Asia Trail November / December 2015

Asia’s first trail running magazine November / December 2015

Adrenal Fatigue TAKE A BREAK TO RUN STRONGER

If The Shoe Fits

Trail Shoes:

28

Models Tested

Kílian’s

journey

to the very top 9 772409 503000 >

HONG KONG HKD 48

|

SINGAPORE SGD 9.90

|

MALAYSIA MYR 12

|

THAILAND THB 250

|

INDONESIA USD 5

|

philippines PHP 235

|

TAIWAN TWD 200

Celebrate life in the great outdoors with Outdoor Channel and our fresh and exclusive first-run selection of fishing, off-road, adventure, extreme, motor and water sports.

This year, we feature #WhatsYourStory - a collection of life-changing experiences, impossible challenges, survival against all odds, endurance of incredible pain and amazing sacrifices.

So What’s Your Story? Share your stories with us on www.facebook.com/OutdoorChannelAsia

NOVEMBER / DeCEMBER 2015

asiatrAilmag.com COVER

48 Kilian Jornet after his second win at the Hardrock 100.

Photo: Alexis Berg

08 Photo: Liu Yu Sen

78

66

80 Photo: Alexis Berg

Photo: Alexis Berg

05 Editor’s Note

39 ADVENTURE

76 ASK THE COACH

08 Race News

Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji - Japan

Ultra Pirineu - Spain

Tor des Géants - Italy

Ultra Tour Gobi Race - China

Lantau 2 Peaks - Hong Kong

Colourcoil TMBT - Malaysia

La Ultra - The High - India

Bhatti Lakes Ultra - India

Epic Valley Malaysia eco 100 - Malaysia

Lantau Vertical - Hong Kong

Vietnam Mountain Marathon - Vietnam

MesaStila Challenge Ultra - Indonesia

Chong Li Sky-Trail Race - China

Pilipinas Mountain Running Series,

Leg 2 - Philippines

Transcending the ‘Unclimbed Peak’ - A Novice’s Reflection

If the Shoe Fits

78 body mechanics

44 TRIVIA

Interview with the Skyrunning Specialists

80 geek runner

FEATURES on cover 48 Runner profile

82 NUTRITION

Kilian’s Journey to the Very Top

54 Training

Take a Break - Use Recovery to Repair, Rest, and Refuel

It’s Not Easy Being a Knee The Power of Goal-Setting Supergreen Foods For Training

84 Race Directory 86 marketplace

58 RACE

Adrenal Fatigue

REGULARS 66 Gear

Trail Shoes Review: 28 Models Tested

Digital Edition

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

74 FIRST STEPS

13 Tips For Your First Long Trail Run

3

BREAK THROUGH YOUR BARRIERS

physiotherapy・sports performance・sports massage・stretch therapy・ active release technique・injury prevention & management・ running focused strength & conditioning T: 2762 0528 | 2/F, 122 QUEENS ROAD, CENTRAL | www.jointdynamics.com.hk |

Editor’s Note

Editor: Clement Dumont

MANAGING EDITOR: Claudia Sing COPY EDITOR: Dominik Sklarzyk

CONTRIBUTORS: Andy DuBois Avtar Singh Clint Cherepa David Lloyd Doug Tahirali Isa Ismail Rauf John Ellis Joshua Steimle Karen Low Katia Kucher Kavitha Kanaparthi Li Yan Majell Backhausen Ng Seow Kong Rachel Jacqueline Rajat Chauhan Robbie Britton Thumbie Remigo Wyan Chow Zhao Xiao Zhao

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alexis Berg

Illustration Artist: Kirk Wescom 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 #13 Bimonthly ISSN 2409-5036

© 2015 Asia Trail. All rights reserved.

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

asiatrailmag.com @asiatrailmag asiatrailmag

#asiatrailmag

Kí lian on an easy run the day after his win at Hardrock 100. Photo: Alexis Berg

T

Asia Trail completed its Second Ultra Stage hanks to our dedicated readers, Asia Trail is fast spreading across Asian territories. On its second birthday, the magazine is already available in seven countries, and has some exciting news coming up soon.

A magazine dedicated to trail running is obliged to feature Kílian Jornet on its cover, the most recognised trail runner of all time. While he prefers altitude and cold weather, Jornet ran a number of times in Asia, notably, in Malaysia, during the Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon, and in Japan. He is now planning an expedition to Nepal in preparation for his attempt of ascending Everest, as part of the final stage of his “Summits of My Life” project (p. 48).

Jornet was only 20 years old when he won his first Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

At that time, people thought that trail running was for the “mature” experienced runners. Since then, young kids keep popping up on the international scene. In October, Hong Kong hosted one of the stages of the Skyrunner World Series, with some of the very best short-distance runners — unsurprisingly, the women’s and men’s category winners were 20-year-old, up-and-coming running stars.

Admittedly, we runners know that choosing the right pair of shoes among all the available models is becoming increasingly difficult, especially considering that most brands have now developed models specifically dedicated to trail running.

Nonetheless, this is that one piece of gear you want to get right! Make sure to look at the 28 pairs we put to the test.

With the race calendar showing several events each weekend, many may be tempted to overdo it. Though we cannot insist enough: Make sure to take a break (p. 54), and set achievable goals (p. 80) to avoid overtraining, which often results in adrenalin fatigue — a condition requiring a long recovery process (p. 58). And don’t forget to pay attention to what you’re eating throughout your training — broccoli isn’t just good for kids, you too may want to try some of those healthy supergreens (p. 82).

Editor: Clement Dumont

5

TRAIL SHOES

COLUMBIA – WOMEN’S PEAKFREAK XCRSN OUTDRY |

COLUMBIA – MEN’S CONSPIRACY SWITCHBACK OMNI-TECH | HKD 1,199

Sturdy and fully waterproof, Peakfreak XCRSN OutDry is definitely the companion you want to take along with you on the trails, especially during wet conditions. Thanks to the suede overlays, these multi-purpose shoes are exceptionally breathable and comfortable, providing your feet with excellent support and protection.

Combined with Columbia’s classic Omni-Grip soles, this pair’s traction will keep you steady on various terrains.

Conspiracy Switchback Omni-Tech is an ultra-light, waterproof trail shoe designed for maximum support and comfort on even the most rugged terrain. The midsole is constructed with the patented Techlite cushioning midsole, which offers any outdoor enthusiast a long-lasting comfort across various surfaces. Waterproof, yet highly breathable, and light enough for running, the shoe is a reliable partner for hitting the trails.

HKD 1,599

COLUMBIA – MEN’S PEAKFREAK ENDURO III OUTDRY | HKD 1,599 ‘Grippest’ and ‘driest’ are the two key words for describing Peakfreak Enduro III OutDry. Combining Columbia’s classic Omni-Grip soles — with their unique multi-directional lugs — along with the company’s patented OutDry waterproof and breathable construction, the Enduros best showcase their features under wet conditions, where both good traction and resistance to water are greatly desired. The shoe has a cushioned midsole with good arch support, and is light enough for running on various terrains.

Traction:

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

TRAIL SHOES

MONTRAIL - MEN’S MOUNTAIN MASOCHIST III | HKD 1,299

MONTRAIL – WOMEN’S BAJADA II | HKD 999

MONTRAIL – WOMEN’S FLUIDFLEX II | HKD 999

Using the company’s patented FluidFrame technology, Mountain Masochist III’s midsole is constructed with foam that helps with pronation control and provides more stability to the runner. The outsole — fitted with a sticky carbon rubber covered with multi-directional lugs — gives you a good grip regardless of the terrain type.

Combining the outsole with a fulllength trail shield which protects you from trail debris, with this pair on, you can conquer the most perilous trails fearlessly.

If you are looking for a pair of shoes that will have you ride the trails with an added dynamic bounciness to your feet, Bajada II is the pair you’ve been asking for. The midsole is lined with Montrail’s FluidFoam, giving you a noticeable push off the ground. The sticky carbon rubber of the outsole ensures a good grip, while a protective shield safeguards against damaging debris. Its covering mesh is lightweight and breathable, with seamless outlays to ensure a supportive fit.

Montrail’s FluidFlex ST is a lightweight trail-running shoe that offers you a fast, uncompromising ride — with notable stability and support — the perfect pair for taking you away from busy roads to those deeply tucked away trails. Thanks to Montrail’s blended-density foam, and the sticky carbon rubber at the front and back of the heels, the shoe is firm and supportive, ensuring a consistently good grip irrespective of the terrain.

Traction:

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Shop address: Hotline:

Montrail Counter Shop No. 4-20E2, 4/F, SOGO Department Store, 555 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay 2310 6523

7

Race News

57% DNF

at Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji - Japan www.ultratrailmtfuji.com

By John Ellis, GoneRunning.hk

A

total of 564 finishers out of 1,363 starters, for a completion rate of just 43% — while not the most technical course, and a relatively standard 8,300m D+ over the 169km, this year’s Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji wreaked havoc on the field.

Persistent rain around Kawaguchiko in the lead up forced race organisers to adapt a number of course changes. These were expected to result in slightly faster times, with three hills largely replaced by road sections.

However, the iconic 23km Tenshis Mountains stage, from A2 to W1, remained, and its brutally steep climbs and highly technical descents would be compounded, this year, by the slippery, muddy conditions. Like last year, the Tenshis would be the scene of so much DNF heartache, with 71% of all pull-outs happening immediately before or after this diabolical mountain range.

Back to the racing — another strong field turned out for the penultimate event of this year’s UltraTrail World Tour. There was no shortage of quality in the men’s line-up, including Lithuania’s Gediminas Grinius, along with both Didrik Hermansen and Sondre Amdahl from Norway, America’s Jeff Browning and Australian rocket Brendan Davies.

However, a few favourites had recently DNF’ed at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, so there were definitely question marks around tired legs related to overracing.

For the women, Spain’s Uxue Fraile was coming in fresh from a second place at the UTMB, less than a month ago. Stiff competition was expected from last year’s runner-up Fernanda Maciel from Brazil, emerging Chinese superstar Dong Li, plus American ultra queens Aliza Lapierre and Amy Sproston.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

The race kicked off Friday at 1 p.m. under light drizzle, with France’s Arnaud Lejeune setting the early pace and building a 19min lead through the Tenshis. From here, however, it was all about Grinius, who whittled away at Lejeune’s lead until taking it at the Mount Fuji Museum (A5). At this point, Grinius would only get stronger, powering home to finish in 20h 40min 58s, a massive 74min ahead of Lejeune who held off a fast-finishing Browning, only 6min further back.

Despite a win at Transgrancanaria, and a fourth place at Western States this year, Grinius was pleasantly surprised at his result: “My race plan is simple, because it is almost the same all the time. I try to be with the front middle pack and slowly move through positions later into the race. I wasn’t sure if I totally recovered from the UTMB so I decided to play safe and finish in the top five rather than not finishing at all.”

Reflecting on the course and race conditions, Grinius continued: “UTMF is kind of Asia’s UTMB. The mixture of very fast road running and slow climbing on brutally steep uphills makes this ultra race very unique. Weather conditions are usually not a big problem for me, so even though I fell so many times during the UTMF — more than any other race — running conditions were perfect.”

Understandably, 3rd place Browning was also happy with his weekend results. “This finish was very special. Being part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, it brings out a solid international field. The podium was definitely a goal coming into this race, but, looking back at how close I was to second place, I may have been too patient in the 70-100km range.”

Masatoshi Obara was the first local runner home, claiming 5th in 22h 55min 33s. Photo: NPO Fuji Trail Runners Club

Race News From Asia, Masatoshi Obara was the first local runner home, claiming 5th in 22h 55min 33s.

Also, deserving special mentions for competitors from Asia go out to Nepalese Sanga Sherpa (7th in 23h 30min 12s) and Hong Kong’s Wong Ho Chung (completing his first ‘miler,’ coming in at 17th place in 25h 44min 47s). Wong explained post race: “During the hard times, like when I got lost for over half an hour, I remembered what my teammate Stone Tsang and coach Andy DuBois told me — I

have to think positive and everything will become positive.”

In the women’s field, it was a dominant startto-finish victory for Fraile, dispelling any concerns about tired UTMB legs. She cruised into the first checkpoint at Shojiko (A1) just 4min in front, and kept building from there, finishing in 25h 34min 2s, that’s 16th overall and over 70min ahead of her nearest rival.

The real excitement was further back, with Maciel and Lapierre duking it out for second in a sea-sawing battle. With only 27km left at Niji-Magari (A9), it looked like Lapierre’s 20min cushion would be enough, but a massive second-to-last stage from Maciel saw her back on equal footing at the last checkpoint. The two would cross the line together for joint 2nd in 26h 44min 25s, with Japan’s Kaori Niwa being the first Asian runner home and less than 6min further back.

The Shizuoka To Yamanashi event (80km; 4,600m D+) would prove a much less torrid affair, with an 88% finisher rate, but the action up at the front was much more competitive. In the men’s race, a leading pack of four broke away early and dominated proceedings.

Very little separated The North Face stars Sebastian Chaigneau from France and Vlad Ixel from Australia, plus Japanese runners Koji Morimoto and Tetsuya Oosugi, until Yamanakako (A8), where Chaigneau and Morimoto started to pull away. It would ultimately be Chaigneau taking the win in 8h 20min 7s, only 4min ahead of Morimoto, with Oosugi placing 3rd, and Ixel 4th.

The women’s STY race was even more one-sided, with a shutout of the international runners in the top 10. Kimino Miyazaki pulled away in the final two stages to claim victory in 10h 12min 24s, comfortably ahead of Oishi Yumiko in 10h 44min 23s and Itsuko Uemiya in 10h 49min 13s.

Results

Ultra-Trail World Tour - Stage 10 UTMF - Men

UTMF - Women

Gediminas Grinius (Lithuania)

20:40:58

Uxue Fraile (Spain)

Jeff Browning (USA)

25:34:02

22:01:01

Aliza Lapierre (USA)

26:44:25

Arnaud LeJeune (France)

Sondre Amdahl (Norway) Masatoshi Obara (Japan)

21:54:51 22:51:59 22:55:33

Fernanda Maciel (Brazil) Kaori Niwa (Japan)

Yukako Takashima (Japan)

26:44:25 26:52:11 27:39:19

9

Race News

Nepal Takes 2

nd

at The Ultra Pirineu Ultra Pirineu - Spain www.ultrapirineu.com

N

epalese Mira Rai rounded up her first skyrunning season with a 2nd place at the Ultra Pirineu (110km; 6,800m D+) in Spain, less than 5min behind Emelie Forsberg, the winner of the ultra and sky categories of the 2014 Skyrunner World Series. It was a notable win for the Nepalese athlete on her first attempt of the Ultra Pirineu; Forsberg had attempted the race once back in 2011, coming in third, and Núria Picas, who completed the podium this time, has been the winner of the last four editions.

Without surprise, Kílian Jornet won the race — his second victory at the Ultra Pirineu, his first win back during the 2012 edition. Jornet crossed the finish tape in 12h 3min 27s, that’s 8min before Moroccan Zaid Ait Malek who tailed Jornet closely right up until the end of the race.

The 3rd position went to Miguel Heras.

Results Men

Women

Kílian Jornet Burgada (Spain)

12:03:27

Emelie Forsberg (Sweden)

Miguel A. Heras Hernandez (Spain)

13:39:33

12:20:35

Núria Picas (Spain)

14:13:01

Zaid Ait Malek (Morocco)

Miguel Caballero Ortega (Spain)

Cristofer Clemente Mora (Spain)

12:12:23 12:50:08 13:12:55

Mira Rai (Nepal)

Gemma Arenas Alcazar (Spain) Anna Comet Pascua (Spain)

13:43:49 14:45:18 16:36:18

Mira Rai, the rising young star from Nepal, was less than 5min behind Emelie Forsberg. Photo: Oriol Batista

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

100KM 50KM 25KM PARTICIPANTS FROM 50 NATIONALITIES & 31 COUNTRIES IN 2015

HONG KONG

www.translantau.com

UPGRADE YOURSELF

STORE

11-13 MARCH 2016

Race News

Unfinished Business with a Finish Line in Courmayeur Tor des Géants - Italy www.tordesgeants.it

By Robbie Britton and Majell Backhausen

I

n the mountains, anything can happen, especially within a 330km non-stop race around the Italian Alps.

The 2015 Tor des Géants started with extreme weather, and, sadly, ended because of extreme weather too — but this event is more than just a race, it is an adventure.

Constantly going over mountain passes of 2,500m, and topping out at 3,200m, the TDG is not for the faint hearted or inexperienced. The first night saw snow send the temperatures plummeting, runners soaked to the bone, and winds throwing them around. Even driving from base to base was dangerous, let alone running between them.

A strong Asian contingent tackles the race every year, and 2015 was no different. Ono Masahiro had come back to improve on his 2014 fifth place, and Shogo Mochizuki wanted more than 13th this time around.

Whilst running a complete ring around the Aosta Valley, you pass over 19 mountain cols, dropping below 1,500m only once at the 150km base at Donnas — so altitude can be an issue for those not adapted. Some work at altitude or in an altitude chamber can be very beneficial before an event like this one, even just to give the runners an idea of how these conditions will feel.

The trail itself is fantastically marked, with reflective flags dotted along routes that can get extremely technical at times, with boulder fields and snowy ledges to traverse, so it is important to be accustomed to all types of mountain terrains. It is not the fastest that succeed at TDG, but those with strength for the hills and a strong, persevering mind.

At every stage of the race, runners are made to feel welcome in Aosta, with the volunteers at the checkpoints offering a vast array of hot and cold foods, with beer and wine to wash it all down. The local people live for the mountains, so they really become part of the race, showing pride in their region and admiration for each and every runner.

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Race News

Stories of farmers welcoming cold and wet runners into their homes, 2,000m up on the mountain, and feeding them with dried meats and pouring cup after cup of fresh coffee, are heard plentifully. You can only imagine how difficult it is to leave the warmth of a mountain fire to venture back into the storm.

Of the 750 starters, only six reach the northern town of Courmayeur, but Masahiro is one of them, placing 5th once again in a much more trying

year. The rest of the runners are halted in refuges around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, after over 80h of running. Initially, the respite is welcomed, but as cancellation dawns, there is disappointment throughout.

All those past 200km are credited with a finish, but many will be coming back: Unfinished business with a finish line in Courmayeur. This is a truly epic mountain race, worthy of entry onto anyone’s bucket list. It is now firmly on mine.

Constantly going over mountain passes of 2,500m, and topping out at 3,200m, the TDG is not for the faint hearted or inexperienced. Photo: Ph. Courthoud ŠTOR DES GEANTS

13

Race News

Traversing the Gobi Ultra Tour Gobi Race - China utg.xuanzang.com.cn

By Zhao Xiao Zhao

T

he journey started on September 28, with 30 ultradistance specialists from the USA, France, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China assembled in Guazhou County, in the the Gansu Province of China, to participate in the inaugural edition of the Ultra-Trail Gobi Race.

The story goes that the UTGR was first conceived during a journey of a Buddhist monk, Xuanzang, who, 15 centuries ago, travelled through the wilderness of the Gobi desert, in the modern-day province of Gansu and Xinjiang regions of Western China, where more than 80% of the area is uninhabited by men.

This 400km non-stop, self-navigated and self-supported ultradistance race is the longest ultra running race in China.

Other than the prerequisite of having exceptional physical stamina, the 30 brave ones must also dig deep within themselves to find unshakable determination, wit, and courage to be able to complete the entire course within 150h.

The participants — loaded with at least 30 mandatory items, including warm clothing and sleeping bags — must rely on their GPS devices to guide them through 33 stations, having their cards stamped at each point (of which 10 were rest stations). It was only at rest stations that the participants had access to pre-packed drop bags filled with a change of clothes and sustenance, and where they could rest longer than 1h; it would also only be here where the race organisation would provide massage, hot water, and rest tents.

On October 2, after 92h 53mins, with only 6.5h of sleep, 47-year-old Chinese associate professor Zhao Zi Yu was declared the winner of this first edition of the UTGR. The 2nd place went to Chinese ultra-distance specialist Bai Bin, who completed the course in 96h 26min, while American Bryon Powell, founder and editor-in-chief of iRunFar.com, came in 3rd in 98h 58min.

Out of the six female participants, only two managed to finish the course: American Betsy Kalmeyer and Singapore’s Jeri Chua, who finished in 108h 47min and 147h 58min respectively.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Race News

Participants must dig deep within themselves to find unshakable determination, wit, and courage to be able to complete the entire 400km course within 150h.

Photo: UTG/Xingzhi Exploring

15

RACE NEWS

Emerging 20-year-old Salomon Stars Steal the Scene at Skyrunner World Series Lantau 2 Peaks - Hong Kong www.actionasiaevents.com

By John Ellis, GoneRunning.hk

T

aking place in early October of each year, the Action Asia Lantau 2 Peaks has historically been the unofficial season opener of Hong Kong’s racing calendar. However, this year’s event was boosted by its inclusion as the fourth Skyrunner World Series race — in the Sky category — and, as a result, a hoard of international elites descended on Hong Kong to join in the fun.

The entry list reads like a roll call of some of the world’s best mountain runners. The women’s field included the top four female runners in the current series: Maite Mayora and Laura Orgué from Spain, plus two runners returning to Hong Kong after previous wins in the past 12 months, Italy’s Elisa Desco (MSIG Sai Kung 28km) and American Stevie Kremer (MSIG Lantau 50km).

The men’s field was just as strong, and included current series leader, Italian Tadei Pivk, last year’s bronze winner and fellow Italian Marco De Gasperi, plus Spain’s Manuel Merillas, currently third in the rankings.

Awaiting them was a slightly longer 23km course (2,000m D+), with the inclusion of a 1.5km section along the South Lantau Country Trail, plus some usual climbs over two of Hong Kong’s highest peaks: Lantau Peak (934m) and Sunset Peak (869m).

Wet and wild conditions were also in store, with the Hong Kong Observatory hoisting a tropical cyclone 3 warning as Typhoon Mujigae bore down on Guangdong, and rain and winds over 100 km/h lashing competitors coming up Sunset Peak. As Hong Kong-based, Canadianborn Valerie Lagarde commented: “The craziest conditions were going up Sunset Peak. The wind was blowing so hard that the rain felt like hail! The side of my body was red and sore and I could barely see.”

As for the race, it was a day out for two emerging 20-year-old Salomon stars, with Swiss Rémi Bonnet and Norway’s Yngvild Kaspersen taking out comfortable start-to-finish wins. Bonnet raced out to an early lead up the stairs to Sunset Peak and didn’t look back. Slowing only slightly on the slippery cable-car boardwalk in the final stage, he still finished in an incredible record time of 2h 14min 7s, more than 10min ahead of Merillas, and Pivk a further couple of minutes back. Special mention goes to the fastest Asian runner, Japan’s Dai Matsumoto, who came in 8th in a time of 2h 32min 18s.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Rémi Bonnet, another young runner shooting to fame in the international skyrunning scene. Photo: Sunny Lee

Race News

Results Speaking after the race, Bonnet reflected: “I really enjoyed the weather conditions. My strategy was to push hard on the first climb to take the lead, and then control my pace to the end. The wood path was very slippery so I had to slow down after one fall, but I felt comfortable otherwise.”

In the women’s race, Kaspersen held a narrow advantage over Spain’s Orgué heading into the first checkpoint at Pak Kung Au, but skipped out to a 4min lead with a strong second stage up and down Lantau Peak. She would ultimately finish in 2h 42min 4s, with Orgué 8min back, and a late spurt by Mayora pulling her within 2min of second place.

Hong Kong’s first female runner (and only top 10 in the general classifications, men or women) was Lagarde, who reflected: “My approach was to consider the elite race a separate race… I was super confident in my X Series shoes and ran the downhills as well as I’ve ever done and could power hike the climbs pretty well, too. I had a couple of rough patches, and was happy I could complete in such a good chrono.”

Men Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland)

02:14:07

Pivk Tadei (Italy)

02:26:39

Manuel Merillas (Spain)

Gregory Vollet (France) Egea Aritz (Spain)

02:24:29 02:26:59 02:27:24

Women Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway) Laura Orgué (Spain)

Maite Mayora Elizondo (Spain) Elisa Desco (Italy)

Stevie Kremer (USA)

02:42:04 02:49:58 02:51:19 02:55:52 03:00:15

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Race News

Malaysia’s Daved Simpat Wins Colourcoil TMBT Colourcoil TMBT - Malaysia www.sabahadventurechallenge.com

By Avtar Singh

T

he fifth edition of Colourcoil TMBT Ultra Trail Marathon was held at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on August 29, 2015, with 1,200 runners participating in this annual event.

With 324 runners in the 100km category, a further 500-plus runners in the 50km, and almost 300 runners in the trail run category (12km and 25km), participants boarded shuttle buses from Kota Kinabalu at 4:00 a.m. for the 150km journey to the start line, traversing a route which was rather mildly affected by the aftermath of the otherwise devastating earthquake, which struck Mount Kinabalu on June 5, 2015.

With an early morning start for all runners, and several hanging bridges and technical downhill sections to pass, the lead runners began aggressively before entering the village of Bundu Paka. Journeying across Aileen’s river involved a waist-deep crossing, followed by a run through paddy fields, and finally arriving at the scenic village of Tambatuan (the race’s second water station).

With villagers and their children out on the race course watching and cheering the runners, Daved Simpat, of team North Face Championship Systems, built a lasting lead, finishing the 100km race with a time of 15h 15min 5s, a mere 11min ahead of Ullas Hosahalli-Narayana who managed to chase Simpat right from the start to the very finish.

The battle for third place in the men’s category of runners was between Malaysia’s Munintaran Sundram and Norway’s Jan Inge-Nilsen, although it

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

was Inge-Nilsen who eventually triumphed despite a spirited performance from a very brave Sundram.

In the women’s category, Joanna Kruk, the pride of Australia, held a commanding lead in the 100km category, which she won comfortably, in 16h 58min 16s, with a 3.5h lead ahead of USA’s Debborah Chinn. The US athlete finished the race just over 20min ahead of Malaysia’s Hsiao Shiang Chong, a first-time podium finisher in a major ultra trail race in Malaysia.

The 50km category saw local boys Safrey and Sapirin Sumping finishing in joint 1st place as they crossed the finish line together in 7h 40min — a mere 2min ahead of Jethro De Decker of South Africa, in a spirited race between these three seasoned runners. Meagan Douglas made Canada proud with a fine victory in the women’s category in 9h 6min 59s, 28min ahead of Malaysia’s Toh Hui Sung. Melissa Lim, from Malaysia, completed the podium by finishing in 10h 24min 16s. Hong Kong’s Yeung Mei Lun had a close run with Lim but was unable to close the lead, finishing about 20min behind the energetic Malaysian lass.

An exceptionally high drop-out rate plagued this year’s TMBT, with 46% of runners in the 50km category dropping out along the race course, and only 68% of runners in the 100km category crossing the finish line. Consisting of a total altitude gain of just under 6,000m, and a total descent of about 5,500m, it was a challenging race course made tougher with difficult weather conditions and damage caused by the earthquake this past June.

Race news

An exceptionally high drop-out rate marked this year’s TMBT, whose course was made tougher with difficult weather conditions and damage caused by the recent earthquake.

Photo: Dev Sidhu

21

Race News

Racing in

The Middle of Nowhere La Ultra – The High - India www.laultra.in

By Rajat Chauhan

T

he sixth edition of La Ultra was held on August 16, 2015, in Ladakh, a region in the Indian Himalayas within the states of Jammu and Kashmir. However, neither the start nor the end points have any significance — they are in the middle of nowhere.

Participation in the event is through invitation only, and there are three race categories: 111km, 222km, and 333km, crossing one, two, or three 17,400+ mountain passes respectively, all to be covered in 24h, 48h, and 72h, respectively. Each runner has a car assigned to them, and 2-3 support-crew members. The crew could be friends of the runner, or folks who have volunteered, or local guides.

While La Ultra – The High was being conceived, it wasn’t with the intention of making folks run on a scenic route alone. It was to line up the finest ultra runners from around the world in order to test human limits at altitudes where oxygen levels can at times be as little as 60% of those at sea level altitudes, and where temperatures can vary as much as 50°C, swinging from -10°C to 40°C. During the 2015 edition we had 15 participants from nine different countries (UK, Spain, Hungary, Bahrain, Germany, China, Singapore, New Zealand, and India). The event started off with clement weather, but the next day’s temperatures soared to 30°C highs, followed by a blizzard the very next morning, with temperatures plummeting to -10°C.

A 22-year-old wild-card entry into the event, Parwez Malik — a rag-picker (or kabaadi-wala as they are called in our country) — had not run, ever, until six months before this gruelling event. He finished 111km in 17h 57min, despite having encountered a minor accident along the way.

Chen Pen Bin, first ever participant from China, blew away the field by flying through the 222km course in 38h 31min.

Unassuming Sean Maley, from the UK, took an amazing time of 64h 3min to cover the 333km.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

La Ultra – a test of human limits.

Runners are subject to altitudes where oxygen levels can at times be as little as 60% of those at sea level altitudes, and where temperatures can vary as much as 50°C, swinging from -10°C to 40°C. Photo: Priyanka Oberoi

Race News

23

Race News

Seasoned Runners or Not, There Is No Taming This Trail Bhatti Lakes Ultra - India www.bhattilakesultra.com

By Kavitha Kanaparthi

Souls and spirits of ultra runners were truly tested in Bhatti Lakes Ultra, as temperatures rose to over 40°C. Photo: Padmalath Ravi, Nanasu

I

n the thick of things, or, to put it more aptly, among the thorns, there lies a trail that draws hundreds every year, a terrain where temperatures hover anywhere between 38-45°C midday. Despite the brutal trail — described by one Bhatti Lakes Ultra runner as a mix of asphalt, gravel, rock, sand, thorny bushes, and clay — runners refuse to be tamed by it, just as the trail refuses to let up!

The Salomon Bhatti Lakes Ultra, in its sixth edition, saw its maximum number of DNFs owing to severe heat conditions, and the trail’s ever-changing terrain, which had more runlets severely broken down by rocky climbs.

In this edition, there were several records set for the course, with Kieren D’Souza blazing through the 100mi distance in 20h 32min, and a 75-year-old running 20km almost barefoot in 3h 3min. This race attracts the best ultra runners in the country, as well as from Asia and Europe, who may be looking to try trails in other regions of the world, or earn Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc points.

It was great to see runners aged 20-75, all taking on ultra running with much gusto in the recent years in India, a very welcomed change to analysing GPS data and speed

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

during marathons. A total of 25% of the runners were women, and that is a very encouraging number for India, to be sure.

The race began on October 2, 2015, at 2 p.m., with two runners aiming to traverse 220km, with another six runners joining them for the 160km distance at 4 p.m. At the start of the race, thermostats read 44°C. Temperatures did not dip below 22°C, which made for the hottest nights compared to any Bhatti edition. That immediately took its toll on the runners, one succumbing to heat-related issues after 140km. The only other 220km runner, Abhishek Mishra, who had just become an Iron Man the week prior, clocked 100km and called it a day after his hip bone gave in to the trail’s terrain. And so went the saga of many ultra runners at this trail race.

Souls and spirits of ultra runners were truly tested by this trail. A couple of Bhatti veterans who came back to finish what they started in the previous edition found out the hard way that it is not a monkey that can be easily shaken off their backs.

Seasoned runners or not, there is no taming this trail.

Race News

Racing through Malaysia’s Eco-Village

Epic Valley Malaysia Eco 100 - Malaysia www.endurancenature.com

By Ng Seow Kong

A race showcasing the typical Malaysian geographical, social and cultural heritage.

Photo: Lumba Kuda Photoshop Service Centre

T

he inaugural edition of the Epic Valley Malaysia Eco 100 was completed between August 29-30, 2015, in the eco-village of Sungai Lembu, an area within the town of Bukit Mertajam, the state of Penang, Malaysia. The race attracted nearly 400 runners from 13 countries and regions.

This unique race showcased the typical Malaysian geographical, social, and cultural heritage, wherein the competing runners encountered ordinary Malaysian people, as well as the country’s wild life, immersed within its distinct flora and fauna, on the backdrop of a rural setting and a small-town feel.

Many runners were taken aback by the technicalities required by the trail, with many long, steep, and muddy ascents and descents. Many competitors slipped and fell, and turned turtles, bruising their bodies before they got to the bottom of the hill at checkpoint 5, showered by the rain upon arrival.

Wong Ho Fai, from Hong Kong, won the men’s 100km category in 14h 38min 1s — more than 41min ahead of the first runner-up Liew Tho Fatt, a local from the town of Bukit Mertajam. Matty Dyas from the UK completed the international lineup of top three finishers by reaching the finish line in 16h 10min 51s.

It was all Malaysian women who took the top three spots in their 100km contest. Amazingly, 60-year-old

Ng Peng Hoon — from the Malaysian town of Muar — became the champion in a time of 19h 37min 13s, followed closely by Kelly Hoh in 19h 47min 12s, and Ng Soot Goh in 20h 29min 5s. All of them are either senior or junior veterans.

In the shorter distance of the men’s 50km race, Kim Jisub, from Korea, practically ran his own race, blitzing the field in his wake by completing the event in an amazing time of 5h 52min 47s. Second place went to Daniel Lee from Penang, Malaysia, who arrived almost 2h later in 7h 39min 31s. And in 3rd place, in a time of 7h 43min 55s, came Roger Choo, who finished together with the women’s category champion, Lay Khim Ch’ng (her time being 7h 43min 54s). First runner-up Mei See Chin arrived almost an hour later, in 8h 46min 20s.

A local runner, Teh Sheang Shee, took up the second runner-up position by finishing in 9h 16min 44s.

Overall, many have underestimated the difficulty of this race. Altogether, 51 out of 80 runners completed the 100km distance, implying an unexpectedly high DNF rate of 37%. The DNF rate for men was 40%, whereas it was 11% for women (meaning that eight out of nine women who started the race completed it).

In comparison, the overall completion rate for the 50km was 83%, with 58 out of 69 men (84%), and 23 out of 28 women (82%), reaching the finish line at Sungai Lembu.

27

Race News

Course Record Set at Lantau Vertical

Lantau Vertical - Hong Kong

www.lantauvertical.com

By John Ellis, GoneRunning.hk

It never ceases to amaze one to find beautiful, hilly trails in Hong Kong, a city generally known for its numerous skyscrapers. Photo: Linda Rahmat

I

n 2014, Stone Tsang, Hong Kong’s best trail runner, could only finish second in the inaugural Lantau Vertical, beaten by Fire Services’ teammate Kawai Wong. This year’s race had eight of the top 10 finishers returning, plus Japanese speed machine Tsukasa Kawarai (2014 Standard Chartered half-marathon runner-up, in a time of 1h 9min 26s), and Australian North Face gun Vlad Ixel. This was the equation for the 324 entrants on Sunday — it was, no doubt, going to be a massively competitive race.

Holding on to second place, in 50min 53s, Ixel later remarked: “The course is super fun with the first 5km super runnable before a wall of stairs, but I felt like I wasn’t moving that well today.” Third, in at 51min 49s, was Xempower’s Steve Cale — UK’s fell runner who races irregularly but is always in the mix. Further back were last year’s winner Wong and a fast-finishing Anders Kartik Jensen, who looked in fabulous form despite an injury-interrupted summer.

Ixel led out early in record pace, stretching the field. However, despite winning a 3km hurdles race the previous day, 28-year-old road specialist Kawarai hit the lead around the 4km mark, clocking in at the single Ngong Ping checkpoint in 28min 46s, around a minute ahead of course record. From here, Kawarai really opened up, scrambling up Lantau Peak in a scintillating 19min 48s to finish in 48min 34s, smashing the course record by over 2min.

Special mention goes to softly spoken, 16-year-old Ng Wai Hei. Despite starting in the second (non-elite) wave, he cruised through the field to finish 7th in 55min 50s, including the second fastest time up Lantau Peak.

Ng regularly finishes in the top 10 at local races and looks to have a great trail-racing future ahead of him.

According to Matt Moroz, last year’s sixth place finisher, the event kicked off in hot and humid conditions and started with a “very cool windy uphill trail, then the classic Wisdom Path to Lantau Peak as the perfect finale” — for a total of 6.9km and 790m D+.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Xempower had a big day with Zein Williams comfortably taking out the women’s race in 1h 4min 36s.

Salomon’s Valerie Lagarde, recently back from Canada, showed she means business this season, taking out the runner-up trophy in 1h 6min 20s, and with Charlotte Henry a couple minutes further back in 1h 8min 11s.

Race News

Local & International

Runners Triumph in the Mountains Vietnam Mountain Marathon - Vietnam www.vietnammountainmarathon.com

By David Lloyd

T

he third Vietnam Mountain Marathon took place over a weekend, with almost 1,000 runners from 45 nations descending onto the mountains of Sapa to take on trail distances of 10km, 21km, 42km, as well as a monstrous 70km.

This was no ordinary trail race — the buffalobeaten paths took the runners into remote parts of the Sapa hills, across rice paddies, and even right through villagers’ front yards, as local children cheered the competitors on. Conditions were hard, with rain falling throughout much of the event, making the paths slippery and the going tough.

Winner of the 70km men’s event was Thailand’s Sanya Khanchai, while the women’s 70km was won

by Hanoi-based American, Samantha Young. Young has history with this race, having won the 21km event in 2013, and backing that win up with the 42km in 2014.

After finishing the race (and doing a handstand on the finish line to celebrate), Young said: “It was doing the 21km race here in 2013 that made me fall in love with trail running in the first place, so it was incredibly special to get to try the longest distance this year. Doing the full 70km meant I got to see even more remote parts of the course, and being in the mountains as the sun rose is something I will never forget.”

In the 42km race, another Hanoi-based runner, Graham Knight, took out the top spot, making it a very good day out for the capital’s Red River Runners team. Knight said: “It was a real pleasure to take part in the Vietnam Mountain Marathon this year.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run in this beautiful part of the world. The rain made it quite slippery underfoot, and definitely contributed to sorer legs than usual, but, at the same time, it added to the aura of the race. What struck me most

VMM took participants through the remote parts of the Sapa hills, across streams and rice paddies, and even right through villagers’ front yards.

Photo: David W Lloyd Photography

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

though was the camaraderie between individual runners, every competitor was clapped and cheered across the line, and out on the course, everyone was supporting each other. The sense of relief crossing the line knowing there were no more hills to run up was huge.”

Last year, a young H’mong boy stole the show by turning up and running the entire 21km route in oversized flip flops. This year he was back, standing on the start line shouting, “Let’s go, let’s go!” before tearing off with the main pack. Once again, he completed the full distance, albeit in better fitting sandals this year!

01-03 Jan, 2016 Hong Kong UTMT~100 miles TTF ~70 miles YTF ~ 30 miles

In the 10km race, runners started in Sapa before dropping down into the stunning valley and passing through Cat Cat village, before facing a brutal climb back up to Sapa town, where huge crowds cheered the winners’ arrival. In the men’s race, local runner Sùng A Tỏa triumphed for the second year in a row.

Vietnam Mountain Marathon supported Operation Smile, the Vietnam-based medical charity. A total of USD 9,000 was raised to provide surgery for children with harelips and cleft palates in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

Results Men - 70km Sanya Khanchai (Thailand)

08:42:15

Robert Charles Shorrock (UK)

08:58:05

Arevalo Roberto (Spain) Women - 70km

08:54:26

Samantha Young (USA)

10:36:32

Billinda Jackquiline Marshall (New Zealand)

10:57:26

Federica Brugnara (Italy)

10:36:32

.u lt ra tr a il m t. c o

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Race News

Ultra on Java Volcano MesaStila Challenge Ultra 2015 - Indonesia www.mesastila.fonesport.com

By Isa Ismail Rauf

O

n the weekend of October 10-11, Indonesia saw the confirmation of two local heroes on the Indonesian trail-running scene at MesaStila Challenge Ultra 2015 — Arief Wismoyono and his compatriot Mila Marlina won the men’s and women’s titles in the tough 100km race.

The event was held in Magelang, Central Java, a region known for the UNESCO Buddhist temple site of Borobudur. The beautiful trail courses left a deep impression on many trail runners, some speaking of the race as a ‘hidden gem’ on the race calendar. The courses are characterised by volcano and mountain climbs, bamboo forests, ethnic villages, and jungle trails.

Beautiful, but tough. The 100km race has a total of 7,700m of elevation gain, and even for experienced local climbers such as Alan Maulana, this can sometimes be too much. Maulana led up till the 65km point, after which he felt unwell and had to retire from the race. It left the door open for Wismoyono to assume control, even though he had to cope with an impressive final charge forward Dzaki Wardana, a new name in the scene. Wismoyono — first Indonesian champion of the Mount Rinjani Ultra last August — finished at midnight in 19h. The 2nd and 3rd places were taken by Wardana and Pramonosidi Wijanarko, respectively (the latter of which came second in the gruelling Gede Pangrango Marathon back in May).

Marlina, the only female who completed the race, dug deep within her to finish in 29h 7min.

A ‘hidden gem in the race calendar’ is how some trail runners described MesaStila Challenge Ultra.

Photo: MesaStila Challenge Ultra 2015

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Race News

Racing on The Endless Ridges

of Chong Li

Chong Li Sky-Trail Race – China chongli100.zuicool.com

By Li Yan

O

n August 15, 2015, around 1,900 runners attempted the 10km, 25km, 50km, and 100km categories — all participants successively started at the Wan Long Ski Resort, and traversed across meadows, bushes, windmill squares, Great Wall of China ruins, and forests, competing in this high-alpine trail-running race.

Around 220km north of Beijing, at the foot of some of the ruins of the Great Wall, sits Chong Li, a county that is part of Zhang Jia Kou City. Due to its unique natural environment and climate, two weeks before the race the International Olympic Committee selected Chong Li, together with Beijing, to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Notably, the locals of the region describe Chong Li’s unique geography as consisting of “numerous continuous mountains and valleys.” Frequently used by the shepherds, the trails with endless ridges were far beyond the anticipation of most of the runners. The difficulties were appreciated by some, but cursed by others.

Though one thing all runners shared is that this truly interesting race will stay in their deepest memories forever.

The altitude at the start was 1,682m, while the highest point of both the 100km and 50km courses was 2,134m. The total ascents of the two ultra marathon races are 5,555m and 2,800m, respectively.

The average height of the 100km course is 1,900m.

About 90% of the courses are trails and unpaved single tracks. Finally, the beautiful natural views and average altitudes make this Mainland China race similar, in an essential way, to the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

One week before the race, Chong Li just entered its autumn season. During the race, the sun baked the ground during the daytime and raised the temperature to 25-30°C. However, after the sunset,

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

at the top of the gusty ridges, the temperatures fell drastically, to 5°C lows. The harsh Alpine environment, significant variations in temperatures, and rugged terrain made the race extremely challenging.

Bao Yu Shi, from Inner Mongolia, ranked 1st male in the 100km event after running for 19h 22s.

He thought the race’s unique route was ideal for running, and so he ran content and happy all the way through. Zhao Ning, from Sichuan, hit the 1st place in the arena of females (20h 15min 34s). Within the 30h limitation, a total of two-thirds of participants finished. That is to say, around 200 runners got their finishing awards.

Xu Xiu Tao won the 50km race, in 5h 58min 38s, while Elaine Kinlough was the female champion (7h 30min 56s). Out of the total 528 participants, 486 managed to arrive at the finish line under the 18h cut-off time.

Sharing thoughts of running in Chong Li, some runners said that the experience involved “enjoying the view of heaven by torturing the body.” They reflected on their struggle while being astonished by the splendid scenery.

For the runners, Chong Li is no longer solely the crystal icy world for wintertime skiing. They witnessed the land’s amazing beauty and toughness in the golden autumn days, seeing the green ridges covered by dense plants, the colourful meadows spread with various flowers, huge windmills and portions of the ancient Great Wall spread throughout. The race was a chance for a happy reunion with nature and allowed participants to indulge in the serenity of the blue sky above and green land below.

Race News

Results Men - 100km Bao Shi Yu

19:00:22

Liu Jian Guo

19:41:08

Liang Zuo Kun

19:32:28

Women - 100km Zhao Ning

20:15:34

Zhang Shu Xia

21:23:54

Xing Ru Ling

20:47:55

Men - 50km Xu Xiu Tao

Yao Jin Tao

Liang Quan

Women - 50km

05:58:38

06:27:55 06:36:39

Elaine Kinlough

07:30:56

Gu Hai Yan

07:56:33

Ma Jian Jing

07:34:22

A race letting you witness the land’s amazing beauty and toughness in the golden autumn days, including the vast green meadows. Photo: Liu Yu Sen

35

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Race News

Koi Grey and Majo Liao Bag

The Medals at Pilipinas Mountain Running Series Pilipinas Mountain Running Series, Leg 2 - Philippines www.facebook.com/events/1644328789147153

By Thumbie Remigio

A

beautiful, mountainous route with steep ascents, fast downhills, rolling hills, switchbacks, river crossings, waterfalls, and a sweeping view of a mountain range that figuratively and literally takes your breath away… and it’s just 45mins away from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Welcome to Mount Balagbag in Rodriguez, Rizal — the scene of the second leg of the 2015 Pilipinas Mountain Running Series, held on August 30, 2015.

Two distances were offered at the event — 16km and 32km — to suit different goals and abilities of trail, ultra, and sky runners. Stations providing water and electrolytes were cup-less, following the guidelines of ‘Leave No Trace’ — thus racers were required to have their own hydration systems. Local fruits, like bananas, boiled root crops, and kakanin (rice cakes), were available at aid stations.

With the cool and slightly foggy weather lingering from the previous night’s rains, racers enjoyed a cold 5 a.m. start for the 32km event, and a 5:30 a.m. launch for the 16km race, both beginning at the St. Joseph Christian Academy.

Local trail-running champion, Manolito Divina, took off with a blistering pace at the start of the 32km distance. Unfortunately, at the summit of Mount Balagbag, he took a wrong turn and was overtaken by Koi Grey. Grey maintained a steady pace to the end of the men’s 32km distance. Women’s overall winner, Majo

A sweeping view of the mountain range that takes your breath away. Photo: Thumbie Remigio

Liao, led unchallenged from start to finish, looking relaxed as she crossed the finish line.

As the day progressed, heat was adding to what was already a very challenging course. The cut-off time was set at 8.5h for the 32km, and 4.5h for the 16km. But since the racers came prepared, everyone was able to finish the race, with the last racer crossing the finish line with 2min to spare.

But more than trying to beat the course, the racers pushed themselves past their limits, thus proving what Plato once said was indeed still true today: “Self conquest is the greatest of victories.”

Results

Women - 32km

Men - 32km Koi Grey

03:54:40

Majo Liao

04:50:13

Jeric Occiano

04:19:10

Mercy Go

06:03:05

Riezel Cabanig Men - 16km

04:15:15

Rizzalyn Damaso Women - 16km

05:42:11

Roderick Guieb

01:54:45

Pen Nepomuceno

Patrick Aquino

01:57:02

Sharone Rodriguez 02:11:46

Argie Cabrera

01:54:47

Ellany Anlap

02:01:35 02:09:33

37

ADVENTURE

Transcending the ‘Unclimbed Peak’ —

A Novice’s Reflection

By Wyan Chow

Wyan Chow, a Hong Kong ultra-distance specialist, who won the 2015 Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race.

Photo: Alain Chu

S

tanding tall at just under 1,000m, Tai Mo Shan is Hong Kong’s highest peak. Compared with trail running, mountaineering is less popular among the outdoor enthusiasts — perhaps because mountaineering isn’t a sport that you can jump into without preparation, and is a discipline that is taxing, exacting great demands from the mountaineer.

To practice mountaineering safely, not only do you need to possess advanced climbing skills as well as be equipped with — and be experienced in using — the right equipment, it is also essential that you have a fundamental

grasp of various areas of knowledge such as astronomy, geography, and meteorology. Before setting off on each expedition, you would also need to do large amounts of research to become familiar with the climbing route.

Last but not least, in addition to these formidable skills, a good mountaineer should be able to keep his or her wits and be decisive when unexpected situations demand immediate actions.

My physiotherapist, Alain Chu, an experienced mountaineer of 30 years, possesses all the above-mentioned

qualities. Several months ago, he invited me, a total newbie to mountaineering, to accompany him during his expedition in Mongolia to climb the ‘Unclimbed Peak.’ Of course, being the rookie here, I am not going to let down this once-in-alifetime opportunity to try my hands on mountaineering.

The only ‘mountaineering’ experience I have had was my trekking attempt to the campsite of Mera Peak in Nepal, at an altitude of 5,800m above sea level. I did not manage to reach the summit during that trip as the local guide who accompanied me had suffered from acute mountain

39

ADVENTURE

Transcending the ‘Unclimbed Peak’ — A Novice’s Reflection

attitude towards material possession — one does not require more than what is adequate for taking care of one’s basic needs, and thus accumulation of possessions is unnecessary.

As the mountains in Mongolia are covered with snow all year round, the optimal time to start climbing is during the wee hours of the night and the early morning, which is when the snow and ice are the hardest. Photo: Alain Chu

sickness. Some notable AMS symptoms include headaches, rapid heart rate, and shortness of breath, and severe cases of AMS can lead to swelling of the brain (cerebral oedema) and the lungs (pulmonary oedema), both of which can be fatal.

Generally, high altitude refers to 3,000m above sea level. Since our expedition would take us up to an altitude as high as 3,940m, Chu brought a pulse oximeter, a device that measures oxygen levels in the blood. At sea level, our blood is 97% saturated with oxygen, and the saturation level will drop to around 85% at 3,000m of elevation. If the level continues to decrease to less than 80%, AMS symptoms may begin to surface. If you experience any of these symptoms — a bluish discolouration of the skin (cyanosis), loss of appetite, shortness of breath at rest, an incapacity to walk in a straight line, feeling confused and/ or disoriented — you would need to immediately descend to a lower altitude.

Diet planning is an important aspect of mountaineering. At higher altitudes, it is recommended that carbohydrates

40

contribute to around 70% of your daily caloric intake. On the other hand, the proportion of fatty foods should be kept low as fat requires more oxygen than carbohydrates in terms of its metabolism rate, and is thus not an efficient fuel source in the low-oxygen environment.

As for clothing, use the layering system, which will keep you dry, warm, and comfortable through the unpredictable weather conditions at high altitudes. Moisture-wicking clothing should be worn as the base layer (against your skin) while insulating and waterproof clothing should be put on as the middle and outer layer respectively. To travel light, you should only bring one set of each clothing item — each one serving a specific protective function — along with a change of undergarments.

For those who live in hot and humid areas such as Hong Kong, you may not have the opportunity to try out these types of insulating clothes; however, once you are out there in the mountains, you will appreciate the finer points of each piece of garment. My personal experience has changed my

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

What about personal hygiene, you wonder? With only one set of clothing, how will I shower?! With no toilet amenities in the great outdoors, your potential toilet is everywhere, as long as you adhere to the ‘Leave No Trace’ policy and take away with you any sanitary products that you brought along. During the trip, I used wet wipes to clean my face and body. Since I was wearing a beanie cap most of the time, I kept my hair care simple, and just used talcum powder to dry-clean it. However, I advise taking care of your skin by regularly applying sunblock lotion and moisturiser. My record of the longest time going without a shower in the mountains is 14 days…

Due to the high altitude and latitude, mountains in Mongolia are covered with snow all year round. The optimal time to start climbing is during the wee hours of the night and the early morning, which is when the snow and ice are the hardest — as such, one can cross the hidden crevasses safely and place firm protections on the ice walls.

The best time of the year to be in the mountains is during the period from June to September, when daylight lasts from 5 a.m. until as late as 11 p.m.

Located on the northwest part of Mongolia, Kharkhiraa II — standing 3,890m above sea level — is the first summit that I have climbed in my life. To get to the base camp, we had to take a domestic 3h-long flight to Ulgii (1,710m) from Ulaanbaatar (1,310m), the capital of Mongolia, which was followed by a 6h jeep ride.

Snow mountains, limitless views of the vast grasslands scattered with cattle, flocks of sheep and Mongolian yurts — circular animal-skin tents — greeted us at our destination.

June 24, 2015: We started our expedition at 5 a.m. Before we set out, my experienced teammates rechecked my climbing gear and discovered that I

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ADVENTURE

Transcending the ‘Unclimbed Peak’ — A Novice’s Reflection

had forgotten to bring my crampons (a metal plate with spikes fixed to a boot for walking on ice or rock climbing).

Along the way, we had to pass through some moraines and a glacier.

Before getting onto the glacier, we had to put on a helmet, harness, and crampons, and carry an ice axe and always be roped up. We planned to climb the mountain in Alpine-style — using as little gear as possible and reach the peak as fast as we could without using a fixed rope.

Walking on a crevassed glacier, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, was for me a brand new experience. Accompanying us on our trip was the local guide, Gangaamaa, who notably is also the first female Mongolian to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. With our utmost safety in mind, Gangaamaa would cautiously check and test the hidden crevasses as we walked across the glacier. When we got to the snowfield, our hearts were lightened by the spectacular view of the main peak that we were going to attempt to climb.

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Reflecting on my adventure, what I really like about mountaineering is that as I climb, although my views of the surroundings may be temporarily blocked by the slope, I know that as I head higher up the mountain I will soon be rewarded by the full display of the expansive vista. Climbing, my impatience for the coming view spurs me forward, and in that moment I remember a phrase from a Chinese poem of the Tang dynasty: “For a grander sight, a higher level” — one needs to stand higher to see farther.

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Mountaineering is not only about the

pursuit of greater heights, rather, it is more about the mastery of climbing techniques and optimising one’s response time to unexpected situations.

The sublime view from the peak of Kharkhiraa II overwhelmed me, and its wonder deeply imprinted itself on my mind, vision, and my heart. I am deeply grateful to Gangaamaa, my teammates (Alain Chu, Cheung Yiu Hung, and Chan Kwok Hung), and the working staff for bringing me here. I am thankful for a healthy and strong body, which brings me to a place not many people have the opportunity to visit… I feel blessed and content.

After the first peak, we moved our base camp 15km further up north, and tried our hands on climbing a peak that no one had ever reached, the ‘Unclimbed Peak,’ which stands 3,940m tall above sea level.

On the second day at the new base camp, we crossed a moraine to study the terrain and assess the possibility of reaching the peak. Due to the complexity of the area, Gangaamaa advised us to set up a camp high on the glacier.

Apart from carrying our personal climbing gear, we had to distribute among ourselves the shared equipment,

ADVENTURE

Wyan Chow and Alain Chu, the physiotherapist who gave Chow the opportunity to attempt her first mountaineering expedition.

Various scenes from the expedition. Photos are contributed by the expedition team: Alain Chu, Wyan Chow, Chan Kwok Hung and Cheung Yiu Hung.

such as the tent, food, fuel, and utensils.

My 50L backpack was stuffed to the brim, and the exterior of the bag was hung with various paraphernalia; my backpack weight as much as half my body mass. The increased burden reduced both my speed and flexibility, and also affected my sense of balance.

Traversing 2km of moraine (200m D+) was physically exhausting: I often lost my sense of balance as I trudged through the boulders, rocks, scree, and sand in my mountaineering boots.

It took us more than 4h to cross the moraine before we finally reached the glacier where we would set up our camp. A high-altitude tent has snow flaps sewn along the bottom, which lets us pile snow on it to provide more insulation, and, besides this, we secured the tent with ice screws to prevent it from being blown away in bad weather!

As the temperature in the tent was higher, we added an extra waterproof ground-sheet. When we slept, we stacked up a camping mattress and a self-inflating air mattress, providing us with both warmth and water protection.

At 4:30 a.m., dressed in full gear, we were ready to set off for the ‘Unclimbed Peak.’ We probed our way through the crevassed glacier until we reached a 60-degree ice wall, after that we could get going towards the summit ridge, and then the summit itself.

The climbing technique for this time around was different from the one applied on the climb of the first peak.

With guidance and a demonstration from Gangaamaa and my teammates, combined with some basic knowledge I gleaned from books and online videos, I managed the climb without too many hiccups. My teammates were busy with making anchors and running belays using ice screws on the steep ice wall; after approximately four pitches, it was another hour of climbing the ice wall before we reached the summit band.

To prevent a deadly fall off the steep ice wall, we had to use ice screws to secure our climb. After an hour of ascent, just before we reached the peak, I reflected: “Despite the arduous undertaking, I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire process as a newbie. I dare to go beyond the border of my comfort

zone and experiment new things; I will continue to explore, discover, and develop my own potential to the fullest.”

My experience brings out a new personal insight: Mountaineering is not only about the pursuit of greater heights, rather, it is more about the mastery of climbing techniques and optimising one’s response time to unexpected situations.

We decided to name the ‘Unclimbed Peak’ the ‘Gangaa Peak’ — after Gangaamaa, our local guide.

Following the climb, we filed for a name registration with the Mongolian National Mountaineering Federation, and the names of all the team members were recorded on the application.

Never had I expected my virgin climb to be recorded in the mountaineering history of Mongolia!

Wyan, a sports woman and full-time fitness trainer, is the first female sponsored by The North Face in Hong Kong. She was a physical trainer with the Counter Terrorism Response Unit of the Hong Kong Police Force between 2009-2013.

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TRIVIA

Interview with the Skyrunning Specialists W e have invited some of the skyrunning specialists who were in Hong Kong to participate in Lantau 2 Peaks, to share with Asia Trail some of their race tips.

strategy for dealing with stairs?

I am a little scared of this type of race; my last experience was not very pleasant (with the stairs on uphills), but I am also looking forward to see the descent of the stairs.

To pole or not to pole? Do you usually use poles during races, and how much impact do you think poles have on your performance?

No poles for me. I am not used to using poles during races.

Photo: Action Asia Events

Name: Ionut Zinca Nationality: Romania Races: 2nd in Dolomites Skyrace (Italy); 4th in Matterhorn Ultraks (Switzerland)

Please share with us some tips on how you usually deal with the last section of a race.

In normal conditions I would try to reach the final section with some resources. Now I do not know how to deal with the final, as I am back after an injury of two months.

What do you usually do the week before a race?

In the last week, I start to go down on the number of kilometres and do more intensity. I try to rest my legs.

Do you have a ‘mental’ strategy that you follow before a race?

No, I follow my instincts and also I look at who my opponents are.

When you hit a low point during the race, how do you deal with it?

[Smiles.] Suffering, like everyone.

I slow down and try to eat (gels, bananas, etc.), and especially, rehydrate my body.

In Hong Kong, many of the trails — including the racecourse of Lantau 2 Peaks — are paved with concrete stairs. Are you used to racing on stairs, and what is your

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I always imagine that I will perform well in the race, and that I can reach my goal.

When you hit a low point during the race, how do you deal with it?

I will tell myself not to give up, and persist till the end.

In Hong Kong, many of the trails — including the racecourse of Lantau 2 Peaks — are paved with concrete stairs. Are you used to racing on stairs, and what is your strategy for dealing with stairs?

I have trained on stairs in Japan.

To pole or not to pole? Do you usually use poles during races, and how much impact do you think poles have on your performance?

I don’t use poles.

Please share with us some tips on how you usually deal with the last section of a race.

As it is usually a short race, it will be a speed game till the finish line.

Photo: Isaac Wong

Name: Kanako Hasegawa Nationality: Japan Races: 3rd in MSIG Sai Kung (Hong Kong); 1st in Sugadaira Skyline Trail Run (Japan) What do you usually do the week before a race?

I try to rest well.

Do you have a ‘mental’ strategy that you follow before a race?

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Photo: Action Asia Events

Name: Stevie Kremer Nationality: USA Races: 1st in Buffalo Stampede (Australia); 2nd in Matterhorn Ultraks (Switzerland); 5th in Lantau 2 Peaks (Hong Kong)

Interview with the Skyrunning Specialists What do you usually do the week before a race?

Usually the week before the race, I will do some mellow running on most days, one interval/speed work session, I try to go swimming, and, most importantly, try not to get too nervous too early.

Do you have a ‘mental’ strategy that you follow before a race?

I don’t really follow a mental strategy, but I do have some ‘rituals.’

Like the day before the race, I typically run for about 30-45min. In addition I wear the same sports top and shoes for every race [smiles].

When you hit a low point during the race, how do you deal with it?

Since I have stuck with lowermileage races, my mentality is always, “I can do anything for this (certain) amount of time.” Maybe it’s not as fast as I would like to go, or maybe I’m not in a position I’d like to be in, but I tell myself I can do anything for that amount of time, and not to quit. It will be over before you know it.

In Hong Kong, many of the trails — including the racecourse of Lantau 2 Peaks — are paved with concrete stairs. Are you used to racing on stairs, and what is your strategy for dealing with stairs?

No, I am not used to stairs. I have raced and run in Hong Kong before, so I am a bit aware of these steps, but they will definitely be an added challenge for me. I am used to smooth, cruising trails.

I will try to push the ups as much as I can, and be confident on the downs.

To pole or not to pole? Do you usually use poles during races, and how much impact do you think poles have on your performance?

I have never used poles in any race. I believe there are athletes who benefit from them, especially if they have practiced with them before. Since I have never used them, I do not feel comfortable using them. But maybe one day, for sure!

Please share with us some tips on

how you usually deal with the last section of a race.

I just know it isn’t too long and it will be over faster than I know. Try to relax and be loose to run down the technical parts as best as you can! It is the part of the course I am most nervous for…

Photo: Daniel Chung

Name: Rémi Bonnet Nationality: Switzerland Races: 1st in Lantau 2 Peaks (Hong Kong), The Rut 25k (USA) and Lone Peak VK (USA); 2nd in Tromso VK (Norway) What do you usually do the week before a race?

Usually, the week before a race, I would train normally, but I listen a lot to my body. If my body is tired, I would rest a little bit more, and I think it’s important to sleep a lot and eat well the week before.

Do you have a ‘mental’ strategy that you follow before a race?

No. I just take pleasure and give the best of myself.

When you hit a low point during the race, how do you deal with it?

I remember some good times with my friends and my family, and normally after this it’s better.

In Hong Kong, many of the trails — including the racecourse of Lantau 2 Peaks — are paved with concrete stairs. Are you used to racing on stairs, and what is your strategy for dealing with stairs?

It’s new for me, but I think it won’t be a problem if the motivation is here [smiles].

TRIVIA

To pole or not to pole? Do you usually use poles during races, and how much impact do you think poles have on your performance?

I use the poles just for the very steep vertical climbs, but when I can run, I don’t take the poles.

Please share with us some tips on how you usually deal with the last section of a race.

For me, I think it’s better to start the race a little bit slow, and this way finish better and faster. It depends if I find myself in the first position or behind someone. If I’m in front, I will manage my race at my pace without getting in the red, but if I’m behind, I’ll try to accelerate more and return to the contact of the first, and after fight with his head to win the race [smiles and winks].

Photo: Action Asia Events

Name: Yngvild Kaspersen Nationality: Norway Races: 1st in Lantau 2 Peaks (Hong Kong); 4th in The Rut 25k (USA); 6th in Dolomites Skyrace (Italy) What do you usually do the week before a race?

The week before a race I try to save up some energy, so I usually just train light with some short runs. I also like to have a speed session, about 3-4 days before the race, just to wake up my legs. This could be 10 sets of 300m on flat terrain.

Do you have a ‘mental’ strategy that you follow before a race?

Before a race I usually visualise myself racing. This prepares me for the race mentally, but it also makes me really nervous. So before the

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TRIVIA

Interview with the Skyrunning Specialists

start of the race, I try to let go of the nervousness and just focus on enjoying the race.

When you hit a low point during the race, how do you deal with it?

In a race, I think the mentality is the most important. Your mind quits long before your body does. I think it’s fascinating to know how much you actually can push your body, even though you are so tired! This is such a strength. When I hit a low point, I motivate myself by telling myself that I can do this, that I am strong enough and that I love this kind of pain! I think you have to convince your body that you are not tired and just keep going. One step at a time. Also, nobody forces me to join these races, but I do it because I love it! I know it will be tough, but that’s something I love about it! So just thinking about how lucky I am to be there helps.

In Hong Kong, many of the trails — including the racecourse of Lantau 2 Peaks — are paved with concrete stairs. Are you used to racing on stairs, and what is your strategy for dealing with stairs?

I do not usually run on stairs, and I have never done a race on stairs! So I think I just have to take it as a new experience and try to do my best.

To pole or not to pole? Do you usually use poles during races, and how much impact do you think poles have on your performance?

I am not used to running with poles.

If you are used to poles, it probably helps to use them in a race, but I don’t have enough training with poles to take advantage of them.

Please share with us some tips on how you usually deal with the last section of a race.

In the last section of a race your mental strength really matters. You have to give it all, even though you feel tired. I just try to keep my legs moving and motivate myself. It helps to think about how good you will feel when you cross the finish line! The best motivation is to hear people cheering.

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It always gives me so much energy to finish the race!

Photo: Daniel Chung

Name: Marco de Gasperi Nationality: Italy Races: 3rd in MSIG Sai Kung (Hong Kong); 3rd in The Rut 25k

What do you usually do the week before a race?

It depends on which race I’m going to be racing in. When the race is very important, and so I have been planning it a long time before, I just try to rest as much as I can. OK, I train anyway, but easy. The last workout (never too intense) is on Wednesday, if the race is the Sunday after. When the race isn’t that important, and maybe suitable for putting some kilometres into the legs during a competition, the training schedule follows the program, and sometimes I make a workout even two days before the competition!

Do you have a ‘mental’ strategy that you follow before a race?

I have one, but this is never the same. I mean, it depends if I’m fit, or if I feel my body is tired, or stressed because of trainings, or I’ve had a long racing season, etc. If I’m not feeling perfect, I just follow my own sensations, making a pace I can keep along the course, without looking to the others. When I’m feeling OK, I just try to stay in front of the leading grip, if possible, as much as I can. I always try to figure out if the others are good in uphills, or more in the downhills, because this could mean a change in strategy.

When you hit a low point during the race, how do you deal with it?

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

This always happens to me, especially in the last few years. The main problem is just trying to keep going, even making a slower pace and waiting for better feelings. I fix on reaching some point not too far ahead, and this is of great help to me. When the uphill is too steep, or another athlete is overtaking you, the best is to think that the effort is great for everyone; these bad feelings could change in a few kilometres!

In Hong Kong, many of the trails — including the racecourse of Lantau 2 Peaks — are paved with concrete stairs. Are you used to racing on stairs, and what is your strategy for dealing with stairs?

I have raced in races atop tall buildings in my career. For those races, I trained on some stairs we have in the Alps, beside the electric power plants.

There are some in my valley, and it measures 1km, with 500m of elevation, in 2,700 steps. I think this is a good training for the difficult steps in Hong Kong!

To pole or not to pole? Do you usually use poles during races, and how much impact do you think poles have on your performance?

I’m not used to using poles. But when the uphill is too steep, or you are doing a long race with long uphill sections, they are useful! You can recover by putting some weight while pushing on the poles, and after many kilometres, this could make a big difference in terms of energy saved!

Please share with us some tips on how you usually deal with the last section of a race.

When you are approaching the finish line, it’s very important to understand how much energy your body has left.

This means a possible sprint for some, or maybe just a manageable good ‘last kilometre,’ and give this your best! When the finish is close by, it’s easy to have a positive moment, but you need to be cold until you cross the line — anything could happen! I lost some races I thought were already won with only a few kilometres to go, or won some other ones I betted against! Stay strong mentally, and never give up!

Note: All photos are taken in Lantau 2 Peaks.

PROFILE

Kílian’s Journey to the Very Top

Kílian’s Journey to the Very Top

By Rachel Jacqueline

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

PROFILE

E

very sport has a legend, and in the sport of ultra running that person is Kílian Jornet. He has more records to his name than anyone else in the sport, and has achieved what many once believed physically impossible.

But it’s not Jornet’s long list of accomplishments that sets him apart — it’s Jornet’s manner: Quiet, yet determined; strong, though scrawny-looking; humble, and almost reclusive, but somehow attracting 2.5 million social media followers, along with a media empire of books and movies. Along the way, the 27-year-old Catalayan has thrust mountain running into a new era and developed a sport entirely in its own league — a sport taking him to the very top of the world, and, more importantly, in our neck of the woods: Everest.

Reading Asia Trail you’re likely familiar with Jornet’s story: He grew up in the Pyrenees mountain ranges 2,000m above sea level.

His father was a mountain guide and his mother, Nuria, a teacher. Always eager to impart lessons of resilience and resourcefulness onto him, she famously took him for a 7h hike as a toddler to “tire him out.” “Kílian is not normal,” she recalled in the interview with The New York Times in 2013.

“My mission is to make Kílian tired. Always, I was tired. But Kílian? No.” Soon after age 3, he competed in his first 12km cross-country ski race: The early beginnings of his powerful endurance starting to show.

After making his mark in the sport of ultra running by winning the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2008 —

27-year-old Kílian Jornet has thrust mountain running into a new era and developed a sport entirely in its own league. Photo: Alexis Berg

seemingly out of nowhere, aged only 20 and in just over 20h — Jornet made a list of the various races he wanted to win.

By 25, he had systematically ticked every one of them off, including the famed Western States and Hardrock 100, as well as was setting numerous course records.

Not content with merely winning, he created his own challenges across distances most people would rather fly over than drive. In 2009, he negotiated the notoriously difficult 180km GR20 trail in Corsica in 32h 54min. In the same year, he also ran the entire length of the 265.5km Tahoe Rim Trail in California, in 38h 32min. As if running almost two days straight wasn’t enough, the following year he ran 800km in eight days across the Pyrenees.

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PROFILE

Kílian’s Journey to the Very Top

Achieving these feats has required a signature style: Fast and light. Jornet’s approach can be described as a minimalist crossover between alpinism and ultra running — but watching him descend recklessly down sheer inclines, or charge relentlessly up steep terrain, it seems almost animalistic: Part ibex, part cheetah. It’s also an approach that’s highly dangerous: In 2013 Jornet and his girlfriend, Emelie Forsberg, had to be rescued off a climb in the French Alps after heavy weather set in and Forsberg got cold. The year before, Jornet lost his climbing partner and longtime idol, Stéphane Brosse.

“The more you are in the mountains, the more you understand that you actually know even less. The mountains don’t follow rules, they’re just dangerous,” explained Jornet in an article with GQ earlier this year. “The difference now is that although I knew before that it’s risky when you go to the mountains, that there are dangers and you could die, when it happens this close, you understand the risk.

So you have a different approach, listen more to the fear.” ***

Faced with a bucket list with every boxed ticked, Jornet started mulling over his next challenge in the mountains. This time, he resolved, it would be a very personal one. “When I was a child, I had a photo of Cervino on my bedroom wall, I read Messner’s books and I used to flick through my parents’ photos searching for mountains to dream about.” And so it is that Jornet has spent the last four years completing “Summits of My Life,” a project documenting his attempt of setting ascent and descent records on some of the highest mountains on the planet: Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Elbrus, Denali, Aconcagua, and, the crowning jewel, Everest.

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Summiting Everest without oxygen — which Jornet believes is possible to do in a day — is a project more than double the size of all those before it. And so he has planned carefully, ticking off the other summits along the way.

The original plan was to head to Everest in the spring of 2015, to get acquainted with the area and the effects of altitude. He took a small team — Sébastien Montaz, Vivian Bruchez, and Catalan mountaineers Jordi Corominas and Jordi Tosas — and hatched an unusual plan for a route on the north side. They would start from the last village, reach the summit, and return. Depending on weather conditions, the team had planned an ascent either via Norton pass or Hornbein — for which there was no register of any previous record being attempted.

In a press release issued March ahead of his plans, Jornet commented that he didn’t foresee completing a rapid ascent on this first expedition, this being his first time above 8,000m: “I conceive this trip to Everest as a trip to learn… To really get to know the mountain… I don’t know when we will be able to attempt the challenge, and that will depend very much on the weather, acclimatisation and conditions which we find there… I’m taking this first time as an opportunity to learn.”

He continued: “We know we have a long way ahead of us.

Preparation will be a key factor, but patience will also be needed to discover those great mountains.

I think this will be a long-term project that we hope to complete in the coming years.” Just how apt his words would soon ring true: Patience and a long-term view were all Jornet could think about the second the first Nepalese earthquake hit on April 25.

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

“The first week, it was shocking. We searched for bodies, and after we brought food into the valleys. We were in villages that were so far out where no one spoke English. We managed to get around with a little Nepalese, we ate and slept with them. I was in areas where there were not many casualties. They did not have houses, but they would offer you a bed and a meal. It was touching. When you see how little they had, what they had lost, and regardless, they would still offer you what they had,” he recalled to our magazine photographer in June 2015.

“It’s difficult to talk about it in a way that makes sense to us: Nepal is a country that does not function in the same way as Europe. The Nepalese do not perceive death in the same way.

Two weeks after the earthquake, in certain areas, the Nepalese have returned ‘back to normal.’

Unfortunately, they are used to having problems. They want the tourists to return back to their country as soon as possible.” And so Jornet intends to charge on with his plans and continue his project next year.

From the beginning, Jornet insisted that completing “Summits of My Life” was not so much about chasing records as it was about discovering his limits and learning from them. He explained to Christopher McDougall during an interview for Outside Magazine last year: “This sport is about improving, not winning. You never learn from victory.”

It’s also about transmitting to the world Jornet’s values surrounding the mountains. The two films already released about his journey — “A Fine Line” and “Déjame Vivir” — also give insight into how the project is linked to his purist way of understanding mountains: As self-sufficient as possible, searching for the

PROFILE

“The more you are in the mountains, the more you understand that you actually know even less. The mountains don’t follow rules, they’re just dangerous,” Jornet reflected. Photo: Alexis Berg maximum bond between man and mountain. “It’s not about being the fastest, the strongest, or the biggest… It’s about being ourselves,” goes a quote from “A Fine Line.” “We are not just runners, mountaineers, or skiers… or even athletes… we are people.

We don’t know if we’ll find it, but we’re going in search of happiness.

What is it we’re looking for? To be alive?” ***

In the flesh, Jornet has been described as “slight and unremarkable.” He’s small in stature, only 171cm tall and a diminutive 58kg. But the engine that drives him is nothing short of remarkable: His VO2 max — a measure of one’s ability to pump oxygen at exertion — is 89.5, one of the highest recorded (even Lance Armstrong, in his heyday, only reach a rating of 85). To put it in perspective, an average male’s VO2 max is 45 to 55mL/kg/min; top Hong Kong-based runner Stone Tsang, who’s finished in the top 20 at the UTMB, for three years running, is only at level 68.

He’s also fuelled by what can only be described as the mountains themselves. He barely eats, he barely drinks, and he barely sweats: In moderate temperatures, Jornet famously claims to be able to run 8h without drinking water. He’s also versatile, smashing competition in the vertical kilometre to the 100km hard rock. It’s like an Olympic marathon runner being able to win at every distance — from the 100m sprint, 10,000m dash, and then punch out a Kenyan-worthy marathon time.

Then there’s his playful approach. “Other top five or 10 ultra marathoners can show up for a race, and he’ll just be jogging along, biding his time, enjoying their company until it’s time to go,” says Bryon Powell, the editor-in-chief of the website iRunFar.com, during an interview for the New York Times. During races he’s notorious for enjoying the views. “It’s almost insulting,” explained Anton Krupicka in the same article. “He’s not rubbing it in anyone’s face. He’s truly enjoying being out there in the mountains, and he’s expressing that.”

Perhaps Jornet’s own quote in “A Fine Line” sums it up best: “You have to go look for happiness in life, find it in the things that make you feel alive. Life is not something to be preserved or protected, it is to be explored and lived to the full.”

Above all, being atop the mountains, at play, takes him back to his roots — growing up, his mother Nuria says, “mountains were his playground.” So when Jornet summited Mont Blanc and returned to Chamonix in under 5h, almost skipping as he bounded down the mountain, everyone was astonished, but hardly surprised.

In the same year, he achieved the speed record on Matterhorn. In 2014, he accomplished two more speed records: Up Mount Denali in 11h 48min, and Mount Aconcagua in 12h 49min. The only mountain so far that has foiled his plans is Elbrus: High winds and low visibility forced him to turn back 300m from the summit. ***

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Kílian’s Journey to the Very Top

Jornet is adamant that, apart from his Everest plans, he will spend more time in Asia in the future. Seven years ago, Jornet admits he’d never really thought about Asia as a place to run. But he shares that the area is of interest: “There are many mountains in Asia. In China, there are definitely many things to do. It’s the same in India, and there are plenty of super beautiful summits. And then, I do not forget the very beautiful mountains in countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, or Pakistan.”

He admits that, growing up in the Pyrenees, mountains have long taken on a very specific meaning, but the more he’s travelled here — including the Mount Kinabalu Climbathon and a skyrace in

Ontake, Japan — the more he’s become open to possibility: “Running in Asia is more remote [than running in Europe], a bit more wild than in central Europe, and the vegetation is very different. In Asia many places are in the jungle — there is not any jungle in Europe! And Asia is much more humid and warm in general.”

“Asia is huge; it is so many places. I haven’t been to many parts but I have been to Malaysia — Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan — where I really like the mountains and culture — and in Tibet and Nepal. I really love the big mountains of Himalayas. To run there is to feel how small we are compared to nature.” ***

Given Jornet’s competitive spirit, it’s difficult to imagine a man idling in the mountains around here without races or challenges before him, but he asserts it’s possible. Even another dream of Jornet’s perhaps.

“Sport at a high level is always only for a short period of time.

It’s like climbing a mountain: You have to push to climb the summit but you also have to understand the most important is to come down. And I can — and want — to enjoy the mountains not only in an elite way.”

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-ofsunshine.com

TRAINING

Take a Break Use Recovery to Repair, Rest, and Refuel

By Clint Cherepa

A

s a trail runner, you know the importance of training hard, running regularly, and accumulating miles. These fundamentals are part of a strong trail-runner’s foundation, but often overlooked in the process is rest and recovery. For good reason, it has been said that a faster and tougher athlete is made not while working out, but during the downtime.

When Was the Last Time You Took a Break?

Neil Fraser, a London resident, started running as a teenager and trained hard — too hard. While practicing at Loughborough University, he ran 100mi-plus weeks, and failed to recover properly.

Fraser remarks: “When I was at university, I’d be training two or three times per day, not because I needed to

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but because everybody else was. After a few weeks of this, rather than building up gradually, each run or training session became slower and injuries more evident. In the end, I was out for more than a year.”

The habit of hitting the trails daily is understandable. It is where we go to release stress, hang out with our friends, and train to run our next race faster. However, taking time to recover can help avoid an unwanted injury as well as protect against overtraining and thus sidelining for an upcoming A-type race.

In the world of ultra running, overtraining has become a common topic of conversation.

“Overtraining is an accumulation of training and non-training stress resulting in long-term decrement

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

in performance capacity, which may take several weeks to months of recovery,” wrote Nick Clark, a strength and conditioning coach, in his study “Balancing Training with Recovery to Avoid Overtraining.”

Matt Cooper, an elite running coach living in Australia, says: “as ultra runners we can be very fixated on our training, goals, kilometres, and vertical, which at times is quite beneficial to growing stronger and becoming conditioned. But, there are also times when we know from a feeling which comes way deeper than the self-talk level, where we are genuinely fatigued and overtrained both physically and mentally.”

Evidently, recovery is something you do not want to overlook.

Take a Break Take a break: Do anything else, except run. Photo: Alexis Berg

What is Recovery?

Recovery is simply defined as, “a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.” And rest as, “a period of inactivity, relaxation, or sleep.” These are two very important words that should be included in every trailrunner’s lexicon.

Just as important as long runs, hard hill sessions, and speed workouts, recovery will make you a stronger runner. Your muscles and energy system need time off to rebuild, adapt, and prepare for your next workout.

Lack of rest means starting your next run unprepared as your body may be exhausted, under-fuelled, and more prone to injury.

Importantly, taking a mental break also comes into play.

Fraser says: “Running is a tough sport and your mental approach plays a big part in terms of how successful you are. You have to be mentally prepared to hit your times in training so that you can go and do the same on race day.”

Trail runners can include rest and recovery breaks that are as short as a few minutes — short recoveries between hard intervals — or ones that take days, weeks, or even months. It all depends on what level of rest and recovery your body needs.

Jon Lacanlale, a professional runner living in the Philippines, who has been running competitively for more than 10 years, with many 100km events under his belt, says: “my concept of rest and recovery is simple, no sports activity at all! Not even cross-training. As in complete rest and chill out.”

What Happens When You Recover?

The second you finish a run, your body begins to recover. Your depleted energy system begins to replenish itself, while your abused muscles and

bones start to repair themselves from the grind of repetitious running and pounding the trails. Rest allows your body to adapt, restore its glycogen stores, and mend muscle tears, so that you end up stronger for the next run.

•

When it comes to recovery, this is not true.

•

Signs of Lack of Recovery Being trail runners, there are times we should not listen to our bodies. In the midst of a hard race your legs and body scream: “Please just stop!” The competitor ignores his body and runs on to finish strong.

“I try to encourage my athletes to begin to listen to their bodies and feelings. Get to understand the messages it’s giving you and how you can best respond to them. No one knows your body better than you do (not even a doctor) if you listen to it,” says Cooper.

Your body is a seasoned veteran when it comes to knowing how far along in recovering you actually are from the damages incurred during an extreme running regiment.

•

Many trail runners experience the same symptoms as Lacanlale. Without proper recovery, Lacanlale noted signs of sleepiness, lack of enthusiasm, and a loss in his interest to run as scheduled.

Other symptoms include trouble sleeping, irritability, weight loss, loss of coordination, and excessive aches and pains. The most obvious is injury.

When to Take a Break If you are a chronic non-listener, start by practicing taking breaks after the following occasions: •

Long run: There is no denying that your body has been broken down after a long run. Ultra runners especially know the importance of a regular long run, and they also know that recovery after the long run is where you put it all together.

Taking a day or two off after

•

TRAINING

a long run will do more good than harm.

Hard race: Some races are training runs, and others are A-type races, where you push your physical limits and give it your all. After these hard races, it is vital to allow sufficient time for recovery.

Some trail runners have tricked themselves into feeling ‘OK’ and continuing with their regular regime of hard training, only to find themselves injured and overtrained.

High-mileage week: Most coaches work with a four-week block of training. After building intensity and mileage for the first three weeks, the fourth week is a ‘rest week.’ Often a 20-30% cut in training volume is suggested. This allows your body and mind to rest.

Season: Taking a break after a running season can be especially difficult. A seasonal break can be a true test of willpower. Even if you live in a part of the world where racing is yearlong, a seasonal break of 1-4 weeks completely off of running can rejuvenate, replenish, and recharge you for the upcoming months. “My suggestion is to have at most 2-3 ‘A’ races during the year (talking ultra running), with at least a 4-6 week break from your training in between,” suggests Cooper.

Injury: The biggest no-brainer is time off because of injury.

Ask any trail runner who has refused to listen to their pain and you will soon see, one week off is better than one year due to injury.

Fitting Recovery In Finding the time to recover is not as hard as you may think. Taking the time to fit in recovery will not steal any of your running time at all. Take advantage of the following five ways to recover wisely:

55

TRAINING 1.

2.

3.

4.

Take a Break

Recover on the run: Scheduled easy days can be viewed as recovery, especially after hard training sessions. Wearing a heart-rate monitor can help you keep your recovery runs easy.

Recover after the run: Be sure to take in the needed calories and drink enough water to replenish lost energy stores.

Many runners use compression socks, massages, and ice baths to aid in recovery.

Weekly recovery: If needed, take a full day off of running.

This is the perfect time to do light cross-training or rest completely.

Monthly recovery: A twoday rest period at the end or beginning of every month will do your body good. It will give you an opportunity to assess your training month and realign your training if needed.

5.

Seasonal or yearly recovery: There are no hard-andfast rules as to how long a trail runner needs to rest between seasons. Most runners have found what works for them through trial and error, and learning from the experiences of other runners.

Remember Cooper’s wise words of advice: “If you live in an area such as Australia or Asia, it’s quite easy to train, race, and run all year round. For me, the break time is so important in not only enjoying life’s other plentiful beauties, but, also, in allowing myself to come back stronger and with more passion than the last time.”

Clint is currently in Nicaragua engaged in volunteer work, writing, and ultra training. He plans on returning to the USA this summer to crew and pace his little sister in her first 50mi trail ultra.

Use Your Break Wisely •

• • • •

Sleep: We all feel better after a good night’s rest. During sleep, your body goes into overdrive to regenerate and repair running-related damage done to bones and muscles.

Socialise: A full training schedule can leave little time for hanging out. Take advantage of your running break to chill with friends and family.

Volunteer: Join a trail crew and help with maintaining your local trail system, or offer to crew and pace a trail-running friend.

Catch-up: Scratch some responsibilities off your household or work to-do list.

Cross-train: Biking, hiking, swimming, climbing — the list of the different ways of getting a good workout while using some non-running muscles is endless.

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RACE

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

RACE

Adrenal Fatigue

By Rachel Jacqueline

E

very runner knows what it’s like to feel tired, even exhausted, from pushing themselves to the brink.

Ultra runners in particular are wired to find their limitations and smash through them, again and again.

But, as it turns out, we runners do have limits. They don’t lie in our muscles or our minds, but in small glands about the size of a matchbox called your adrenals. Wear them out to the point of ‘adrenal fatigue,’ and not only will this affect your running, you won’t be running anywhere.

“You know those dreams where you’re running through Jell-O and not going anywhere? That’s what it feels like,” says The North Face athlete Ashley Arnold — 2013 female winner of the Leadville Trail 100 Run — recalling her brush with adrenal fatigue two years ago.

“I was achy, tired, and unmotivated. But it was worse. Not only was everything difficult while I was running, getting myself out the door to run proved an equal, if not greater, challenge,” she goes on. “I just felt weak and completely unfit, despite how many miles or workouts I put in.”

Our adrenal glands are two small hormonal glands, triangular in shape, around 5cm wide by 2cm high, which sit above our kidneys. They are responsible for responding to daily stresses, low blood sugar levels, and also help manage our ‘fight or flight’ response: Even when our bodies have nothing left, our adrenals regulate the processes that give us extra energy in times of need by releasing cortisol.

For Krar, his adrenal experience has made him “mentally stronger as it takes willpower not to run further, run faster, and run harder.”

Photo: Ken Shuh

But when they are constantly taxed, they eventually run out of steam and stop producing those hormones efficiently.

And when your adrenal glands go kaput, you are faced with ‘adrenal fatigue.’ Also known as ‘adrenal exhaustion,’ it is characterised by extreme fatigue, an inability to cope with stress, a lack of motivation or pleasure, poor recovery, brain fog, and poor immunity.

“It’s hard to describe;

nothing hurt,

I could still function in daily life, but when I tried to run there just wasn’t anything there,” explains fellow The North Face athlete Rob Krar of his experience with adrenal fatigue that began in 2007.

If you run a lot, you’ve probably experienced burnout at some point — too much training leading to a lack of motivation. You’re physically OK, but mentally, you just can’t be bothered.

Adrenal fatigue, on the other hand, is “complete and utter depletion,” says Arnold. It can take upwards of several months — if not years — to fully recuperate.

“To be clear: Adrenals don’t ‘get fatigued,’” says Tressa Breindel, a

certified acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist from Boulder Acupuncture Wellness who treated Arnold. “More accurately, it should be referred to as ‘hypothalamus­pituitary­adrenal dysregulation,’ ‘adrenal insufficiency,’ or ‘adrenal suppression’ — terms which indicate your adrenals stopping the production of adequate amounts of cortisol.”

She goes on: “There is only a certain amount of ‘stress’ that our physiology can buffer. While some amounts of stress cause positive, or compensatory results — i.e., more training means you are better able to respond to similar loads of stress next time — other amounts, types, and combinations of stress are unadaptable due to their quality or quantity.”

“I don’t have any numbers, but in my own practice I am seeing this condition more and more.”

You need to train long hours to be prepared for your next ultra — we get that. Sometimes training more will make you stronger, but sometimes, it won’t.

So, when is adrenal fatigue most likely to hit? The distinct cause is elusive. “It’s not as straightforward as too much running,” explains Graeme Bradshaw of the Integrated Medicine Institute in Hong Kong, who also believes adrenal fatigue has become an increasing issue in recent years, particularly among the ultra-endurance community.

“Add other common factors such as a heavy workload, not enough downtime, some relationship stress, lack of sleep, a relocation, international travel, and too much exercise and it’s easy to see why burnout is common among athletes who also work and travel,” he says.

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Krar claiming victory at the 2014 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. Photo: The North Face

“With adrenal fatigue you’re experiencing a complete overwhelming of the stress managers of the body — they’ve given up. After this, every challenge is a chore.”

Women are particularly at risk, adds Breindel. “Women’s endocrine systems and hormones are much more complicated than men’s, and therefore much more easily subject to dysregulation.”

Your typical sufferers are the “Type A’s, the perfectionists, the high achievers, the goal setters, and those that love continuous improvement and who thrive on competition, they don’t value ‘relaxation’ and think a run is the answer to downtime,” Bradshaw explains.

In short, a profile of your typical ultra runner. (Though all those who bite off more than they can chew — businessmen, working mothers, and other endurance athletes like triathletes — are at risk.)

“Training periods are long, the mental attitude itself creates more

60

demand on the adrenals, and then every event is a major drain. Even basic factors like low sodium levels or low blood sugar levels add more demands on the adrenals.”

Bradshaw suggests runners who find themselves spiralling down the road towards adrenal fatigue to simply stop. “A three week break from training (and also ideally work) makes a huge difference according to the Australian Institute of Sport,” he says. “But too often these folks seem to hate to have an off-season, so there is no break, and holidays are often another adventure like running across the Gobi Desert!

Eventually the adrenals give up, possibly as a protective mechanism, saying it’s time to relax, rest, and repair,” says Bradshaw.

It sounds familiar to Arnold — a runner, film producer, dancer, and writer, among a long list of other pursuits. Also a longtime sufferer of eating disorders, it just became too much for her body to handle in 2013. “When I was training for Leadville in 2013, I was throwing up, and choreographing a 20min dance,

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

performing and trying to put in big miles… working, running, and dancing, and no stopping. My body simply couldn’t recover — ever,” she explains.

Ultra running is not just taxing on the body,

it’s a stressor on our minds & spirits: the pull to put in the long training hours, time away from those you love, along with other social sacrifices, not to mention the sheer grit required during competitions to pull you through the low moments.

Adrenal Fatigue

“It is not always what you do, but why,” says Breindel. “An athlete who is training and competing through negative self­beliefs is not only training improperly, but also flooding their system with neurochemical and inflammatory molecules that cause far greater disruptions to our system and decrease our ability to cope and recover from stress,” she says.

“Negative self-beliefs also lead an athlete to ignore the signals of their body, because they are constantly interpreting their body’s signals through their (negative) self-belief systems.”

For Krar, reflecting on the “relatively unhappy period” in which adrenal fatigue hit, he agrees it was mental stress that most likely tipped him over the edge.

“I was running for the wrong reasons. Running held such great importance that when something went wrong it was like the end of the world.

I was pushing myself too hard for too long,” he says. On top of that pressure, he worked a difficult graveyard shift as a pharmacist and ignored his body’s alarm bells.

When the fatigue hit it was “very obvious and very shocking,” he says.

“Within only a few days I went from running relatively strong 100mi weeks to struggling to run more than a few miles.”

“I took a few days off thinking it would pass but it didn’t. I took a week off and it still didn’t pass. I went through a couple more weeks of resting and trying until I simply gave up,” he says.

A few months later he felt a little better and stubbornly went straight back into high intensity training weeks.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long until he was back again in the pits of deep exhaustion.

If you do find yourself suffering from the illness, it’s a long road — excuse the pun — to recovery. “To be frank, I still don’t think I have fully

recovered,” Arnold admits, now almost 18 months on. “It took me a long time to get back to running and feeling good when I run. I didn’t run hills for three months. I took a month completely off of running. And then started back slowly. Only running three to four days a week.” She’s now back to running up to six days a week but admits she’s not back to ‘full throttle.’ “And I’m nowhere near 60mi a week right now, which has previously been my sort of baseline mileage.”

“The first, and honestly hardest, thing is REST,” says Breindel. “There is no way of getting around it. Sleep 9h plus a night, don’t get up early, go to bed by 10.”

“I didn’t chase the miles anymore.

I took one day off each week and wasn’t afraid to take more when I felt I might be riding the edge a bit too closely,” Krar says.

But it’s not just a week of sleep to ‘get back into it’; recovery requires a complete overhaul of your approach and your thought processes. “That is the problem I often encounter: People want just enough help so that they can keep going. I see people drag on through years, even of mid­grade HPA dysregulation,” she adds.

Bradshaw agrees: “The repair process, once true adrenal exhaustion is present, can take much more than a three week rest. It often requires nutritional, herbal, and attitudinal support for several months.”

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For Krar, it was an even longer journey, full of relapses and an early retirement before he finally learned from his mistakes and embraced a new philosophy on training, rest, and recovery.

“I didn’t chase the miles anymore. I took one day off each week and wasn’t afraid to take more when I felt I might be riding the edge a bit too closely,” he says.

In 2014 he had his most successful year yet, claiming victory at three 100mi races: Western States, Leadville Trail, and Run Rabbit Run.

“Obviously running still plays a huge role in my life, but I’ve found a healthier balance and have a much greater understanding and appreciation for the time I spend alone on the trails and its importance to my mental health. That importance keeps me grounded and finds me less likely to be injured or fall into another overtraining experience.”

Though neither Krar nor Arnold would wish their experience on any runner, it was a crucial step towards learning to run happy and healthy.

“I know all too well I’m fully capable of overtraining, over-racing, and running myself into the same hole again. The experience has made me mentally stronger as it takes willpower not to run further, run faster, and run harder. I believe it has strengthened my mental fortitude in ways I can apply to other areas of my life as well,” says Krar.

Arnold echoes his approach. “I’m a lot more conscious about how my body feels during a run,” she says. “I used to be so regimented. If I don’t feel good one day, I do less. I take more rest days and have made good, healthy nutrition my number one priority.”

“You need to overhaul your life, permanently; you need to figure out what proper rest and restoration really means for you,” says Breindel. And if you’re reading thinking it sounds like you? “The sooner the better.”

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Adrenal Fatigue

Nutritional support for running with Graeme Bradshaw: Homeopath, naturopath, and founding director of Integrated Medicine Institute Hong Kong

Generally, what supplements can I take to support my running?

For performance basics, take omega-3 from flaxseed oil and MCT (medium-chain triglycerides). A product called Udo’s Oil has been tested to improve endurance runners’ performance. Coenzyme Q10 becomes depleted in athletes — add 100-200mg daily for optimal aerobic metabolism. And look for electrolyte formulas adding not just sodium, but also magnesium and potassium.

For performance extras, a Japanese probiotic called OMX by Dr. Ohhira has been shown to potentially improve the VO2 max by a significant 10%.

After long races L-Glutamine helps recovery and reduces the post-run immune deficiencies that often lead to a cold or flu following a big run.

Take 10g daily for three days.

Arnold has learnt to take more rest days and has made good, healthy nutrition her number one priority.

Photo: The North Face Ashley Arnold from The North Face has been running trails since 2009 when she moved to Colorado for an internship with Trail Runner magazine.

Arnold’s athletic career includes 12plus years as a competitive gymnast and a short Division I collegiate running career, after which she stepped away from the sport. When she discovered trail running in the Rocky Mountains, Arnold fell in love with running again and has never looked back. In 2013, Arnold won the White River 50 Mile Endurance Run and the Leadville Trail 100 Run.

Rob Krar, also from The North Face, is best known for his string of victories in 2014: Western States 100Mile Endurance Run, the Leadville Trail 100 Run, and Run Rabbit Run 100. He was a former 1,500m track runner, who ran his marathon personal best in a time of 2h 25min 44s at Boston in 2007.

He also holds the fastest known time for both the single and double crossing of the Grand Canyon.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

The key herbs for support are called ‘adaptogens.’ Best among these is Eleuthero or Siberian Ginseng, Rhodiola, and Sensoril extract from Ashwagandha. There are formulas like HPA Active supplying all these in one combination capsule, which we at IMI find excellent.

What about support for my adrenal glands? For adrenal support, key vitamins are vitamin C at 1,000-2,000mg daily and one of the B complex called pantothenic acid at 250mg twice daily. The B complex is generally supportive. In true adrenal exhaustion we often recommend adrenal glandulars, actual purified dry adrenal tissue in capsule. Sounds gross, but it is effective in the chronic cases.

What else can I do? You need to pay attention to your diet and eat enough. Maintaining a steady calorie flow through the day prevents unnecessary adrenal stimulation. Don’t forget your protein, which is crucial for an athlete.

The final part is understanding how the mind and the adrenals interact; how your mental thoughts affect stress responses. The mechanism is called the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is basically where the thoughts affect the nerves to create the stress hormones).

This is stabilised by adequate sleep (8h, at least) and daily relaxation and meditation. Developing the ability to perform self-hypnosis or meditation (not running) in order to gain a clear, calm state of mind by choice does take practice. Two daily mini-breaks at work (of just 12min) practicing your effective mental calming technique give surprisingly good results in stress management by relaxing the HPA, allowing the mind to cool down the stress response by a simple short rest period.

GEAR

Trail Shoes Review:

28 Models TESTED W

hat are some of the latest trail shoes in the market today? Read Asia Trail Team’s reviews – we have test-run 20 brands and 28 models of trail running shoes, under both wet and dry conditions, and on both road and trails.

DISTANCE Short (<20k)

Medium (up to 50k)

Altra Lone Peak 2.5 Altra Lone Peak 2.0 ASics Gel FujiTrabuco 4 Brooks PureGrit 4

X

X X

Columbia Vigorous Omni-Tech

X

Columbia Conspiracy III Outdry

X

HAGLÖFS Gram Gravel HOKA Challenger ATR HOKA Stinson 3 ATR Inov8 TerraClaw 220

X

Kalenji Kiprun Trail XT5 MBT Performance

X

MIZUNo Wave Kien 2 Montrail Bajada II MONTRAIL FluidFlex II

X

Salomon X Scream 3D

X X

Salomon S-lab Wings

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Long (>50k)

X

Road & Trail

Nontechnical Trail

X

Technical Trail

X

X

X

X X X

X X X

X

X X

X X

X X

X

MBT Entry Level Merrell All Out Terra

TERRAIN

X X

X X X X

X X X

GEAR DISTANCE Short (<20k)

Medium (up to 50k)

TERRAIN Long (>50k)

Salming Trail T1 Men

X

Saucony Nomad TR Scarpa Neutron Scarpa Proton

X

Road & Trail

Nontechnical Trail

Technical Trail

X X

Scott Kinabalu Supertrac

X

X

Skechers GOrun Ultra 2

X

X

tecnica Motion FitTrail

X

X

The North Face Ultra tr II

X

X

The North Face Ultra MT

X

X

X X X

X Altra Lone Peak 2.5

www.altrarunning.com | HKD 930 Weight (g): 299 | Drop (mm): 0 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

9.0

Average rating:

8.0

Altra Lone Peak 2.0

www.altrarunning.com | HKD 1,160 Weight (g): 342 | Drop (mm): 0 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

6.5

Grip on dry:

8.5

Average rating:

7.6

ASics Gel FujiTrabuco 4 www.asics.com.hk | HKD 950 Weight (g): 356 | Drop (mm): 10 Cushioning:

7.5

Support:

7.5

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.5

Average rating:

7.5

The defining characteristics of the Altras is the wide toe box, which allows your toes to spread out comfortably, and the zero drop, which reduces heel striking and betters overall running form. Improved construction makes the Lone Peak more comfortable and durable than ever.

Highlights: Stable, grippy, comfortable

Classic Altra with its wide toe box, allowing your toes to spread out comfortably.

Its light cushioning helps to mitigate the pressure on your knees when flying down Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard, concrete steps. However, one reviewer finds that there is not lateral support, resulting in more frequent rolling of the ankles.

Highlights: Light, well-cushioned, good traction on dry terrain

Sturdy, stable, responsive shoes that provide good forefoot cushioning but are a bit on the heavy side among peers on the market these days. The grip is good on dry technical trails and moist dirt. Despite the name, the shallow lugs do make one wonder how they will fare in serious mud one finds on a wet day on Mount Fuji.

Highlights: Well-cushioned, stable, comfortable

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GEAR

Trail Shoes Review: 28 Models TESTED Brooks PureGrit4

www.brooksrunning.com | HKD 850 Weight (g): 270 | Drop (mm): 4 Cushioning:

6.0

Support:

5.0

Breathability:

6.5

Grip on wet:

4.5

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

6.0

Columbia Vigorous OmniTech www.columbia.com | HKD 1,199 Weight (g): 370 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

5.0

Grip on dry:

7.0

Average rating:

6.6

Columbia Conspiracy III Outdry www.columbia.com | HKD 1,488 Weight (g): 335 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

8.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.4

HAGLÖFS Gram Gravel www.haglofs.com | HKD 1,459 Weight (g): 340 | Drop (mm): 10 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.4

HOKA Challenger ATR

www.hokaoneone.com | HKD 1,180 Weight (g): 270 | Drop (mm): 5 Cushioning:

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10.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

5.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.6

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

PureGrit4 is lightweight and responsive, and provides great grip on dry surfaces, though much less so on wet rocks. However, a reviewer notes that the lateral foot support appears limited due to the lacing system. Do note that this model is designed for runners with medium to high arches.

Highlights: Light, responsive, good dry traction

Super comfortable due to seamless construction. Again, Columbia’s waterproof technology holds — feet remain fairly dry after running through puddles of rain. Suitable for multi-purpose uses, especially in drier conditions. Testing reveals that the mud gets caked within tread, making the pair heavy, and the traction works better on dry surfaces than on wet ones. Ideal use would be urban landscapes and light, dry, off-road though not too technical trails.

Highlights: Multipurpose, good dry traction

Feet remain relatively dry after splashing through the puddles on the trails. The lightweight cushioning combined with wide-base rubber soles makes a great pair of shoes to wear for hikes, and even some light-duty runs.

Highlights: Adequate cushioning, waterproof

Haglöfs has teamed up with Asics to design the shoe. Not the lightest pair, but it has great support and cushioning, which absorbs the impact of descending Hong Kong’s concrete steps. The shoe’s upper is made primarily from water repellent, non-absorbing fabrics — allowing the shoe to remain lightweight even in wet conditions. Comes with a pocket on the tongue for hiding your laces. Reviewer finds the toe box a tad narrow.

Highlights: Rugged, good grip, comfortable

The EVA foam makes any terrain soft with the Challenger, the off-road version of the Clifton.

Despite the 3cm+ of pure cushioning, this shoe is extremely light and responsive on non-technical terrain.

Highlights: Light, responsive, well-cushioned

GEAR

HOKA Stinson 3 ATR

www.hokaoneone.com | HKD 1,480 Weight (g): 320 | Drop (mm): 8 Cushioning:

10.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.8

Inov8 TerraClaw 220

www.inov-8.com | HKD 1,280 Weight (g): 215 | Drop (mm): 4 Cushioning:

6.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

8.0

Grip on dry:

9.0

Average rating:

7.6

Kalenji Kiprun Trail XT5

www.kalenji-running.com | HKD 700 Weight (g): 335 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

8.0

Grip on dry:

9.0

Average rating:

7.8

MBT Entry Level

www.mbt.com | HKD 880 Weight (g): 262 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

10.0

Support:

5.0

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

7.0

Average rating:

7.2

MBT Performance

www.mbt.com| HKD 1,280 Weight (g): 336 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

10.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

7.0

Average rating:

8.0

This is the cream of the crop of maximalist shoes. Not everybody feels comfortable running on trails with all this foam under their feet, but they definitely give an unprecedented cushioning to challenge any ultra distance.

Stinsons are heavier than the other Hoka models, with extra padding on the upper.

Highlights: Ultra-cushioning, good support

Fast shoes that have deeper, more spaced-apart lugs, a design which helps shed dirt easily, though they are probably not deep enough for serious mud. Snug as gloves, these shoes make you move with precision on gnarly trails and provide superior ground feel. The lightest of the TerraClaw series, the cushioning is fairly limited. So save them for shorter softground runs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unless you are a barefoot pro.

Highlights: Precision, speed

Kiprun Trail XT5 has a nice snug fit and a good grip, making the reviewer feel secure.

However, the shoe is heavy (even heavier in wet conditions) and has a very rigid sole. It is better suited for beginners or runners with motion control needs.

Highlights: Good support, good grip

MBTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cushioning makes Hokas seem minimalist. The shoe makes you feel like you are moving fast in clouds on road repeats.

Reviewer finds the outsoles as flat as road shoes, and those with narrow feet will find their feet sliding around the roomy toe boxes, without a lacing system to control the fit. May only be suitable for light-duty trails.

Highlights: Light, over-cushioned

Lightweight and fast shoe that comes with generous cushioning. The soles feel curvy, giving you a boost on the uphills and protection on the downhills. Though the profile makes it look intimidating for anyone with ankle issues, the shoe turns out to be fairly stable on trails. While they make you bomb down a steep road, they do slip easily on scree.

Highlights: Light, well-cushioned, stable

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GEAR

Merrell All Out Terra www.merrell.com | HKD 1,399 Weight (g): 308 | Drop (mm): 6 Cushioning:

6.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

9.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.2

MIZUNo Wave Kien 2

mizuno-hk.com | HKD 680 Weight (g): 329 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.2

Montrail Bajada II

www.montrail.com | HKD 999 Weight (g): 331 | Drop (mm): 10 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

9.0

Average rating:

8.0

MONTRAIL FluidFlex II www.montrail.com | HKD 899 Weight (g): 361 | Drop (mm): 8 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.8

Salomon X Scream 3D

www.salomon.com | HKD 1,220 Weight (g): 300 | Drop (mm): 10

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Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

6.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.0

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Suitable for adventure races. The shoe comes with a rubber toe bumper, and a sturdy, comfortable heel cup to stabilise the foot. The aggressive triangular lugs on the outsole offer excellent grip on various surfaces, especially wet ones. Not much cushioning so as to promote ground feel and flexibility. Upper is constructed with abrasion-resistant material, and provides the wearer with flexibility as he or she negotiates the trails under various weather elements.

Highlights: Light, excellent grip, responsive

This pair’s two standout features are their grippy, rugged soles, and their firm — though not tight-feeling — fit. One reviewer feels that the shoe is “like a natural extension of your foot.” Another reviewer finds that the shoe provides good arch support.

Highlights: Light, good grip

Comfortable to wear and provide good support to the feet. The soles offer exemplary traction and grip. Medium absorption with trail shield in soles. The shoe provides great flex and keeps foot in touch with trail on varied, technical terrains. De rigueur debris-free gusseted tongue and decent toe cap protection. It has a spacious toe box but without feeling sloppy or loose.

Breathable and well ventilated through the open mesh upper. A good trail-running shoe for those inspired by fast, technical trails.

Highlights: Good grip, responsive, breathable

The shoe is light and well-cushioned, and the deep-flex grooves make the shoe responsive to various terrains. A reviewer commented: “I like the natural movement of my feet with soft cushioning and the responsiveness at the same time.”

Highlights: Light, well-cushioned, comfortable

Designed as a road/trail shoe, X-Scream 3D has good cushioning and a better-than-expected grip on flat wet rocks. However, a reviewer finds the toe box a little too big and the sides of the shoes too high (leading to blisters on the side of the feet).

Highlights: Hybrid shoe — good cushioning, grip

Trail Shoes Review: 28 Models TESTED Salomon S-lab Wings

www.salomon.com | HKD 1,690 Weight (g): 265 | Drop (mm): 8 Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

6.0

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.0

Salming Trail T1 Men

www.salming.com | HKD 1,260 Weight (g): 256 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.4

Saucony Nomad TR

www.saucony.com | HKD 790 Weight (g): 286 | Drop (mm): 4 Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

6.0

Grip on wet:

9.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.4

Scarpa Neutron

www.scarpa.net | HKD 1,046 Weight (g): 311 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

8.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.6

Scarpa Proton

www.scarpa.net | HKD 1,077 Weight (g): 340 | Drop (mm): n/av Cushioning:

7.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.2

GEAR

A good-looking, well-designed shoe.

Relatively light. Could be used for all kinds of distances, although longer distances would be more suited to efficient runners. Almost feels like a road-running shoe. Sole is quite flexible, and the grip is moderate. A reviewer found the inner soles of the pair sliding inside his shoes, and had to replace them with soles from another pair.

Highlights: Light, responsive

Salmingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trail T-1 feels stable on pavements as well as on steep, technical trails.

It feels snug and is responsive on technical trails, and offers better cushioning in the forefoot than many lightweight peers. The lacing system looks traditional, but provides a great fit without the need to lace up too tight.

A reviewer, however, finds that there is not much protection around the toe box.

Highlights: Light, responsive, well-cushioned

Fantastic comfort thanks to the seamless construction. Feel great from first wear, and the rather surprising outsole design has a much better grip than anticipated, especially on wet terrain. This is a good shoe for those after comfort and good cushioning.

Highlights: Great fit, grip

The Italian brand made a pair of shoes that is lightweight, stylish, and has more protection around the toes. They come with Vibram outsoles, with deeper and more spaced-apart lugs for all but the most seriously muddy trails. They do feel a bit narrow, even for this reviewer who prefers a snug fit. When new, they also feel a bit stiff around the ankles.

Highlights: Light, stylish, well-protected

A lightweight trail shoe that is good on flatter trails, but its limited grip doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t inspire confidence on more technical terrain.

Highlights: Light, well-cushioned

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GEAR

Trail Shoes Review: 28 Models TESTED Scott Kinabalu Supertrac www.scott-sports.com | HKD 1,190 Weight (g): 230 | Drop (mm): 8 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

8.0

Grip on dry:

9.0

Average rating:

8.2

Skechers GOrun Ultra 2 www.skechers.com | HKD 1,099 Weight (g): 303 | Drop (mm): 8 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

8.0

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

8.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.8

tecnica Motion FitTrail www.tecnica.it | HKD 1,330 Weight (g): 274 | Drop (mm): 12 Cushioning:

8.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

8.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.6

The North Face Ultra tr II www.thenorthface.com | HKD 950 Weight (g): 210 | Drop (mm): 8 Cushioning:

5.0

Support:

5.0

Breathability:

9.0

Grip on wet:

7.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

6.8

The North Face Ultra MT

www.thenorthface.com | HKD 1,190 Weight (g): 302 | Drop (mm): 8

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Cushioning:

6.0

Support:

7.0

Breathability:

7.0

Grip on wet:

9.0

Grip on dry:

8.0

Average rating:

7.4

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

A heavier shoe that is generously cushioned in both the forefoot and heel, as well as has deep treads. If you are looking for a shoe that can handle mud and other various conditions, then Kinabalu Supertrac may be the right shoe for you.

Highlights: Fantastically cushioning, good grip

GoRun Ultra 2 comes with strong support and pronation guidance. These shoes remain very light and well-cushioned. The toe box is relatively wide.

Highlights: Strong support, light, wellcushioned

Tecnica’s low-profile-looking Motion Fitrail is light and breathable, and is appreciated for its precision and versatility on trails. The outsole, however, features very shallow lugs that will not fare well in mud and, in fact, even slip a bit on wet roads.

Highlights: Light, snug fit, responsive

Minimalist and very light, this is a model limited to non-technical trails on a short distance. The reviewer really liked these shoes on speed training sessions — felt like wearing nothing.

Highlights: Light, fashionable

With almost no cushioning on the forefront but only the lugs of the Megagrip Vibram outsole, the reviewer was impressed by the responsiveness and traction of the Ultra MTs. Great shoes for technical terrain with good cushioning on the heels and support, but low breathability of the upper material.

Highlights: Fast, responsive

FIRST STEPS

13 Tips For Your First Long Trail Run

By Joshua Steimle

M

ost of my running used to take less than 2h. Now, many of my runs are in the 6-8h range, in the Hong Kong summer heat, requiring an entirely different type of preparation and planning. Here are some tips as you increase the time you spend on the trails past the 2h mark.

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

1. Prepare a day or two before: If you think you’re going to wake up the day of a run and get ready and go, you’ll probably never make it out the door. Simply put, something won’t be ready (like clean

socks, or your food), or it will just take you so long to get out that you’ll finally give up along the way.

2. Take liquids: As long as I’m already well-hydrated, I can comfortably run for 2h, even in high heat and humidity,

FIRST STEPS

Good preparation and planning for your first long trail run will increase your chances of enjoying your experience. Photo: Alexis Berg. without carrying any liquids or nutrition. Beyond 2h, however, the run becomes not only uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous. For you, the cut-off may be even less than 2h. On my longer runs (6h+) during the Hong Kong summers, I start out with approximately 2.5L of liquid, and refill at the halfway point. Yes, it’s heavy, but I’m sweating so much that there’s no other option. My preferred liquid is a homemade electrolyte concoction, primarily made of water with a dash of salt, lime juice, lemon juice, honey, and chia seeds.

Take it slow: It’s OK to walk the hills, even at the beginning of your run.

3. If it’s warm, freeze your liquids two days prior: Yes, freezing your liquids for two days helps them stay cold longer than if you only keep them in the freezer for 24h.

I fill the drink bladder of my running vest about 80% of the way, so that the expansion that occurs during freezing doesn’t burst it. I also carry two 500mL insulated Polar bottles, which I also freeze. This way, even on a hot day, I can still enjoy cold liquids for 3-4h.

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”

John Bingham

4. Don’t consume too much straight sugar: Take in too many sports drinks, gels, and other sweets, and you’ll end up with nausea and other gastrointestinal issues. I run with dried fruits, nuts, pancakes, and Clif bars.

5. Don’t try new gear: It’s no fun to get 2h into a long run only to realise something is wrong with your gear, and now it’s going to take you 4h to walk home, because, for instance, your shoes are too small, or your new socks are causing blisters. Save the new gear for shorter runs.

6. Use sunblock: This is good advice for short runs as well, but goes double for long runs.

7. Take a phone: Increasing time on trails in remote areas raises the likelihood of something unforeseeable happening, like a snakebite, insect sting, or twisting your ankle. Make sure you have a way to make a call in case of an emergency.

8. Let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll be back: Whenever I go running, I leave the map of where I’m running up on my computer screen and I tell my wife when to expect me home, just in case.

9. Use an anti-chafing product: Chafing that is unnoticeable on a 2h run can become a painful problem during a 6h run.

10. Take it slow: It’s OK to walk the hills, even at the beginning of your run. Start out sprinting and you will regret it when you’re 4h into your run with 2h to go and you can barely put one leg in front of the other. Go slow on your first few runs and gradually increase your speed as you get familiar with how your body performs during longer runs.

11. Consider taking along a more experienced runner: I’m a solitary runner, but if you’re making the transition from shorter to longer trail runs, it’s a good idea to go with an experienced long-distance trail runner, so you can pick up tips as well as have someone who can help in case of an emergency.

12. Know the path beforehand: The time to figure out where you’re going isn’t when you’re baking in the hot sun, in the middle of the wilderness, trying to get an Internet connection. Memorise the path ahead of time, as best you can, and take along a printed map to navigate the parts where trails intersect and you run the chance of getting lost.

13. Have a plan B: What if you get two-thirds of the way through your run and can’t make it home? I always carry money so that I can hitch a taxi or hop on a bus, and try to run close enough to populated areas so that in the case of an emergency I’m not all that far from civilisation.

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 @joshsteimle or josh@mwi.hk.

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ASK THE COACH

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| ASIA TRAIL â&#x20AC;¢ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

ASK THE COACH

If the Shoe Fits

By Andy DuBois

P

icking a shoe used to be simple — if you pronate you needed a supportive shoe, if you were neutral you needed a neutral shoe, and if you didn’t pronate you needed a cushioned pair. Unfortunately, in practise things aren’t that simple, and studies have shown that picking a shoe based on foot type doesn’t have any effect on injuries compared with choosing a shoe at random. So, how do we go about picking the right shoe?

Type of Terrain The first consideration is the type of terrain you are going to be spending most of your time on: Are you going to be running on very slippery rocks, or loose sandy trails? Are you planning on running through mud or trails strewn with rocks? Are you running in very hot conditions, or very cold temperatures? Each of these different types of terrains will favour a different shoe: Within rocky conditions you may want a rock plate; on wet and slippery trails a rubber base will grip better; in hot conditions you want something that breathes; in cold conditions you may want something with a Gore-Tex covering; if you’re tackling lose, sandy trails, you’ll do better with enough lugs and depth to allow you to get some grip; and, trekking through muddy conditions, you want to make sure mud will clear from the base of the shoe so you don’t end up carrying the extra weight of a lump of mud with you.

Unsurprisingly, many trail runners will have a number of shoes that they can pick from, depending on the conditions.

So, think about what surface and conditions you will spend the majority of your time on and choose accordingly.

Sizing Next priority is a shoe that fits. Both in length and width. Length-wise, you Illustration: Kirk Wescom

want space at the end of the toes to allow for the foot to swell and still have sufficient room — at least a finger’s width, and if doing ultras more like a thumb’s width.

Drop The drop is the difference between the height under the heel and height under the forefoot. Barefoot is at zero drop, traditional running shoes have 10-13mm of drop, and there is a large range in between. Trail shoes tend to have lower numbers, as the lower the drop, the more stable you are. But if you are used to running with a 12mm drop, then choosing a shoe with a 4mm drop is asking for an injury. Work your way down gradually. For most people, the sweet spot is between 4-8mm.

Don’t be swayed by marketing or well-

meaning friends — just because Kílian Jornet runs in Salomons doesn’t mean Salomon shoes will suit you.

Weight and Cushioning The shorter the races and runs you do, the lighter the shoe can be.

The longer the race, the more you will appreciate some extra cushioning later in the race, which of course comes at a cost of carrying extra weight.

Support This is where things get somewhat complicated. Does someone with a flatfoot condition need more support?

And conversely, does a high arch need more cushioning? The foot is far too complicated to be simply classified as a pronator, supinator, or neutral. Some high-arched feet pronate late in the stance phase, some don’t pronate at

all, and, furthermore, some pronated feet can still pronate and supinate effectively and as such don’t need any support. For many people what happens at the foot level is controlled by what happens at the hip level, not the shoe. Even using slow-motion video from behind to assess your gait isn’t a reliable method for deciding what kind of shoes you should be wearing.

The #1 criteria is comfort. What feels good on your foot will serve you better than what a salesperson tells you is best for you.

How to Pick a Shoe Ask the shoe salesperson to pick out three different brands based on the types of trails and distances you actually run. If you are happy with your current shoe, then that’s a good starting point, but companies change models all the time so chances are that next season’s model may be slightly different. Try all three on and go for a short run in them. If none of them feel great, ask to try more on until you find something you are happy with.

If one shoe looks better on a treadmill but another feels more comfortable — always go with the one that feels more comfortable.

Don’t be swayed by marketing or well-meaning friends — just because Kílian Jornet runs in Salomons doesn’t mean Salomon shoes will suit you. Just because your friend loves Hokas doesn’t mean you will.

Each of us has different feet, and every one has different running styles, so one’s shoe choice is a very individual thing. Do your research, try lots of different pairs fit for your specific purposes, and choose what’s most comfortable.

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: mile27. com.au.

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BODY MECHANICS

It’s Not Easy Being a Knee

By Doug Tahirali

U

p to 42% of all overuse-related injuries involve the knee joint, and ‘runner’s knee’ is the most common ailment. Though despite its ubiquity, there’s vast amounts of confusion regarding the condition.

Some sources consider runner’s knee to include any number of issues, though, for our purposes, we will consider the disorder to mean patello-femoral pain syndrome (PFPS).

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It’s no surprise that the knee is a troublesome joint in sports. It is a hinge joint where the top bone — the femur — hinges while rolling on the lower tibia. This roll-hinge is aided by two crescent moon pads — called menisci — which help the rolling femur from sliding off. The kneecap — or patella — has a ridge on the back which is supposed to slide into a groove on the end of the femur, helping the knee

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

absorb and exert enormous forces. Both the end of the femur and the back of the kneecap are covered with smooth cartilage.

The interesting thing to remember is that this cartilage has no nerves, so it alone cannot be a source of pain.

The patella works with the quadricep muscles, found on the front of the thigh, in order to extend the knee while one

It’s Not Easy Being a Knee

BODY MECHANICS

Trail running involves occasional jumping on the trails, and studies have shown that jumps can exert pressure of more than 20 times your body weight on your knees. Photo: Alexis Berg is walking, sitting, running, or jumping.

Thanks to the patella-increasing leverage, a leg extension is the most powerful movement in the body.

Studies show the pressure per square inch on the back of the patella can be more than three times body weight on stairs, eight times body weight with deep knee bending, and 20 times body weight when jumping!

PFPS was often thought to occur due to a number of structural issues that you are born with, or was believed to be a functional problem arising from how you move and run. However, mistracking is nearly impossible to prove, and there are no pain nerves in the cartilage undergoing the friction — so what are we really looking at?

In 1999, the journal American Family Physician1 published a paper whose conclusion was that “managing PFPS is a challenge, in part because of lack of consensus regarding its cause and treatment,” and, additionally, that “no single biomechanical factor has been identified as a primary cause of patello-femoral pain.” According to Näslund’s2 2006 paper, from Physiotherapy & Practice, not much has changed: “no consensus on the definition, classification, assessment, diagnosis or management has been reached” — confusing enough?

Bottom line, PFPS is an overuse injury, caused by too much activity preventing knee tissues from fully recovering. Daily life is itself tough on knees, and, admittedly, trail running — filled with jumping, twisting, up- and downhills — contributes even more to the overuse of knees. Opinions about the syndrome’s onset are divergent, some suggesting one must reach about 50km of running per week before it hits, others arguing it can occur with people new to running. Regardless, once developed, long-term sitting often becomes difficult and sufferers

complain about pain at the theatre, movies, or on flights. PFPS was thought to be brought on by any or all of these usual suspects: tight/weak muscles, pronation, muscular imbalance, over-striding, direct trauma, as well as structural issues like Q-angles (the angle at which the femur intersects your tibia).

As PFPS stands for ‘patello-femoral pain syndrome,’ we assume the problem is between those two bones. Given that one can naturally have a patella alta or baja (high or low), and femoral or tibial rotation — all of which can increase stress on the kneecap — it was thought that these different characteristics cause patellar mis-tracking (meaning that the patella — kneecap — moves out of place during regular leg movement).

However, researcher MacIntyre, along with others, found that an individual with PFPS cannot be distinguished from a control subject by simply examining his or her patterns of spin, tilt, or lateral translation of the patella. Tennant et al.3 concurred that both clinically and surgically mild, lateral tilting and displacement can be a “normal phenomena in the weightbearing knee” and “should not be taken as evidence of abnormal tracking.”

A good study by Piva et al.4 took 74 subjects diagnosed with PFPS and checked the usual biomechanical issues, including: muscle tightness/

weakness, lateral retinacular and iliotibial band tightness, Q-angle, coordination, as well as postural and anatomical abnormalities. Notably, they found no correlation between these biomechanical factors and chronic PFPS. It seems that a lot of conventional wisdom regarding what actually causes PFPS is incorrect. Mis-tracking, Q-angles, patella-related issues, along with muscular imbalances may all be present but cannot themselves predict PFPS! Maybe PFPS is a symptom of something else, as are so many other problems. It does seem that quadricep-strengthening exercises can help, and balancing the quadriceps and hamstrings also seems to reduce injuries.

Coming in the next issue, we will consider some newer ideas about runner’s knee, and as always, dig through some more murky research!

References: 1. Juhn, M.S. “Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Review and Guidelines for Treatment.” American Family Physician 60 (1999): 2012-22.

2. Näslund, J., et al. “Comparison of Symptoms and Clinical Findings in Subgroups of Individuals with Patellofemoral Pain.” Physiotherapy Theory and Practice 22 (2006): 105-18.

3. Tennant, S., et al. “Patello-Femoral Tracking in the Weightbearing Knee.” Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 9 (2001): 155-62.

4. Piva, S.R., et al. “Associates of Physical Function and Pain in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 90 (2009): 285-95.

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.

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GEEK RUNNER

The Power of Goal-Setting

By Karen Lo, Inner Edge Limited

I

n competitive sports, it has been argued that athletic success depends largely on two factors: An athlete’s skill, and his or her motivation.1 Goalsetting, often underestimated, is a powerful technique that is found to increase both of these facets. Most people have goals of their own — lose five pounds, run a marathon, get fitter, become a successful basketball coach.

These goals all seem realistic and achievable. Why then do people fail, or

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take so long to reach their goals? The struggles most people have with goalsetting is not about identifying goals they have, but more about setting them in such a way that the goals direct their attention and increase their motivation incentives.2

Defining Goals First, it is important to know what types of goals there are. The following are key categories of sport-related goals:3

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

a) Outcome goals: These are the goals that focus on results, including winning a race, beating an opponent, getting into the semi-finals of a game.

These goals do not only depend on the athlete, but also his or her opponents’ performances.

Therefore, these kinds of goals are not entirely controllable. b) Performance goals: These goals help an athlete achieve

The Power of Goal-Setting Goal-setting can not only improve your skills and technique, it can also enhance your mental toughness. Photo: Alexis Berg

his or her own standards of performance, and depend solely on the athlete’s ability. If one can only do 10 reps of chin-ups at the gym in the first week, one’s performance goal may be to do 15 reps in the second week. c) Process goals: Action goals that athletes follow in order to perform well. These goals also depend on the athlete’s own ability. For example, a basketball player’s process goal may involve staying low every time he dribbles the ball. A runner may set a process goal to keep his chest up to slightly lead the way whenever he finds himself slumping over during the run.

The S.M.A.R.T. Analogy The S.M.A.R.T. acronym is a good memory aid for athletes to remember the characteristics of effective goals: •

•

Specific: What is your end-goal and what are the steps you are willing to take in order to achieve it? Being selected to participate at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is a clear mark of success, but this long-term goal alone is not sufficient. Be specific: ‘I will attend all four running practices a week, and a gym session every Saturday, so that I can achieve a personal best in six months.’ Putting it this way will allow you to create a more concrete plan to achieve your end-goal.

Measurable: In order for goals to be measurable, athletes must establish a baseline and a target (a finish) so that they can calculate their progress.

For example, completing this year’s Boston Marathon in 3h is a measurable goal. Running two marathons a year, gaining seven pounds, making five saves in a game, are also clearly measurable.

•

•

•

Adjustable: Goals need to be flexible so that they can be adjusted when necessary.

Some athletes experience anxiety when they are not able to achieve goals they have previously set.4 It is important to learn to be flexible and feel good about making changes.

Realistic: Goals should be achievable given various constraints.5 There is no point setting easy goals because one will become bored of meeting them very quickly. Conversely, goals that are too challenging will cause one to give up easily.

Therefore, goals should be realistically challenging so that pursuing them will motivate you.

Time frame: An essential starting point of goal-setting is to start at the end.4 Setting a date and having a timeline throws one into action.

Completing a full-marathon may seem like a dream, but setting a date can give you a clearer direction of what your short-term goals should be.

Psychological Goals The purpose of goal-setting is not merely to improve your skills and technique, but also to enhance mental toughness. Some people may argue that they are doing everything to achieve their long-term goals by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable targets. However, goals like these are usually fitness- or skill-related. To go beyond that, we must also establish psychological goals to give ourselves that extra edge.

Psychological goals are related to your attitude, confidence, and effort, and they can also follow the S.M.A.R.T. principles. A specific daily confidencerelated goal during training could be to say something positive to yourself when you start feeling pain in your legs.

If you come to think of it, it is also a measurable psychological goal, because you are able to count the number of times you state a positive phrase to yourself.

GEEK RUNNER

Sometimes, however, psychological goals are vague. For instance, one’s psychological goal might be to ‘enjoy practice, every time.’ However, enjoyment is a subjective feeling that is hard to measure. To make things easier, athletes can use a scale of 1-10 to rate their enjoyment levels. If your enjoyment level is at a 4 and you want to experience level 5, you can employ a psychological strategy to enhance your perception of your training (e.g., recalling a past enjoyable practice whenever you start having negative thoughts).

Positive Goals Your goals should be stated in the positive tense. A negative goal would be, ‘I do not want to finish behind 500 at the New York Marathon.’ Not only is this an outcome goal that is out of your control, a negative goal creates an image that you do not want portrayed.

Make sure that the goals you set are positive goals so that they create a positive frame of mind.

Effective Goal-Setting Athletes who know how to define good goals not only set outcome goals but also performance and process objectives that can improve both their skills and motivation. Effective goal-setting also includes continual evaluation and re-setting of goals after each training period, season, or year.

The physical act of writing down goals also makes them more tangible. So go grab a piece of paper, and start writing down some positive aspirations!

References: 1. Locke, E.A., and Latham, G.P. “The Application of Goal Setting to Sports.” Journal of Sport Psychology 7 (1985): 205-22.

2. Weinberg, R.S., and Gould, D. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Human Kinetics. Champaign, IL (2011).

3. Burton, D., Naylor, S., and Holliday, B. Goal Setting in Sport: Investigating the Goal Effectiveness Paradigm.

Edited by R. Singer, H. Hausenblas, and C. Janelle.

Handbook of Sport Psychology. New York, Wiley (2001): 497-528.

4. Baltzell, A.L. Living in the Sweet Spot: Preparing for Performance in Sport and Life. Fitness Information Technology. Morgantown, WV (2011).

5. Smith, H.W. The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Human Kinetics. Champaign, IL (1994).

Karen is the first Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology in the greater China area. Follow her facebook page on where she trains people on mental toughness: www.facebook.com/inneredgehk.

81

NUTRITION

Supergreen Foods For Training

By Katia Kucher

W

ith winter just around the corner, and the racing season in full swing, paying close attention to your nutrition is crucial â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it can make a difference between a strong racing season versus lower endurance and energy levels. Leafy greens are packed with micro- and macronutrients, as well as protein, complex carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids, as well as necessary essentials like the vitamin B complex, manganese, and magnesium.

Other nutrients and minerals, like iron and copper, found in leafy greens, ensure that complex carbohydrates are used as energy instead of being stored as fat. All these nutrients actually allow people to train longer and harder while gaining leaner muscles. With all their amazing benefits, supergreens are easy to incorporate into our daily diets.

82

| ASIA TRAIL â&#x20AC;˘ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

NUTRITION

10 Micronutrients in Leafy Greens: • • • • • • • • • •

Calcium: Builds strong bones.

Copper: Enhances iron absorption.

Folate: Vitamin B, when combined with B12, helps boost protein synthesis and muscle cell growth.

Magnesium: Stored in bones and muscles, it is essential for the conversion of food into energy.

Manganese: A mineral that helps strengthen bones and boost energy levels.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Provide a good dose of healthy fats in the ideal ratio, seven times more omega 3s than omega 6s.

Vitamin B6: Optimises amino acid metabolism.

Found in spinach and broccoli.

Vitamin C: Highest in kale and broccoli, vitamin C helps build collagen for strong tendons, ligaments, and skin. It also helps fight off free-radical damage.

Vitamin K: Helps in bone building and sends signals from your brain to your muscles telling them to work harder.

Potassium: One of the most important electrolytes that facilitates the delivery of nutrients in and out of cells. It also helps your body to get rid of excess sodium.

Supergreens For Training

Spinach: A great source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, manganese, iron, and potassium. Spinach will allow you to do more cardio because it contains nitric oxide, which allows your body to receive a better flow of oxygen.

Swiss chard: Excellent source of vitamins A, C, E, and K, along with magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, and fibre. Additionally, the anthocyanin found in Swiss chard reduces free radicals and muscle inflammation, and therefore helps in post-training recovery.

Arugula: Strengthens the immune system. With its peppery flavour, arugula turns up the metabolic heat. It contains vitamins A, C, K, and folate. Arugula contains three types of quercetin derivatives, whose presence enhances endurance.

Kale: This superfood contains 32 disease-fighting compounds. Kale also contains quercetin to improve endurance, along with vitamin K, which promotes the flow of oxygen.

Collard greens: Rich in vitamin B folate, which supports heart health. Collard greens also contain a number of phytonutrients that allow cells to detoxify themselves. Folate helps in the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to muscle cells. It also helps to repair muscle tissue after training.

Romaine lettuce: Contains high levels of folate and manganese. Manganese helps to relax nerves.

Spirulina: High protein source. Spirulina is a complete protein so the body easily absorbs it. It helps build muscles, strength, and endurance. Other benefits of consuming spirulina on a regular basis include improved energy levels — it balances blood sugars and helps build stronger bones.

Spirulina comes in a powder form, so it can easily be added to any recipe.

Wheatgrass: High in chlorophyll. Wheatgrass contains 18-20 amino acids, plus all the minerals, like calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, iodine, copper, and phosphorous, which are essential in a runner’s diet.

Dark, leafy, green vegetables are rich in vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting and promotes bone health. Vitamin K is found in supergreens like kale, spinach, broccoli, Swiss chard, and parsley. You can maximize your nutrition by combining supergreens with heart-healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avocados.

By increasing your daily consumption of leafy greens, you will provide your body with lots of micronutrients that will help with your exercise and training, and provide great health benefits. A quick and easy way to include supergreens within your diet is to simply add some greens into a smoothie — doing this actually doesn’t change the flavour, only adds lots of nutrients. A smoothie combined with nut butter for protein, fruits, coconut water or almond milk, flax seeds or avocados, will give you a healthy boost and replenish your energy stores after a long run.

Supergreen Smoothie Recipe • • • • • • • • • • •

1 cup almond milk 1/2 cup kale 2 celery stalks 1/2 cup spinach 1 apple, cored & sliced 1/2 cup mango 1 banana juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tsp spirulina 1 tbsp almond butter 1 tbsp flaxseeds

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, mix, and enjoy!

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

83

Race Directory

Where To Race In Asia DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

20-Nov

Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong

100km

Hong Kong

www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk

22-Nov

Salomon Trail Running Korea

27km

South Korea

koreatrail.net

22-Nov 22-Nov

27-Nov

Clark-Miyamit Falls Trail Ultra TsaiGu TangSi Trail (柴古唐斯

越野赛)

The Ancient Khmer Path

60km and 50mi 30km

HK168

168km

29-Nov 29-Nov 29-Nov 30-Nov 5-Dec 5-Dec 5-Dec 5-Dec 7-Dec

12-Dec 12-Dec

Ishigaki Island Beach & Trail Running Adventure King of the Hills Mountain Marathon Series - HK Island

Mountain Man Series Leg 3 – Benguet Gold Rush 2150

Otterbox Salomon Action Asia Malaysia Everest Marathon NilGiris Ultra

MSIG Lantau Vertical MSIG Lantau 50

Grace Charity Double Trail Walk Forest Trail Run

The Shaman Trail

The North Face 100 Hong Kong

bagan-temple-marathon.com

China

28-Nov 28-Nov

Myanmar

46km and 110km

10km, 21km and 42km

Maxi-Race Yangshuo

iranshao.com/races/567

Cambodia

Bagan Temple Marathon

32km, 46km and 60km 19km and 31km 21km and 50km 10km and 18km 42km

25km, 50km, 100km 5km

13km, 25km and 50km 31km

9km and 16km

15km and 70km

50km and 100km

cm50ultra.com

China

220km

28-Nov 28-Nov

Philippines

Hong Kong Japan

Hong Kong

Philippines Malaysia Nepal India

Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong Malaysia

Myanmar

Hong Kong

global-limits.com

maxi-events.com/yangshuo-maxirace/index.html hk168.com.hk

actrepsports.com seyonasia.com

teammalaya.org

actionasiaevents.com

everestmarathon.org.uk nilgirisultra.com

actionasiaevents.com actionasiaevents.com gracecharity.org

sports.my/events.php?event=33561forest_trail_run_2015 theshamantrail.com seyonasia.com

12-Dec

深圳越野100英里挑战赛

100 miles

China

lg8762828.gotoip2.com

13-Dec

Mt. Mitake Trail Run

15km

Japan

www.kfctriathlon.jp/html/home.html

19-Dec

Trail in Twilight Stars

12 hours of loops of 7km

Malaysia

facebook.com/ TrailInTwilightStars?fref=ts

13-Dec

84

Shenzhen Ultra Trail 100 Miles Race

Care Action Cup

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

28km

Hong Kong

careaction.org.hk/14appfrom.pdf

Race Directory

DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

20-Dec

Conquer Rush 30

5km, 10km and 30km

Philippines

conquertrailadventure.wordpress.com

27-Dec

Mizuno M25 Ultramarathon

Minimum of 5 laps of 10km each

Singapore

mr25.org.sg

25-Dec

1-Jan-16 1-Jan-16 1-Jan-16 2-Jan-16

Ramp Challenge – Tai Tam, Mount Parker

New Year N.E Mountain Race Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge

Ultra Trail Tai Mo Shan

The North Face Kathmandu Ultra

14km

20km and 28km 298km

52km, 110km and 161km

11km, 27km, 50km and 80km

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong Nepal

3-Jan-16

King of the Hills Marathon Series – Lantau Island

14km and 30km

Hong Kong

10-Jan-16

Adventure Terra Race

15km

Hong Kong

9-Jan-16

10-Jan-16

Batase Trail Race

Ngong Ping Charity Walk

One of the views that will be enjoyed by the participants of Ultra Tour Mt. Siguniang on Nov 4. (siguniang.new.chinarun.com) Photo: Kenzo Okawa

10km, 20km and 30km

Nepal

10km, 17km and 23km

Hong Kong

regonline.activeglobal.com/Register/ Checkin.aspx?EventID=1755362 xterace.com

facebook.com/ events/355099071348569 ultratrailmt.com

ultratrailkathmandu.com seyonasia.com

trailrunningnepal.org/trail-races/ batase-trail-race xterace.com

npcw.yha.org.hk

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

Please refer to the Race Calendar at www.asiatrailmag.com for the list of year-round trail races in Asia, and the reviews of these races.

85

Market place

ACTION X www.actionxstore.com

Causeway Bay Flat A, 1/F, Po Foo Building, 84-94 Percival Street, Causeway Bay

Discovery Bay North Plaza, Shop G16AG16C, G/F, 92 Siena Avenue, Discovery Bay Sheung Wan G/F, 28 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 3102 2977 Daily: 11:00 - 20:00

ROUND THE WORLD www.roundtheworld.hk

Shop A, 51 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 2745 6988 Mon-Sat: 11:00 - 20:00 Sun: 10:30 - 19:30

STARLIGHT Sports Shatin Shop 284, Level 2, Ma On Shan Plaza, Ma On Shan, Shatin, N.T. T: +852 2613 8995

Tseung Kwan O

LANTAU BASE CAMP www.lantaubasecamp.com Shop J, Sea View Building, Mui Wo, Lantau Island T: +852 5463 6060

Mon-Fri: 8:30 -19:30 Sat-Sun & PH: 8:00 - 19:30 Closed on Tuesday

Shop B05, Level 1, Nan Fung Plaza, Tseung Kwan O, N.T. T: +852 2410 9096 Mon-Sat: 11:30 - 21:30

PRo Runner Shop L1A, Fitfort, North Point T: +852 2327 0488 Mon-Sat: 12:00- 21:00

GONE RUNNING

www.gonerunning.hk

Unit 8B, Trust Tower 68 Johnston Road, Wanchai T: +852 3461 9792 Mon-Fri: 12:00 - 15:30, 17:30 - 20:30 Sat-Sun: 12:00 - 18:00

86

ALL WEATHER www.allweather.hk

13 1/F Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon T: +852 2384 8890 Mon-Sat: 15:00 - 21:00

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

OVERLANDER www.overlander.com.hk Base Camp@ Causeway Bay 3/F Gold Swan Commercial Building, 438–444 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay T: +852 3695 0871

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: 11:00 - 21:30 Sun: 11:00 - 21:00

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

PASSION RUN 2160 Rama4 Rd., Klongtoei Klongtoei Bangkok, Thailand 10110

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