if we ever want ultra running to gain more recognition and prestige on a wider scale in the athletics world we must present ourselves as a professional sport and having anti-doping controls is part of that.”

As our sport grows, the number of very talented and driven individuals taking part will increase.

PEDs: Ethics, Issues, and Trail Running

Prize money and professionalism are increasing too, so it seems inevitable that with this will come the same pressures to perform (be they from within an individual or from external sponsors, etc.) that are present within many other sports. At the end of the day we must be aware of the issues and show humility. Yes our sport is special, yes it attracts many people that are there for the challenge and the beauty of the trail alone, but within any cross-section of athletes there will always be some that are willing to risk it all for the glory of winning or performing above what they might achieve naturally.

Matt is a trail running-specific personal trainer and running coach at Joint Dynamics. He is usually found on his beloved Lantau Island exploring the vast array of beautiful trails that intersect the wonderful natural landscapes.

GEEK RUNNER

Researchers ask elite athletes whether they’d take a drug that would ensure victory in their chosen race if it came with the price of death within five years.

Over half of respondents answered ‘yes.’

NUTRITION

Carbohydrates versus Healthy Fat for Energy Fuel

Carbohydrates versus Healthy Fat for Energy Fuel

By Katia Kucher

E

ndurance athletes constantly rely on high-carbohydrate diets and high-carb nutrition while racing. The available fuel sources come from the body’s ability to extract energy from the food we eat. The carbohydrates, fat, and protein we eat follow a metabolic path that turns food into chemical energy called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

ATPs are like batteries that store energy. ATPs provide energy to muscle fibres to help produce muscle contractions. CP (creatine phosphate) is another high-energy compound to help fuel short and intense efforts. To sustain energy to the body, both ATPs and CPs must constantly be replenished. That’s the reason why for decades athletes have been relying on high-carb diets to provide the body with a quick source of energy supply.

Carbohydrates, like sugar and starch, are quickly broken down into glucose, the body’s primary source of energy. Glucose can be used immediately as fuel, or can be sent to the liver and muscles to be stored as glycogen. During exercise, muscle glycogen is converted back to glucose for energy fuel. It is also released directly into the bloodstream to maintain sugar levels. The body constantly uses and replenishes its glucose stores. Unfortunately, the body’s capacity to store muscle and

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

liver glycogen is limited to about 1,800-2,000 cal worth of energy, which can fuel about 2h of continuous and intense activity. When the liver is out of glycogen, the blood glucose levels dip too low and that’s when an athlete ‘bonks,’ or ‘hits the wall.’

On the other hand, fat is the body’s most concentrated source of energy.

Fat provides twice as much energy as carbohydrates or protein do — 9 cal/g for fat, and 4 cal/g for carbohydrates.

During exercise, stored fat in the body is broken down into fatty acids. The fatty acids are transported through the blood to the muscles for energy fuel. Fat is also stored in the muscle fibres, which likewise serves as energy accessible during exercise. The transportation of energy from fat in the body is a relatively slower process than with carbohydrates. Compared to glycogen stores, which are very limited to a couple of hours’ worth of energy, body fat is almost an unlimited source of energy for endurance athletes. Even athletes with a lean body physique have enough fat stored in muscle fibres and fat cells to supply 100,000 cal — that’s 160km worth of running. Visibly, fat is a more efficient fuel/unit of weight than carbohydrates.

In 1879, Arctic explorer Frederick Schwatka, along with 12 Inuit companions, started a 5,150km sled journey across the Arctic Tundra.

During the following 11 months, the men relied on eating reindeer, muskoxen, polar bears, and seals, basically high-fat and no-carbs diet.

In his journal, Schwatka wrote that for the first two to three weeks he felt “an apparent weakness and inability to perform severe exertive, fatiguing journeys.” But after three weeks, the feeling passed. The low-carb diet had forced his body to use fat as its primary fuel, a process called ‘nutritional ketosis.’

When carbohydrate intake is decreased below 50g per day, the body reacts by producing ketones, which combat oxidative stress and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Energy levels from fats are more consistent. Most people don’t experience the ‘crash’ that occurs after eating a high-carb meal, which for endurance athletes is quite beneficial.

It usually takes about three to four weeks for the body to adapt to a lowcarb, high-fat diet, and on average, two to three months for athletes to see a noticeable difference in their performance. Some people experience ‘carbohydrate withdrawal,’ which includes fatigue, cravings, hunger, and headaches. Though once the body has adjusted to the new source of energy, you start feeling better, and stronger.

Carbohydrates versus Healthy Fat for Energy Fuel

Carbohydrates’ role in fuelling exercise:

Fat:

•

Provide a highly efficient source of fuel.

•

•

Preserve lean protein.

•

• •

Keep the brain and nervous system functioning.

Aid in the metabolism of fat.

•

NUTRITION

Provides a concentrated, consistent source of energy.

Supplies fuel for endurance training.

Aids in sparing glycogen stores.

Dietary tips for endurance athletes switching to a low-carb diet: •

Include about 50% healthy fats in your daily diet.

•

Increase your omega-3 intake.

•

• •

• •

VS

Include a good variety of healthy fat sources in your diet such as avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, flax seeds, nuts, and seeds.

Include high-quality protein from fish, eggs, grassfed beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, and tuna.

Cut out refined carbohydrates and focus on natural carbohydrate sources such as fruits and vegetables.

Drink plenty of water.

Increase your sodium intake from pink Himalayan salt, which contains 84 minerals.

As previously mentioned, fat is slow to digest, and to be converted into useable energy, it can take up to 6h. Converting stored body fat into energy requires a lot of oxygen, so it’s not recommended to eat fat immediately before or during exercise and endurance training.

The low-carb, high-fat diet for endurance athletes is still debatable.

But more and more ultra runners are

Estimated Energy Stores in Humans Energy Source

Storage Site

Approximate Energy (Cal)

ATP/CP

Various tissues

5

Serum-free fatty acids Serum triglycerides Muscle triglycerides Adipose tissue

7 75 2,500 80,000+

Carbohydrate

Fat

Protein

Blood glucose Liver glycogen Muscle glycogen

Muscle protein

80 400 1,500

30,000

increasing their healthy fat intake as the race distances are increasing, pushing the body to its limit. A lot of athletes have seen great improvements in their body’s ability to sustain itself much longer, relying less on carbohydrates.

When following a healthy high-fat, low-carb diet, it is highly recommended for endurance athletes to slightly increase their carbohydrate consumption before and during long training runs and races. In general, ultra runners who have modified their nutrition to a low-carb, high-fat diet, have noticed a faster recovery, and reduced inflammation.

Finding the right balance, and not going to any extreme diet is always my recommendation — I am not a strong believer in diet fads. Finding the right balance will ensure proper fuelling, strength, and endurance. The best way to change your diet is to listen to your body.

Katia is owner of d.BeFit (www.dbefit.com), is a NASM certified personal trainer, a NASM Sports Nutrition Specialist, as well as is TRX certified.

79

Race Directory

Where To Race In Asia DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

1-May

XTERRA (Triathlon and Trail run)

5km - 21km (swim, bike and run)

Malaysia

xterramy.com

2-May

Energizer Night Race

6km, 12km and 18km

Singapore

singaporenighttrail.com.sg

2-May

2-May 2-May

Jeju International Ultramarathon Gede Pangrango Marathon

80km

21km and 42km

2-May

石家庄100公里野人挑战赛

10km, 22km, 42km and 88km

2-May 3-May

Bandung Climbathon

3-May

Salomon Climbathon

62km

Ueda Vertical Race (Skyrunning - Japan Championship)

9-May 9-May 9-May

10-May 10-May 10-May 10-May 10-May 15-May 16-May 16-May 16-May 16-May

贝熙业之旅暨2015北京西山国际 越野挑战赛

3.3km and 5km

China China

Indonesia

South Korea Japan

gedepangrangomarathon.com

erun360.com/blog/200215383.aspx www.runnerhome.cn

bandungclimbathon2015.com koreatrail.net

skyrunning.jimdo.com

30km and 50km

Hong Kong

xterace.com

The North Face 100 China

10km, 25km, 50km and 100km

China

thenorthface.com.cn/tnf100

SAS International Eco-Challenge Putrajaya Deuter Trail Run 2015 OtterBox Action Asia Challenge Korea 50K

Doushimura Trail Race

Hokusetsu Mt. Omine Trail Race Salt Trail Challenge

Great Wall Marathon Hasuu Tasu Race

HK Stairmaster Series – Lantau Island 天津黄崖关长城马拉松

Runners Wild - Bario Sarawak

17-May

Yatsugatake Nobeyama Highlands 100K Ultra Marathon

17-May

43km

Indonesia

eng.kumf.kr

Dark 50 Mountain Marathon

16-May 17-May

103km

South Korea

Akagiyama Trail Running Race 內湖碧山 山徑越野跑挑戰賽

22km and 30km 12km

40km (trail run, kayak and mountain bike) 50km

20km and 42km 13km 25km

8.5km, 21km and 42km 25km 20km

9km, 21km and 42km 50km

15km and 32km 100km

11km and 20km

Malaysia Malaysia

Hong Kong

South Korea Japan Japan

Malaysia China

Malaysia

Hong Kong China

Malaysia Japan Japan

Taiwan

eco-challenge.com.my

www.facebook.com/ putrajayadeutertrailrun actionasiaevents.com korea50k.com

k-y-trail.com/doushi funrunkansai.com

borneocolours.com/events/25-5-kmsalt-trail-challenge-2015 great-wall-marathon.com

sabahadventurechallenge.com events.lantaubasecamp.com iranshao.com/races/723 runnerswild.com

www.akagi-trail.com r-wellness.com

ezfun.24tms.com.tw/sports/page2_1. asp?eventid=120

Highest elevation of Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon reaches 5,545m at Kalapatthar. Photo: Marc Schwarz

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| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

Race Directory

DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

17-May

Moganshan Trail Run

25km

China

transition-events.com

22-May

Hardcore 100

100mi

Philippines

kotmtrailrun.com

21-May 23-May 23-May 24-May 29-May 29-May 30-May 30-May 31-May 7-Jun 7-Jun 7-Jun 7-Jun

Shangri La Ultra Trail Race HK Stairmaster Series - Twins Kyogatake Vertical Limit (Skyrunner Japan Series) Salomon Trailwalker

Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon The Last Secret

OSJ Okukuji Trail

Mt. Hiei International Trail Running Race Gobi March

Salomon Trail Running

Fuji Oshino Plateau Trail race

Camel Muar Cross Country Race Mt. Batulao Trail Run

100km 10km 21km

38km and 47km 42km

200km

30km and 55km 50km

250km

12km and 26km

14km, 21km and 32km 22km 21km

China

Hong Kong Japan

South Korea Nepal

Bhutan Japan Japan

China

South Korea Japan

Malaysia

Philippines

7-Jun

Three Peaks Yatsugatake Trail (Skyrunner Japan Series)

38km

Japan

14-Jun

Sugadaira Skyline Trail Run (Skyrunning - Japan Championship)

5km, 21km and 42km

Japan

12-Jun 14-Jun 19-Jun 27-Jun 28-Jun 28-Jun 28-Jun

The North Face 100 Philippines

50km and 100km

Philippines

xtechallenge.com

events.lantaubasecamp.com nature-scene.net koreatrail.net

everestmarathon.com global-limits.com

powersports.co.jp/osjtrail mt-hiei.com

4deserts.com/gobimarch koreatrail.net oshinotrail.jp

facebook.com/ events/1579473638930895

heyevent.com/ event/792771740838786/sandaribatulao-21km-trail-run trail38.com

thrillofthetrail.ph sugadaira-trail.jp

Yaeyama Trail Race

23km and 39km

Japan

yaeyama-trail.com

Midsummer Race 1 - Sunset Peak

10km

Hong Kong

xterace.com

Mongolia Action Asia 3 Day Ultra Marathon Neihu Bishan Trail Running Challenge

Haruna Trail Lake Haruna FullMarathon Salomon MR25 X-Country Marathon

60km and 100km 14km

14km, 21km and 42km 42km

If you wish to add your race to our race calendar, please send us an email at sabrina@asiasportconnection.com

Mongolia Taiwan Japan

Singapore

actionasiaevents.com ezfun.24tms.com.tw/sports/ page2_1_1.asp?eventid=121 runandpeace.jp

mr25.org.sg/salomon-mr25-xcountry-marathon-2015

81

Marketplace

OVERLANDER ACTION X

LANTAU BASE CAMP

G/F, 28 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan

Shop J, Sea View Building, Mui Wo, Lantau Island T: +852 5463 6060

www.actionxstore.com T: +852 3102 2977 Daily: 11am-8pm

www.lantaubasecamp.com

Mon-Fri: 8:30am-7:30pm Sat-Sun & PH: 8am-7:30pm Closed on Tuesday

ROUND THE WORLD APA Outdoor Shop eShop: www.apa.co/eshop

Free delivery in Hong Kong!

16A Gee Chang Hong Centre, 65 Wong Chuk Hang Road T: +852 3153 4091 E: shop@apa.co

www.roundtheworld.hk

Shop A, 51 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 2745 6988 Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm Sat-Sun: 11am-6pm

GONE RUNNING

Escapade Sports

www.gonerunning.hk

Causeway Bay 1/F, 19 Leighton Road T: +852 2891 1855

Mon-Thurs: 10am-9:00pm Fri-Sun: 9:30am-9pm

PASSION RUN

Mon-Thurs: 10:30am-9pm Fri-Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

2160 Rama4 Rd., Klongtoei Klongtoei Bangkok Thailand 10110

Central 1/F, 30-34 Cochrane Street T:+852 2851 0769 Repulse Bay Shop 110, Level 1, The Pulse, 28 Beach Road T : +852 2395 2778 Mon-Sun: 10am-8pm

82

| ASIA TRAIL • MAY / JUNE 2015

www.overlander.com.hk

Base Camp@ CausewayBay 3/F Gold Swan Commercial Building, 438–444 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay T: +852 3695 0871 Causeway Bay Shop 205, Causeway Bay Plaza I, No.489, Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay T: +852 2319 2038 Base Camp@Mongkok Rm 12-23, 12/F, Hollywood Plaza, 610 Nathan Rd, Mongkok T: +852 2117 1810

Packcity (Mongkok) Shop 229, Level 2, Trendy Zone, 580A-F Nathan Rd, Mongkok T: +852 2116 2707 GigaSports Unit 1, Level 8, Megabox, 38 Wang Chiu Rd., Kowloon Bay T: +852 2629 5009 Shatin Shop 536, Level 5, New Town Plaza, Phase 1, Shatin T: +852 3427 9626

Tseung Kwan O Shop 1129, Level 1, Phase II Metro City Plaza, Tseung Kwan O T: +852 2628 9902 Tsuen Wan Shop UG57, Citywalk, Tsuen Wan T: +852 2117 1720

Mon-Sat: 11am-9:30pm Sun: 11am-9:00pm

PATAGONIA

www.facebook.com/ patagoniahk Tsim Sha Tsui G/F 25 Ashley Road.

T: + 852 3622 2373

Mon-Sun: 11:00 – 21:30

Shop OT224, Level 2 Ocean Terminal T: +852 3188 2400 Mon-Sun: 10:30 – 21:30 Kowloon Tong Shop L2-06, Level 2 Festival Walk Tel: +852 3105 1223

Mon-Sun: 11:00 – 21:30

Causeway Bay Shop 730, Level 7 Times Square T: +852 2506 0677 Mon-Sun: 11:00 – 21:30 Central Shop 2, 46 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central.

T: +852 2155 9567

Mon-Sun: 10:00 – 20:00 Shatin Shop 516, Level 5, New Town Plaza Phase 1 T: +852 3188 8138

Mon-Sun: 11:00 - 21:30

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