Asia Trail September / October 2016

ASIA’S FIRST TRAIL RUNNING MAGAZINE

UTMB:

September / October 2016

171 HAPPY ASIAN FINISHERS

MASTERS OF THE TRAIL OXFAM TRAILWALKER:

Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

START

THE NEW SEASON WITH THE LATEST

GEAR

NUTRITION

Best Foods to Boost EPO Hormone, Naturally! www.asiatrailmag.com

HONG KONG HKD 48

SINGAPORE SGD 9.90

MALAYSIA MYR 12

THAILAND THB 250

INDONESIA USD 5

PHILIPPINES PHP 235

TAIWAN TWD 200

JAPAN JPY 750

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

CONTENTS #18

8 42 Photo: Wat Chalanant

34 70

Photo: Alexis Berg Photo: Alexis Berg

Photo: Daniel Chung

05 EDITOR’S NOTE

REGULARS

08 RACE NEWS

48 TRIVIA

UTMB: 171 Happy Asian Finishers Echigo Country Trail Lavaredo Ultra Trail Transpyrenea Genghis Khan Grassland Extreme Marathon Magnificent Meraphro Trail Singapore Action Asia 50 The Beast Trail Taiwan The Himalayan Crossing Sunrise to Sunset Trail Kayak n Run Series

FEATURES ON COVER 34 PROFILE

Oxfam Trailwalker: Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

42 TRAINING

Masters of the Trail

ON THE COVER UTMB: 171 Happy Asian Finishers

Race Calendar Stats

50 GEAR

Start the New Season with the Latest Gear

54 ASIA TRAIL SPECIAL

Cryotherapy, the Deep Freeze

68 NUTRITION

Optimal Nutrition to

Speed up Recovery

70 NUTRITION

Best Foods to Boost EPO

Hormone, Naturally!

76 RACE DIRECTORY 78 MARKET PLACE

56 FIRST STEPS

Should I Run Before Breakfast?

58 ASK THE COACH

How Many Races Is Too Many – and How Long to Rest Between?

Introduce Doubles into Your Life: The Key for the Time-Crunched Woman in Training

64 GEEK RUNNER

Mental Warm-Up and

UTMB:

September / October 2016

171 HAPPY ASIAN FINISHERS

MASTERS OF THE TRAIL OXFAM TRAILWALKER:

Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

60 WOMEN'S CORNER

ASIA’S FIRST TRAIL RUNNING MAGAZINE

Pre-Competition Routines

ASIA’S FIRST TRAIL RUNNING MAGAZINE

START

THE NEW SEASON WITH THE LATEST

GEAR

NUTRITION

Best Foods to Boost EPO Hormone, Naturally!

HONG KONG HKD 48

SINGAPORE SGD 9.90

UTMB:

September / October 2016

171 HAPPY ASIAN FINISHERS

MASTERS OF THE TRAIL OXFAM TRAILWALKER:

Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

START

THE NEW SEASON WITH THE LATEST

GEAR

NUTRITION

MALAYSIA MYR 12

THAILAND THB 250

INDONESIA USD 5

PHILIPPINES PHP 235

TAIWAN TWD 200

JAPAN JPY 750

Best Foods to Boost EPO Hormone, Naturally!

HONG KONG HKD 48

SINGAPORE SGD 9.90

MALAYSIA MYR 12

THAILAND THB 250

INDONESIA USD 5

PHILIPPINES PHP 235

TAIWAN TWD 200

JAPAN JPY 750

Digital Edition

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

3

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR: Clement Dumont

RACE NEWS EDITOR: Richard Cowley COPY EDITOR: Dominik Sklarzyk

CONTRIBUTORS: Andy DuBois Anna Boom Clint Cherepa Joshua Steimle Karen Lo Katia Kucher Michelle Lau Rachel Jacqueline

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alexis Berg Sunny Lee

ILLUSTRATION ARTIST: Kirk Wescom GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Anna Saraste

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 #18 Bimonthly ISSN 2409-5036

© 2016 Asia Trail. All rights reserved.

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However, we accept no responsibility for any error or omissions. All material published in Asia Trail is protected by copyright and unauthorized reproduction in part or full is prohibited.

asiatrailmag.com @asiatrailmag asiatrailmag

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Photo: Alexis Berg

Finisher or DNF: 50/50

O

ver 350 Asian runners dedicated their time to prepare for their dream race: The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Months of training, involving back-to-back long runs, are required to get ready for the race’s demanding climbs and downhills. Once finally at the UTMB start line, emotions are high, with one goal on everyone’s mind: Crossing the finish line, no matter how long it will take. The 46h cut-off time may seem generous, but considering the imposing difficulty, the race remains far from accessible for even the best-trained. The stats speak for themselves — this year 42.5% of participants did not complete the 170km, 10,000m D+, course. And this keeping in mind that all of the runners were exceptional, each one having had completed several qualifying ultras to even be admitted into the UTMB. A total of 171 Asian finishers were blissful at Chamonix, while others were left with unfinished business — due to the strict cut-off time or injury — and though disappointed, they remained determined to come back better prepared next year to complete the daunting course.

Trail running — and especially ultras — is one of those sports where ‘masters’ are very competitive, and this year’s UTMB winner, Ludovic Pommeret, a 41-year-old Frenchman, demonstrated that being fast is not enough; it’s running smart that brings you the win. Our journalist Clint Cherepa investigated how master trail runners attain success at the seemingly impossible (p.

42).

Sadly, as revealed last July, a trail runner at the UTMB tested positive for an EPO enhancement drug — that said, we thought that you may like to know how to improve your EPO naturally (p.

70)! Train smart, eat healthy, and rest well.

EDITOR: Clement Dumont

5

DEVIL’S

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

RIDGE

GOBI, CHINA

7

RACE NEWS

Heat Wave at the World’s MostCompetitive Ultra Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc – France John Ellis, GoneRunning.hk – Photos by Alexis Berg

D

espite a hectic Ultra-Trail World Tour calendar, UTMB remains a standout race for many elites, given the race’s rich tradition, stunning mountain scenery, consistently worldclass field, and the sheer difficulty of the 170km course. It has always taken something magical to win — and 2016 was no different.

This year, 2,555 runners toed the start line, with a mouth-watering line up that included previous podium finishers Luis Alberto Hernando, David Laney, and Tòfol Castanyer, plus last year’s Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix’s first and second Americans Zach Miller and Tim Tollefson, and Lithuanian powerhouse Gediminas Grinius.

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

In the women’s field, course record-holder Rory Bosio would be joined by 2015 second- and third-place getters, Uxue Fraile and Denise Zimmermann, as well as Switzerland’s Andrea Huser (who recently crushed Lavaredo), 2015 Western States champ Magdalena Boulet, and local favourite Caroline Chaverot (who fell agonisingly short last year, succumbing to stomach issues and leg cramps at Vallorcine, 151km mark, after leading all race).

The UTMB course circumnavigates Europe’s highest peak in a painfully difficult slog loop, starting and finishing at Chamonix, and including a number of 2,400m+ peaks, with relentless thigh-burning climbs mixed in with long technical de-

scents. Like last year, an extra technical climb up and down Col des Pyramides would see total elevation gain at above 10,000m D+.

An additional complication for 2016 would be the weather, with daytime temperatures soaring into the high 20s, well above average with humidity, and thunderstorms forecasted for late Saturday for the mid-packers. These impediments reflected in the higher-than-average DNF rate of 42%.

Considering the higher temperatures, it was not surprising to see the race start out at a less-frenetic pace than previous year’s. Despite being his first attempt at the ‘miler’ distance, Zach Miller led out

RACE NEWS

Frenchman 41-year-old Ludo Pommeret wins the UTMB on an inspiring come back in 22h00.

Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS - 120km) offers a demanding 2,000m climb followed by a steep technical downhill.

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RACE NEWS

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

RACE NEWS

COUNTRY/REGION

# FINISHERS

FASTEST FINISHER

Japan

83

Masatoshi Obara (16 in 24h39min)

Hong Kong

32

Ho Chung Wong (42 in 27h47min)

China

Singapore

South Korea Taiwan

Malaysia

Thailand

Philippines

43 4 3 3 2 1 1

Yanzhong Qin (62 in 29h15min)

Kooi Hong Lim (858 in 42h25min) Jae Duk Sim (123 in 32h19min) Hsin-Ping Wu (527 in 39h35)

Eng Li Kiek (1266 in 45h17min)

Phairat Varasin (116 in 32h09min) Aleksis Capili (1002 in 43h38min)

With a total of 171 Asian finishers, Japan is the Asian country with the highest number of finishers, followed by China, and Hong Kong.

Edward So and Raymond Ching from Columbia-Montrail HK team ran and finished together for their first UTMB in 44h00.

11

RACE NEWS in his typical rabbiting style, joined by four Frenchmen: Julien Chorier, Fabien Antolinos, Sébastien Camus, and Ludovic Pommeret.

Miller continued to push, building a 26min lead by Grand Col Ferret (the 102km mark) — but UTMB is all about closing well (as David Laney proved last year with a barnstorming finish for third). By Champex-Lac, just 24km later, Miller had lost his lead and would fade to a still-respectable 6th place. Chorier, too, though second for most of the race, would likewise slip back and finish in 8th.

Up ahead, the race was wide open. Grinius was running his typically well-paced ‘lawnmower’ strategy, Tollefson and Laney were also pushing through the field, and Pommeret had returned from the dead after dropping back to 50th with headaches and stomach issues on the descent into Les Chapieux. Of the four new frontrunners, no one was in the top seven at the

12

main checkpoint at Courmayeur.

From here, however, it was a one-man show, with Pommeret taking the lead on the climb up to Catogne and never looking back. While not a blowout win like the previous two years, his finish time of 22h was still a 26min gap to 2nd place Grinius (who himself was 4min ahead of Tollefson).

In contrast, the women’s race was a twohorse affair, with Chaverot dominant from the start and only Huser able to keep pace.

Like last year, Chaverot began to struggle in the later stages with leg cramps, whittling her 20min advantage down to just 4min by Praz de Fort (118km). However, she dug deep to hold on for the win in 25h 15min, just 7min ahead of a fast-finishing Huser (making this year’s competition the closest women’s race in UTMB history).

Third was Spain’s Fraile in 27h 10min.

Notable UTMB mentions for the Asian

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

men included Masatoshi Obara (16th, 24h 39min), Masazumi Fujioka (40th, 27h 39min), and Takashi Doi (43rd, 28h 2min), all from Japan, plus Hong Kong’s Wong Ho Chung (42nd, 27h 47min). For the women, excellent performances included that of Japan’s Kaori Niwa (8th, 29h 17min) plus Sophie Grant (10th, 31h 53min) and Marie McNaughton (15th, 33h 56min) from New Zealand, and China’s Yanxing Ma (17th, 34h 5min).

In the other races, Japan’s Ruy Ueda finished runner up at CCC (101km, 6,100m D+) in 12h 25min (only 5min behind winner Michel Lanne!), while Australia’s Majell Backhausen backed up last year’s strong UTMB finish with a well-paced 6th at TDS (119km, 7,200m D+) in 16h 5min.

France’s Xavier Thevenard also deserves a mention for his OCC win (55km, 3,300m D+), meaning he is now the only runner in UTMB history to win all four individual race formats.

Thailand had its first-ever finisher at the UTMB — Phairat Varasin finishing 116th in 32h 9min.

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RACE NEWS

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

RACE NEWS

Oguni Dance, Saké, and Trail Echigo Country Trail – Japan www.echigocountrytrail.com

T

he Echigo Country Trail was held in Oguni Forest Park, Nagoka, Japan’s Niigata prefecture. The Echigo Country Trail made its debut as one of the Asia Trail Master series races of the 2016 running calendar, with 250 runners combating 52km and 15km distances.

At the pre-event buffet, local people proudly served delicious dishes made with locally grown rice and vegetables.

Traditional Oguni folk dance and saké from Niigata, served in handmade bamboo cups, certainly made the 6 a.m. start difficult for some runners. Other factors that contributed to slower-than-usual

times included: the temperature rising to 30°C, high humidity, and a technical course with 2,000m of elevation gain, over 52km (forcing participants to use ropes to navigate through the steep sections).

The race featured many local Japanese trail-running elites, including Shunsuke Okunomiya and Mashiro Onu. Okunomiya lead from the start, with Toru Nakamura following closely behind. Onu — whose specialty are ultra-long distances — had a hard time, and slowed down to move to eight place by the 10km mark, ultimately finishing 9th overall. Okunomiya, the indisputable pre-race favourite, twisted his

ankle at the 22km mark, which offered Nakamura the opportunity to take the lead and hold it for the rest of the race, winning in a time of 5h 7min 52s. Arriving a few minutes behind was Jun Kaise (also from Japan), 2nd overall in 5h 22min 45s, with Takashi Kubo finishing 3rd overall in 5h 41min 19s. In the women’s category, Yukoku Takashima was the 1st woman to cross the finishing line (and at an impressive 5th overall), in 5h 59min 15s. Yumiko Oishi was 2nd woman home, in 6h 24min 4s, and Megumi Tokita arrived 3rd, in 6h 55min 3s.

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RACE NEWS

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

RACE NEWS

Picturesque Ultra-Trail World Tour in the Dolomites The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail – Italy www.ultratrail.it

John Ellis, GoneRunning.hk Photo: LUT2016

D

espite being one of the less-recognised races on the Ultra-Trail World Tour circuit, the Lavaredo Ultra Trail (119km, 5,850m D+) is arguably the most picturesque — and this year’s event also proved to be one of the most competitive.

The course starts to a sea of head torches in the main pedestrian area of Cortina, before a number of epic climbs above 2,000m, including Lavaredo (after the famous Tre Cime, three distinctive battlement-like peaks), and a taxing finish with Col dei Bos, Rif Averau, and Forc Giau, all in quick succession, before a steep technical descent back to Cortina.

This year’s expectations were high, with a 1,500-strong star-studded field including Pau Capell, Gediminas Grinius, and Rory Bosio, and a fine (though slightly warm) weather forecast, despite a pre-race shower in the lead up to the 11 p.m. start.

A lead group formed early on — including Andy Symonds, Scott Hawker, Pau Capell

Gil, Sylvain Court, and Gediminas Grinius — all rounding through the second checkpoint at Federevecchia (18km mark) in 2h 59min. The next two ascents up Son Forca and Lavaredo started to break things up, with Symonds clocking through Cimabanche (66km) in 6h 15min, and 7min up on Grinius, who himself was 2min ahead of Court.

Symonds showed no signs of letting up, building a 13min advantage through Col Gallina (94km), and, despite a late push from Grinius, finishing a comfortable and deserving win in 12h 15min 6s, exactly 8min ahead of the big Lithuanian. Farther back, Javier Dominguez paced his race to perfection, outside the top 10 at the first checkpoint but consistently nabbing scalps and beating Court for 3rd by over 15min, in 12h 36min 45s.

As Symonds reflected after the race: “The plan was never to lead from the 20km mark... but I had no really big dips in energy and the only challenge was keeping the

pace up.” And his most memorable moment? “Seeing the big moon, the moody post-storm clouds and the sun rise on the rocky slopes of the Dolomites to the sound of Pink Floyd is my kind of thing!”

The women’s event saw Rory Bosio and Switzerland’s Andrea Huser hit Federevecchia with a small lead, before disaster struck for Bosio with some debilitating stomach issues. From here, it was a onehorse race, with Huser romping to an easy win in 14h 32min 39s. Spain’s Uxue Fraile-Azpeitia grabbed 2nd in 15h 13min 9s, with Fernanda Maciel from Brazil rounding out the podium in 15h 20min 57s.

Notable performances from the Asian contingent included a New Zealand double 6th, courtesy of Scott Hawker and Marie McNaughton, plus another lucky 18th for Stone Tsang, as well as 15th for Emily Woodland and 20th for Wyan Chow for the women.

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RACE NEWS

Puzi Fighting with Sleep Deprivation in the Pyrenees TransPyrenea – France www.transpyrenea.fr

A

n 866km course, with a staggering elevation gain of 65,000m, and 22 checkpoints along the way — a true trail-running test, pushing not only the body but also the mind; certainly not a race for the faint hearted. The TransPyrenea spans the entire length of France’s south coast, skirting the Spanish border the whole way. It starts nearby Cerbère — on the Gulf of Lion, on the southeast coast of France — and runs all the way to the southwest coast, finishing at the coastal town of Hendaye, lying next to the Bay of

Biscay. The finishers get the chance to run, walk, and crawl from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

With a number of Asian competitors taking on the challenge, only one remained after a gruelling 16 days of walking and running (and most likely crawling, at some stages): Malaysian ultra trail runner Mohd Puzi Dolah — a specialist in such events — completing the race in a total time of 386h 49min 38s, which saw him finish 44th overall.

Though a total of 262 brave souls took on the daring feat, only 109 runners were still on the course halfway through, and with only 78 runners completing the 65,000m of climbs. French Caussarieu Valery and Gueraud Laurent along with Swedish Steene Johan finished the race together in 1st place, in a time of 302h 14min 33s — that’s an average of ~70km per 24h, for 12.5 consecutive days!

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RACE NEWS

Malaysian ultra trail-runner Mohd Puzi Dolah completed the 866km course in a time of 386h 49min 38s.

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

RACE NEWS Asia Trail interviewed Puzi, the only Asian survivor, to get his feedback on the race: What was the most-challenging aspect of the race? The lack of sleep, brutal terrain, or extreme weather?

Sleep management was the biggest challenge — you can’t go long without it!

The terrain and distance are the same for everyone. The weather you can’t do anything about — but sleep you can control. Too much, and you risk a DNF, too little and you become a zombie and get lost. Mathematically, your overall timing is determined by the stopping time, because most racers move at about the same speed, +/-25%. So the amount of sleep is key. I guess I hit it about right during this race. Surviving the distance was a daily challenge, for over two weeks of nonstop racing. It was like running a marathon 20 times over — but one that’s more than 20 times harder.

What kept you motivated?

For the first 400km, giving up was not an option as I was determined to complete the whole course. But even if you wanted to DNF, you still had to manage to walk to the next checkpoint, at times up to 50km away. Each time I reached a checkpoint or a life base, I felt refreshed and wanted to see what mountain scenery was lying next.

Did you undergo any specific preparation for this event?

The distance is the most-significant factor to survive without injury, and it is something you must be prepared for. You may think TransPyrenea is just running 20 marathons, back to back, but remember that going twice the same distance is three times as hard. My preparation was to harden my body and move at a pace at which I can recover while I run, and heal as fast as I get injured. I participated at long ultra distances — such as the Hardcore 100 Miles, the longest trail race in the Philippines — in preparation for the TransPyrenea. I took a four-week rest before the race to ensure I would be fresh, both mentally and physically. Navigation

by GPS through frigid fog and sleeting rain is something that I needed to master as well.

How did nutrition planning look like?

I carried a systematic daily supply of electrolytes, 6,000 base calories, and food I like. I packed the supplement products, but most enjoyed halal chorizo and goodold Malaysian food like instant nasi lemak and biryani rice. The checkpoints provided basic food, as a backup.

How much sleep did you get?

About 3h a day — but there were two exceptions where the organisers held us back because of the weather for 5h of sleep, and another time when the medical team didn’t think I should continue, but after resting and sleeping 16h, I felt fine and carried on. I twisted my ankle between checkpoint 7 and 8, near Le pic de Freychet, at 2,061m D+ (the 269km point), so the injury added to my sleep time.

What was your strategy and set daily kilometrage?

Well, 866km divided by 16 days (the cutoff time) is 54km per day, which doesn’t sound like that much, if you can run/ walk 12-18h a day. I, therefore, planned for 70km a day. Some days I actually did more than 70km but I was sick for two days, and could only cover 45km a day.

The bad weather and my ankle injuries cost me time on the first half of the race.

Further, the checkpoints were not equally spaced apart, some were 19km away, while at times you had to cover up to 78km to reach the next one to rest and eat properly. During the second half of the race, I was able to maintain my pace and avoid downtimes, which allowed me to cover an average of 54km a day. It seemed that 90% of the participants who DNF’ed succumbed to foot injuries or got lost. The strategy to prevent the injury and avoid getting lost is making sure your gear is adapted to your body. The major problem I encountered was blisters. The terrain had millions of sharp angular rocks — therefore well-cushioned shoes were essential to reduce the fatigue on my overtired legs.

What is your next challenge?

Since there are no bigger or longer races this year, I will ‘just’ be training for an Ironman or 100km races, and hopefully prepare for a new challenge, like the Hardrock 100 in the USA.

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RACE NEWS

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

RACE NEWS

Impressive Times at Grassland Grassland Extreme Marathon – Inner Mongolia www.grasslandextrememarathon.com

T

he 10th anniversary edition of the Genghis Khan Festival — in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region — witnessed the most-intense and exciting Grassland Marathon in the event’s history. While in the men’s race several runners were battling it out until well over halfway mark, the women’s race saw an impressive new course record.

As has become tradition, the marathon and half-marathon events took place under a blue sky with rising temperatures as the race progressed. With over 90% of the course off road, the vast grasslands perfectly suited fast runners. The 42.5km course is not pancake-flat, however, as a series of hills in the midsection, plus a total elevation gain of approximately 600m, drained the legs of all participants.

Pan Lihui — from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia’s capital city

— was the surprise winner of the men’s race. Of a group of six runners, he proved to have the most resilience, as the men attacked each other as if it were a bike race. Lihui opened up a decisive gap when he ran away from Zhang Zhenlong and last year’s champion Andrzej Lachowski (from Poland) on one of the climbs at the 26km point. The Chinese runner’s winning time was 2h 41min 16s, finishing 1.5min faster than Lachowski’s previous course record.

The latter still faded in the final section of this year’s race and saw Mongolia’s Surenjav return and overtake him for 3rd place.

It was the first time that not only mountain bikers but also runners from Mongolia travelled down from Ulaanbaatar to compete amid China’s grasslands. Mongolia’s Sanjidmaa won the women’s race, finishing far ahead of anybody else, in 3h 9min 21s, impressively beating the course record by more than 7min.

RESULTS MEN 1. Pan Lihui (China) 2. Zhang Zhenlong (China) 3. Surenjav (Mongolia)

2:41:16 2:46:27 2:53:54

WOMEN 1. Sanjidmaa (Mongolia) 2. Chen Erfen (China)

3. Meng Wen (China)

3:09:21 3:44:12 3:46:50

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RACE NEWS

Unique Cave Running in Malaysia’s Largest National Park The Magnificent Merapoh Trail – Malaysia www.merapohtrail.blogspot.hk

O

ver 600 runners, from 25 countries, took part in the second edition of The Magnificent Merapoh Trail (TMMT), a new edition to the Asia Trail Master series. The race was held along the border of Taman Negara, Malaysia’s largest national park, which is around 250km northeast of Kuala Lumpur. Race organisers used the event as a way to boost ecotourism, as an effort to support and protect the natural environment. On offer were 100km, 60km, and 30km distances for runners to choose from — with 1,400m of elevation gain for the 100km race.

This unique race saw participants running through three different caves and river crossings. Heavy rainfall days before the race caused the river crossings

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

to be trickier than originally planned, but this difficulty added to the overall adventure, making the crossings the highlight of the race for most of the runners.

With limited elevation gain, TMMT is a fast course, which created a very competitive race, with several runners vying for first place. UK’s Jason Robinson and Jeremy Verstrate from the USA opened up a lead in the first 21km, until Persik Cave, at which point Verstrate suffered stomach problems. Isaac Yuen Wan Ho from Hong Kong, Hedeki Kikuchi from Japan, Wayne McMurtie from Australia, and local runners Alan Toh and Abdul Rahman caught up at the cave, with the lead changing hands several times.

Robinson

remained

the

strongest

throughout and managed to open up a 30min lead over the other runners, hanging on to the position for ultimate victory.

Hong Kong’s Yuen Wan Ho finished 2nd and reclaimed the top spot overall — securing his spot back at the top of the Asia Trail Master rankings — and Hedeki Kituchi finished 3rd overall.

In the women’s 100km race, Asia Trail Master points-leader Tahira Najmunisaa (the pre-race favourite) did not disappoint, wrapping up an easy victory, a win which opened up her lead in the series to over 500 points. The battle for the remaining podium places was a lot closer, with Faherina Mohd Esa managing to hang out to 2nd place, and with Jocelyn Cheung, from Hong Kong, finishing 3rd female.

RACE NEWS

Kenya Dominates at Singapore Ultra Marathon MSIG Singapore Action Asia 50 www.actionasiaevents.com

A

fter three days of heavy lightning and thunderstorms, the sun gods intervened and blessed the international trail-running community of Singapore with one of the fastest ultra marathons of the year, with international runners — in particular those from Kenya — dominating the podiums. Over 1,300 registered runners from 21 countries competed in the second annual MSIG Singapore Action Asia 50 ultra marathon — an event covering 10km, 21km, and 50km, mostly off road with a mixture of grass track, trail, and road.

Starting in the dark at 5:30 a.m. to avoid the baking heat, Kenyan Haron Kiprugut Bor won the men’s 50km distance, triumphing in 4h 18min 33s (which was an

improvement from his fourth place finish at the 2015 event and his third at the 50km Hong Kong edition of the MSIG). Ahmad Lamchannak, from Morocco, finished 2nd in the men’s overall 50km, in a time of 4h 39min 29s. Finishing 3rd overall and 1st Singaporean across the line was Ahsiao Runsforspring, clocking in at 4h 46min 43s.

In the women’s 50km contest, the topthree places were dominated by Kenyan runners, all of whom finished in the topfive overall, with Susan Jemutai Kosgei finishing 1st female home and 2nd overall (only 8s behind Bor, her male Kenyan compatriot), in a time of 4h 18min 41s.

Rebecca Nakuwa was the 2nd female to complete the race, also coming in 3rd

overall, in 4h 30min 2s, and with Viola Jepchirchir arriving 3rd female and 5th overall, in 4h 45min 39s.

In the 21km race, UK’s Stuart Haynes secured 1st, in 1h 37min 46s — and it was another Kenyan victory in the women’s 21km, with Hannah Wabera Gathingi concluding in 1h 46min 13s.

The 10km saw more overseas runners claiming victory, with Nepalese runner Bijay Sunuwar wrapping it up 1st overall — and only 1s ahead of local Singaporean runner Lexxus Tan Swee Tiong — in a winning time of 45min, exactly. Anna Helowicz, from the UK, was the 1st female across the line, winning in a time of 51min.

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RACE NEWS

Photo: Sasha Tarasov

Runners Challenged by Tough Terrain in Northern Taiwan The Beast Trail – Taiwan www.beasttrail.taiwanbeastrunners.com

T

he second edition of The Beast Trail lived up to its name, with only five out of 40 starters managing to complete the 100km course, whose seemingly insurmountable elevation gain soared up to 7,550m. The race started out in the picturesque valley of the Great Wall Creek Forest, continuing through the mountains just on the outskirts of Taipei, and offering participants several distances, including 100km, 50km, 25km, 12km, and 4km.

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With only five finishers managing to complete the brutal 100km course, the twoman team of King Yan Leung and Alger Sai Kit Cheng, from Hong Kong, finished together to claim 1st place in the team category and 1st overall, crossing the finish line in a winning time of 26h 14min.

The 50km distance was another tough race, with an elevation gain of 4,100m. At the men’s 50km contest, local Taiwanese runners Wen Hsiao Chiu and Yen-Ching Chiang finished together in a winning

time of 10h 7min. In the women’s 50km race, Hong Kong’s Lai Po Lam clocked in 1st at 12h 54min.

Taiwanese runners also made appearance on the 25km podium, with Pin Chi Chou winning the male race in 3h 41min, and Kai Chang winning the female competition in 5h 40min. The 12km race saw local Taiwanese runner Wei Fu Teng win the men’s race in 1h 26min, and with USA’s Julie Leasure triumphing at the female race, in 1h 59min.

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RACE NEWS

Solo Runner Survives the 338km ‘Himalayan Crossing’ The Himalayan Crossing www.thehimalayancrossing.com

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he Himalayas, a word synonymous with beautiful landscapes, was the setting for the epic Himalayan Crossing race. Cutting through mountains, wide valleys, high-altitude lakes, and majestic snow-capped peaks, participants were literally left breathless by what lay before them.

With the longest race being the Himalayan Crossing itself, a formidable 338km race, the event offered three different race lengths. With a 70h cut-off time, and 10,886m D+, the race starts at Tabo monastery, at 2,792m above sea level, and reaches the highest point of 4,520m — adding to the difficulty are temperatures that often drop down to negative 28

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figures and heavy winds at night, testing the runners’ physical preparedness and mental nerve. This being a high-altitude event, organisers made it compulsory for runners to arrive a few days ahead of the race to ensure acclimatisation and safety of the runners.

The Spiti — a 168km race which runs from Kaza to the Rohtang pass, starting at 3,896m D+ and merging with the 338km Himalayan Crossing — has a tough 34h time limit and 5,941m of elevation gain.

The final race of the event is the Run of the Gompas, a 55km race that goes past Komic, the highest inhabited village in Asia. Starting at 4,133m D+, the Komic includes a 1,468m elevation gain, reach-

ing the highest point at 4,520m.

Only one brave soul took on the Himalayan Crossing — Bhupendrasing Rajput managed to complete the 338km in 78h 20min, whilst struggling with sleep deprivation and hallucinations. The Spiti Run was also only attempted by one runner: Shashwat Rao managed to complete the 168km distance in 34h 20min, with poor visibility and an uneven path slowing him down at various points.

At the Gompa Run, 11 out of 14 runners completed the race, with UK’s Keith Macintosh winning in 6h 5min.

RACE NEWS

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RACE NEWS

Magical, Remote Mongolia Welcomes Ultra Runners

Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Trail Ultra Marathon www.ms2s.org

Photo: Khasar Sandag

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pectacular Mongolia — with its wide open spaces, untamed wilderness, and raw natural beauty.

A land, at least outside of the capital Ulaanbaatar, that is seemingly unaffected by the modern world. A natural wonderland with limitless horizons. Until today, locals and nomads rely on horseback to traverse the vast steppes and over barren mountains. Through the eyes of a tourist, Mongolia is a unique adventure: A trip to the land of Genghis Khan is a journey back in time where the nomadic way of life is perfectly in tune with the rhythms of the landscape, and the local people are renowned for their warmth and hospitality. From the perspective of an ultra runner, Northern Mongolia offers the perfect landscape for an unforgettable run: windblown lowlands, pristine forests, seas of wildflowers, a crystal-clear lake,

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and impressive mountain trails.

Runners, from 21 different countries, flew from Chinggis Khaan Airport in Ulaanbaatar to Murun in the North of Mongolia (the closest city to the race camp), and then continued to travel 150km in jeeps overland, to finally reach the start line. A total of 67 runners took on the 42km and 100km, setting off to run into the darkness at 4 a.m., under a light rain.

Though the weather for the race turned out perfect, not being too hot.

Mongolian Tuguldur Tselmegsaikhan was the 1st runner to cross the line in the 42km race, in a time of 4h 34min, followed 2min later by another local runner, Daramaa Unurjargal. Bold-Erdene Davaadorg was 3rd, 12min behind 2nd place. In the veteran’s category, French-

man Jean-Yves Sévin won in a time of 6h 41min.

In the women’s race, Mongolian Purevchuluun Narmandakh was the 1st to cross the finish line, in 6h 27min, followed by Annapurna Slavman, an American living in Mongolia, who finished in 7h, exactly. Australian Xiaoqing Zou completed the podium, finishing in 9h.

In the veteran’s category, Swiss runner Pia Margrit accomplished the race in 9h 58min.

As for the 100km race, Brazilian runner Cicero Souza surmounted the finish line in 12h 59min. Japanese Tetsuya Kamatani took 2nd, in 14h 40min, with Chinese runner Xiaobin Qiu coming 3rd.

In the veteran’s category, Swiss HansJörg Hegner came 1st in 15h 50min.

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RACE NEWS

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Sizzling Temperatures at Kayak n Run, the Final Race of the Series Kayak n Run series – Hong Kong www.actionasiaevents.com

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he final race of the Royale International Kayak n Run 2016 series was held in Hong Kong, under blistering-hot conditions at Tai Tam. With the previous races being held in Discovery Bay and Deep Water Bay, the final bragging rights of the series was up for grabs.

To avoid the majority of the heat, the family race started nice and early, preceding the adult race, and offering a 2km kayak and 4km run. The adult course began with a 4km kayak course along the beautiful Tai

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Tam Bay coastline, heading towards Hobie Cat beach, where runners then proceeded to run a 4km loop along Dragon’s Back and descend to the beach to again kayak 2km back to the finish line.

Jeremy Leung and Wilson Lee — local Hong Kong runners from the North Face team — stole the show, teaming up for their first race of the series to win in a time of 1h 45min 34s. They didn’t however have it all their way, as the top-three teams traded places throughout the race,

with the two teams from Uglow Asia keeping the pressure on for the entire competition.

Adrien Choux and Antoine Epinette finished 2nd overall, and 2nd male team back home, in 1h 46min 57s, and with Mat Leng and Elsa Jeandedieu — mixed team from Uglow Asia — coming 3rd overall and 1st mixed team, only seconds behind, in 1h 47min 7s.

RACE NEWS

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PROFILE

Oxfam Trailwalker: Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

OXFAM TRAILWALKER: Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

By Rachel Jacqueline 34

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

PROFILE RACE NEWS

Crossing the finish line in 11h 58min, Tsang ‘Ying Ying’ Chun-kit, Law Chor-kin, Thomas Lam, and SK Tang became the fastest, all-local Hong Kong running team in the race’s 30year history, as well as the first to vanquish the elusive 12h barrier.

Photo: Charman To

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PROFILE

Oxfam Trailwalker: Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

T

wo minutes was all it took for team 2XU UFO to make history at the Hong Kong Oxfam Trailwalker in 2015. Crossing the finish line in 11h 58min, Tsang ‘Ying Ying’ Chun-kit, Law Chor-kin, Thomas Lam, and SK Tang became the fastest, all-local Hong Kong running team in the race’s 30-year history, as well as the first to vanquish the elusive 12h barrier.

A combination of past failures, a unique team dynamic, and an all-out effort played a part in their historic result. And undeniably, they were also ‘riding on the shoulders of giants’ of Hong Kong’s trail-running community that day.

Thanks to the work of many passionate runners over the years — educating, promoting, and raising awareness — the sport has finally reached a tipping point in the city. There are more races, more people taking part, and more displays of athletic prowess from local runners than ever before.

And yet, OTW remains the one race which draws so many athletes together to vie for the top spot. “[Trailwalker] was the first 100km trail-running team race in Honk Kong’s trail-running history,” explains elite local-runner Jacky Leung. “Many trail-running groups today want to prove themselves as the best trail-running team at the OTW.”

The attraction, he explains, lies in “the challenge of creating unity in what is more traditionally seen as a solitary pursuit.”

Leung goes on to observe that “the most difficult part of the race is finding harmony and stability in the team. It is interesting to figure out solutions for solving every little problem that happens along the way, from the different body condition of your teammates, to pacing and nutrition, and control within the team.”

For a city that neatly fits 7 million people in its 426 square miles, Hong Kong sure packs a green punch, with 70% of the city officially being country park. The sheer density and concentration of trail running in the city is tangible. This past running

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season, from October to March, there were 39 listed runs. And the heat of summer hasn’t put people off: Around 1,200 registered to take part in the first Midsummer Race of the season, taking place in the heat of the night in June. “When Hong Kong people are crazy for something, they’re unstoppable,” says Pig Chan, a well-recognised local runner.

Just as the city’s trail runners thought they had enough races, in the last couple of years the metropolis welcomed its own ‘trail-racing league,’ its first (and second) 100mi race, and an additional 100km in the Ultra Trail Tai Mo Shan. More unique race formats, like 10 Times Needle Hill (10 repeats of notorious Needle Hill, one of the final treacherous climbs in OTW) and Country of Origin (where runners race in teams of threes to represent their country), are also on the rise.

It may be the oldest, but OTW remains the biggest race among runners here and a staple on the local’s calendar each year, despite the rising wave of races. The annual charity event gathers 4,500 runners, and many more individuals acting as support. It has also spawned 15 similar 100km team races in 11 countries around the world, and raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Oxfam.

“It’s the most important race for Hong Kong runners, it has so much history,” explained Ying Ying in an interview last year after his team’s Trailwalker win, referring to OTW’s beginnings as a military exercise. In the early 1980s, brigadier Mervyn Lee from the British Gurkhas famously laid down a challenge for his hardy men: Walk all 100km of the newly established MacLehose Trail in a single weekend. It was a case of “it’s likely impossible, but let’s give it a shot in the name of charity, shall we lads?” Which was proved possible. The tradition continued among the military men for five more years until civilians were allowed to take part. The rest is history.

Many people have played key roles in developing Hong Kong’s trail-running scene, and many star runners have done their bit to push the boundaries of physical endurance to mark new ‘firsts’ in the iconic race.

But there’s one man whose name must be mentioned in the same breath as the words ‘Trailwalker’: Chan Kwok Keung, known simply as ‘KK’ Chan.

Since first taking part in 1996 — and noting that it was always the Gurkhas or the Westerners taking first place — he came up with the idea of a local Hong Kong team winning the event. In 1998, the Sun Hing Cosmoboys 2 became the first local Chinese Trailwalker champions, finishing in 15h 52min. The following year, in 1999, they clocked 13h 54min. Remarkably, they won again in 2000, in 14h 9min. After three consecutive wins, and with the support of others, KK went on to establish the Trailwalker Training Room, teaching its students how to take part competitively in the Trailwalker for years to come.

What KK and his comrades were able to achieve took another seven years to be replicated by an all-Hong Kong team. After wins by an international Montrail team in the early 2000s, and then consecutive wins by an unstoppable Securicor team, in 2007 the Hong Kong fire department’s Fire Services Team Beyond Limits team finally reclaimed the OTW crown (finishing in 12h 24min), and also smashing the existing record set by the Cosmoboys in 1999.

After another lull in local domination, largely led by the Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army and speedy teams from Nepal, another one of KK’s teams came close in 2012. Convoy Cosmoboys Team One (including Thomas Lam and Chor-kin from the 2015 2XU UFO), finished within a minute of the then-existing fastest local-team record: 12h 25min.

Apart from another close call in 2013 — during which the same members of 2XU UFO team finished in 12h 35min — the record was left untouched for the next eight years.

Will it take another seven or eight years until we again see a local team claim victory? Or can we see some magic displays from elite local runners this year? We caught up with several of the contenders taking part to hear their views and to gain some insights on what makes OTW so special.

“

I feel that people are inspired in this race by how hard everyone works for a shared target, no matter how difficult the process is.

Photo: Daniel Chung

Jacky Leung, S47 team.

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PROFILE

Oxfam Trailwalker: Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

KK (second from left) and his comrades kept the all-Hong Kong team course record for 7 years. Photo: OTW.

Mixed-Magic Having only ever competed in all-male or all-female teams, Nicole Leung Wing-Yan, Hoi Wing (Ball Wing) Chan, Hung Fat Cheung, and Toby Ming-shing To are joining forces this year for a competitive mixed team. Nicole explains the unique team dynamic.

“We are aiming for 13h 30min, but we may adjust our time expectations later on, depending on the progress of our training.”

“The four of us decided to form a mixed team after OTW last year. We have all known each other for a long time, and always run together, but we have never been in the same team before.”

“We follow our own training schedules, but we try to train together at least once a week. We think it’s very important to train as a team; you need to know each other’s fitness, each other’s pace, or even

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just how much food each member needs to take. Training helps you to get to know each other, and to coordinate all these fine details.”

“Ball Wing has done three OTWs, Toby has done four, and Nicole has only done one (last year). Fat’s forgotten how many times he has taken part!”

“This will be the first time for each of us to be in a mixed team. The strategy will be different from the past as the three boys will consume extra energy to tow and take care of Nicole this year.”

“Our plan is to keep a steady and comfortable pace in the first half. If we are feeling good, we plan to try and push the pace in the second half. Otherwise, we will just continue with our aim of finishing the OTW together.”

“We will be fuelled by congee, fruit, rice, sweet potatoes, and, if needed, gels.”

“If someone gets injured, we’d never give up on them. The plan is to deal with any issues as they arise. If it’s not too bad, we will just forget our time targets and stick together, to reach the finish line happily.”

“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly for us as a team is understanding, supporting, and helping each other, both physically and mentally, towards our shared goal.”

Team Salomon Aims to Sizzle

Elite local-runner Jacky Leung is passionate about Trailwalker, recalling his adventure with Team S47 last year in their pursuit of another fast time by a local team. Their journey became the subject of a documentary, “S47,” released earlier this year.

“Last year my team S47 was strong. Our target was 14h, and we followed it strictly. At 13h and 56min, just 200m from the finish, we were on schedule. Then, Taurus

PROFILE

2XU UFO team, the first local team to finish under 12h. Photo: Sunny Lee

Chung Pak Hang fell, exhausted. We had to carry him to the finish line for first aid.

Luckily, he was fine after resting for 2h. Although we still did great — with seventh ranking overall, at a time of 14h 32s — it really raised the issue around the safety of trail running and over-exerting yourself.

We launched a short documentary about the race last year in the short film titled “S47.” I think it’s important that runners, especially beginners, learn how to take care of themselves on the trail, especially in a race like the Trailwalker.”

“TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More. I feel that people are inspired in this race by how hard everyone works for a shared target, no matter how difficult the process is. Taking part in a challenge like this together really gives insight into another person’s character; you see your teammates and other people as brave and smart, and at the end you believe that everyone can face any challenge in their life after going through such tough

training and racing together.”

Leung will team up with Jeremy Ritcey, Valerie Lagarde, and Tom Bradshaw from Team Salomon Hong Kong.

Trailwalker

Veterans

Taurus Chung (鍾仔), Gorden Yuen, and Syfat Takchun (阿俊), together with Trailwalker veteran Alger Cheng Sai Kit are still on the waiting list for confirmation, but are hoping to help Alger on his 25th completion of OTW. “This year is my 25-year anniversary. I have been taking part in OTW since 1991.

It has always been an opportunity to gather a group of friends who are interested in hiking and jogging, and have this experience together. That hasn’t changed.

But really, Trailwalker is not just a matter of four people; it takes a huge amount of support from friends and family to allow you the time to train in the first place, and

then a large group of friends to support you on the day. It really is a major event in the Hong Kong calendar if you like the outdoors. I feel it’s not an option not to take part — if you live in Hong Kong and you love the trails, you must take part in this important annual event.”

“As a team we are aiming for about 14h this year. The aim is just to enjoy it, and not put in too much pressure on ourselves.”

“As part of my 25th anniversary, we will have a lot of friends supporting us and cheering us on. But the most important of the support team is my wife, Rosanna, who has supported me for more than 10 years.”

“Race-day weather is never perfect. So I recommend that when the weather doesn’t look good — when it’s hot, or rainy, or humid — that is the day to train to learn to adapt. Even if you are well trained, dealing with a hot day is always hard. This 39

PROFILE

Oxfam Trailwalker: Celebrating a Hong Kong Race for Hong Kongers

is where a crew or support team can help.

If it is a really hot day, make sure you have plenty of sunscreen to avoid sunburn, and reapply it during the day. Ask your crew to prepare thin ice packs to use to help cool down, and use water spray. Make sure you drink more water, with electrolytes, and you may have to adjust your nutrition plan to deal with the hot weather.”

“If it’s raining, make sure you have new shoes, new gear, and new socks to change in to. Pay attention to blisters and chaffing — I have learnt this the hard way.”

“The night before, I always eat meat and vegetables, and also make sure I have enough carbohydrates in the way of noo-

dles or rice. Since you usually have to wait 3-4h from waking up to actually starting the race, I always have two breakfasts: some bread or pasta, and then something before the start. If you don’t get a solid meal in to start the day, by the time you hit Sai Wan I find you get quite hungry and weak.”

“After all these years, my approach is to eat lots of small meals — real food — and often things such as rice, potatoes, rice dumplings. The supply of nutrition on the race day — though perhaps not something that people practice or train for — is so important. Some foods you just can’t digest, and if you don’t train yourself and your stomach, that can really end your game. So

I think everyone should spend the time in training to find out what works for them.”

“As a team, you may not be able to train together all the time, but make sure you do at least twice before so that you can adapt to each other’s speed. At the end of the day, the strongest has to take care of the weaker teammates. Put the slowest in the front to adjust the speed. Without the slowest doing well, the whole team cannot do well.”

“The best outcome I can hope for in my 25th year is completing as a full team, healthily. Nothing is worth damaging a friendship. I’m also looking forward for my 26th OTW and beyond.”

TOP HK TEAMS SINCE 2001 © YVONNE LO YEAR RANK TIME TEAM NAME

MEMBER 1

MEMBER 2

MEMBER 3

MEMBER 4

2001

4th

14:56

047 Fire Services Department

Kong Chi Ming

Lee Chi Wai Taddy

Poon Fu Hing

Choi Kau

2002

5th

14:48

S02 Sunhing Cosmoboys 2

Chan Kwok Keung

Ho Hon Ming

Ho Ka Fai

Ho Yuk Ming Simon

2003

4th

13:33

S01 Sunhing Cosmoboys 1

Lau Yu Chun

Ho Hoi To

Chan Kwok Keung

Ho Hon Ming

2004

2nd

12:33

S01 Sunhing Cosmoboys

Shih Wa Hing

Ho Hoi To

Chan Kwok Keung

Leung Wing Leung

2005

2nd

13:20

S01 Sunhing Cosmoboys 1

Chan Kwok Keung

Law Chor Kin

Yip Chun Fai

Lai Chun Keung

2006

2nd

12:49

S18 Fire Services Team Beyond Limits

Kong Chi Ming

Fong Ming Fai

Tsang Siu Keung

Wong Mun Chi

2007

1st

12:24

S18 Fire Services Team Beyond Limits

Kong Chi Ming

Fong Ming Fai

Tsang Siu Keung

Wong Ka Wai

2008

2nd

13:52

0296 PowerBar 天鷹 Salomon - 洪葉業粦

Yip Chun Fai

Lam Shing Yip

Law Hung

Chung Tak Lun

2009

6th

13:44

0050 Convoy Cosmoboys 3

Lee Bik Sai Ida

Law Chor Kin

Loong Tai Tak

Tam Siu Kan

2010

5th

13:40

5016追峰-天鷹

Lam Shing Yip

Leung Chiu Yin

Yip Chun Fai

Leung Siu Pang

2011

4th

12:59

S01 Convoy Cosmoboys Team 1

Chan Kwok Keung

Lam Ka Hei Marco

Wong Kam Cheong

Yung Wai Huen Albert

2012

4th

12:25

S01 Convoy Cosmoboys Team I

Lam Ka Hei Marco

Law Chor Kin

Wong Kam Cheong

Lam Shing Yip

2013

3rd

12:53

S53 2XU Hoka Team

Law Chor Kin

Tang Sun Kam

Ho Dik Hei

Wong Ho Chung

2014

3rd

12:43

S58 Fire Services Team HKFSD

Tsang Siu Keung

Wong Ho Chung

Wong Ka Wai

Chung Tak Lun

2015

1st

11:58

S53 2XU UFO

Tsang Chun Kit

Law Chor Kin

Lam Shing Yip

Tang Sun Kam

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Photo: Wat Chalanant

Jung Chumphol has the ambitious objective to become the first Thai ultra trail runner to succeed at the infamous 200mi Tor des Géants.

Masters of the Trail

TRAINING PROFILE PROFILE

Masters of the Trail

By Clint Cherepa

E

ntering the age group of a master trail runner is a grand achievement. These experts of ultra running are some of the best ultra marathon racers around. Whether you yourself are a master, are close to being one, or still have years to go, growing older is on every successful ultra runner’s horizon.

Read on to learn how ultra running elites have mastered the master’s category.

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TRAINING

Masters of the Trail

“I think you become a little more realistic about what is possible and you tend to not charge off the line. You keep a steadier pace, allowing you to go longer and quicker.” Photo: Daniel Cheung

The Advantages of Age Thumbie Remigio is 43, and lives in the Philippines. For the past 25 years, he’s been running, cycling, and participating in endurance and adventure sports. His running accomplishments include regularly finishing in the top 10 at all of the major mountain ultra races in the Philippines for the last five years, not to mention that he’s won all of the major adventure races in the country.

Reflecting on the advantages which come with age, Remigio says: “Older runners have tremendous racing experience, vast training knowledge, and deep understanding of the sport. They have already acknowledged their physical limits, so they are wiser about their training and racing.”

The benefits of racing experience and training knowledge cannot be underestimated. After years of running and spending endless hours in the mountains, a sea-

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soned trail runner is sure to acquire other indispensable qualities.

“Mental flexibility, humility, patience, and experience count tremendously in ultra running, particularly as the races get longer,” says Nikki Kimball, who at 45 has many podium finishes under her belt.

Throughout her ultra running career, she’s consistently broken course records.

Kimball adds, “Life and racing experience give us the tools to learn patience and flexibility, provided we are willing to listen to our experience.”

Fifty-four-year-old Ian Wright also lives in Singapore. He’s participated in everything from Ironman events to 100-miler ultra marathons: “I think you become a little more realistic about what is possible and you tend to not charge off the line. You keep a steadier pace, allowing you to go longer and quicker.”

And the learning never ends.

Karl Meltzer, the winningest 100mi on earth, says: “Having run so many races myself, I’m still learning new tricks, and always looking for ways to gain an advantage through efficiency. As we get older, we simply have more miles on the trails and technical areas. We learn how to pace ourselves well, too. And the older we get, the less we need gadgets.”

Meltzer holds the record of the most 100mi trail-race wins: 35.

Take the ‘Dis’ out of Disadvantage

Now, how about the flip side of ageing as a trail runner?

The overall consensus among the interviewed runners was that at a certain point of age speed does indeed tend to decline.

As Meltzer says, “The obvious answer about disadvantages is we just get slower.”

But, speed is not everything.

Being 48, Meltzer is still winning 100mi

Masters of the Trail

TRAINING

Karl Meltzer holds the record of the most 100mi trail race wins. Photo: John Evans

races. He just placed first overall at Alabama’s Lake Martin 100 Mile Race. He finished in less than 17h. As Meltzer reflects: “We do learn how to manage the issues through experience, and we are much smarter (at least I think I am) about how hard to push and when to slow down or be careful to prevent injury.”

An interesting observation of Kimball’s: “We absolutely loose speed as we age. Our endurance decreases too, but at a much slower rate. Thus this disadvantage will hurt more in the shorter ultras, which is part of the reason one sees relatively greater masters’ performances at longer races. I feel, after 17 years in this sport, that I cannot race anything shorter than a 100km well, unless it is a super gnarly, hilly, or otherwise challenging course.”

What else can a trail runner do as speed lessens?

Meltzer’s solution: “I run further and it makes it look as though I’m still fast. I

don’t do any speed-work. I don’t enjoy it, so I stay away. And the age factor makes speed-work more risky for injury. Having just run a 17h 100-miler, it sounds fast on paper, but I’m not running fast, I’m just running almost every step. I am very patient with racing and run my own race every time, regardless of who is in the field. I enjoy the strategy of running from behind. It’s simply more fun to race that way.”

Even as you age, speed-work is not off limits — it has its place.

“For a competitive runner, speed is very important, that’s why I incorporate speed workouts (intervals, fartleks, hill repeats, etc.) into my training program. I constantly push myself in training by joining younger and faster runners, and my strength and conditioning workouts help me a lot on my speed and agility on the trail,” says Remigio.

Wright has done speed-work on and off,

and finds that it does have benefits. He suggests occasionally entering a 10km or 21km road race to mix things up, utilising the event as a speed session.

The Reality of Recovery

Another unavoidable part of ageing is the increase of recovery time.

Jung Chumphol, from Thailand, is 45, and has the ambitious objective to, this year, become the first Thai ultra trail runner to succeed at the infamous 200mi Tor des Géants.

Chumphol mentioned observing that recovery time is longer for both his muscles and cardiovascular system. This is something that you do not want to ignore, unless you want to end up overtrained and injured.

Here’s Meltzer’s key to avoiding overtraining: “The real key to avoiding injury in my opinion is to respect distances and never

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TRAINING

Masters of the Trail

overdo training. We see a lot of younger runners training very hard; they either get hurt, or fall into an overtraining hole where they become flat.”

Meltzer also believes that recovering properly involves listening to your body: “I am a big advocate of listening to body signals to prevent injury. Pushing through things that start to hurt on a run can be extremely risky. If I have to walk home after running only a mile, I’m disciplined enough to actually do it. After running longer races, I also am very careful in the return to daily running. I wait for my body to decompress, and I then start with little, slow 3mi runs.”

Chumphol uniquely relies on barefoot training for adapting to running with the least amount of impact. He also starts very slow and increases speed gradually, both in training and races. Another secret

THUMBIE REMIGIO: “Adapt to the new trends of present-day running. With this, I restructured my training program, I now listen to a coach, I made some changes on my nutrition, I do a lot of research and cross-training, and I went back to the gym. Most importantly, I rest at the end of the week to give myself time to recover.”

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weapon are his trekking poles for steep downhill running.

“To be most successful, you need to focus more on recovery, race hard much less often, and make sure that slow workouts are slow, and that quality workouts are well planned,” says Kimball.

Avoiding Injuries

Wright suffered from chronic Achilles’ heel problems. The doctors he visited advised him to undergo surgery, though a friend of his suggested trying rolling with a foam roller instead — and within three weeks the pain and tightness disappeared.

Kimball believes that core and hip strength are both critical in terms of injury prevention: “Certain body parts — the hamstrings being a great example — have a much greater likelihood of injury as we age. So I take notice of little niggles before

Chumphol also includes traditional Thai massages, cross-training, triathlons, and weight training to help him ward off injury.

Remigio says, “I do strengthening workouts at least three times a week, focusing on my running muscles and core. I get massages at least two times a week, and rest is very important to avoid training and racing burnout.”

Kimball’s closing words of advice: “Race less and recover more. This will allow the master runners to have a much more injury-free, speedy, and fun career — well into their 60s, 70s, and beyond.”

JUNG CHUMPHOL:

TIPS FOR ADJUSTING TO AGE

NIKKI KIMBALL:

KARL MELTZER:

“Establishing a relationship with a personal trainer, or a rehab professional, prior to injury, or right at the onset of even a little irritation, can help tremendously.”

“I have not made too many adjustments in my entire career.

Once I found what works, I’ve been sticking with it since day one. I’ve always been a believer in, ‘If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.’”

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

they become injuries, particularly in areas like the Achilles tendon or hamstrings, and I use massage or physical therapy to treat it before it becomes a full-blown problem.”

“Listen to body signals, such as: when to eat or drink, and when to slow down. Maintain body weight by eating less, and stick to a healthy diet. Sleep earlier and longer. Practice mindfulness or meditation.”

IAN WRIGHT: “I look after my diet a lot more than I used to, partially through intolerance to some foods, but also to ensure I restock my body. I eat plenty of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and good sources of protein.”

Clint is currently in Nicaragua engaged in volunteer work, writing, and ultra training. He plans on returning to the USA this summer to run a "local 100". He can also be found inspiring runners of all levels at strongerrunners.net.

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TRIVIA

3

114

2

122

32

120

15

3

30 13 Israel 1

42

5

18

Brunei

1

47 16

9 Australia

4

N. Zealand

3

Asia Trail Race Calendar Key Numbers Looking for ideas on what races to sign up to spice up your racing schedule? Search no further than our extensive race calendar on Asia Trail website. There are more than 600 events from 29 territories in Asia for you to choose.

Refer to www.asiatrailmag.com for our comprehensive list of Asian trail races.

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

615

ndar 2016 Race Cale

TRIVIA

Unique events for a total of 858 races in the 2016 & 2017 race calendar

CHINA HONG KONG JAPAN

HONG KONG offers the highest

Are the territories with the greatest number of events

Nepal

hosts 12 ultras in high altitude

86 races

of 100km in Asia and 62 races of >100km of the races are 10-50km in distance.

69th edition in 2016 is the biggest race with more than 5,000 participants 49

GEAR

Start the New Season with the Latest Gear

Start the New Season with the Latest Gear

SALOMON S LAB SENSE ULTRA 5 SalomonRunning.com | HKD 1,720

The fifth version of the ever-reliable S-Lab Sense provides runners with a lightweight shoe that ensures a sturdy grip across various trail terrains. Featuring a quick-drying breathable mesh, the shoes are perfect for hot weather. Also equipped with the traditional Salomon quick-lace system.

SOUL ELECTRONICS IMPACT WIRELESS SoulElectronics.com | HKD 749

A compact, lightweight (14g), and ergonomic design ensures you feel great while enjoying the best trails with the accompaniment of your favourite music (in great quality, thanks to a good balance of deep-low bass). The integrated dual-battery allows a playtime of up to 8h — so you can go for a full day of running whilst enjoying your favourite beats.

ALPINAMENTE 3264M SUNGLASSES Alpinamente.com | HKD 1,488

Comfortable, snug fitting, and designed especially with Asian runners in mind. The frame is light (35g) and, thanks to the custom nosepiece, highly stable, even on your most-technical downhills. The water- and oil-repelling coating, plus anti-smudge finish, makes the pair a great addition to your arsenal of longrun gear, and you needn’t worry about handling them with dirty hands during your expeditions. Available in a range of fun colours. Look stylish running in the city and on the trails.

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GEAR HOKA ONE ONE HUAKA 2 HokaOneOne.com | HKD 1,280

Despite its oversized midsole, the Huaka is less squishy and more flexible than other Hoka models. Mostly unchanged from previous incarnations, apart from a slightly larger toe box, this shoe is definitely the most comfortable of all Hokas. Huaka is a versatile and very-responsive shoe with a low heel-toe drop (4mm), plus a thin-skinned and highly breathable upper.

ULTRASPIRE C2 CUP UltraSpire.com | HKD 65

The innovative design of the eco-friendly C2 hydration cup is the best we tested so far. Lightweight for a 200mL fluid capacity, the cap easily collapses into a palm-size shape for storing in your race vest or pocket.

ULTRASPIRE VELOCITY UltraSpire.com | HKD 1,190

This comfortable and breathable vest has an impressive 7L capacity, with two front 550mL flasks. The highlight of this bag is the easy access of its back angled pockets, designed for easily reaching your gear, like a waterproof jacket, without having to take the pack off.

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GEAR

Start the New Season with the Latest Gear

MICRODERM DERMODACYN Dermodacyn.com | HKD 99 (2oz), HKD 199 (8oz)

Being 100% alcohol-free, this natural spray helps heal common sports-related wounds (such as skin abrasions, cuts, burns, and blisters). It eliminates 99.99% of bacteria, and can even be used to sterilise sports equipment. Our team tested the spray on smelly shoes and hydration vests — and it worked!

SALMING RUN WIND TIGHTS Salming.com | USD 110

These technical tights have several features to keep you warm and dry in cold weather. The front panels are made of Windstopper fabric, covered in a durable water-repellent treatment, while the back panels are made of a brushed thermal polyester and elastane fabric, keeping your backside warm. Additional features are its waist pocket, reflective material, zipper legs, and preshaped knees — making these tights a reliable choice for long runs in cold weather.

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SALMING RUN FUSION WOMEN'S JACKET Salming.com | USD 110

With this jacket, there’s no longer any excuses to not go out in rough conditions. The Swedish brand came out with a trendy and comfort design, with the side panels made out of a woven lightweight stretch-fabric. We tested the water- and wind-repellent shell fabric — and it works, very well.

GEAR

MOJI MINI PRO & FOOT PRO GoMoji.com | HKD 260 (Mini Pro), HKD 350 (Foot Pro)

The Moji Mini Pro is a handheld, travel-friendly mini massager, indispensable for relieving your sore muscles. Designed to be at its most effective when taken out of the freezer for an ice massage.

The top sphere provides a targeted massage while the bottom one offers a deep all-round rub. Similarly, the Foot Pro model is great at relieving plantar fasciitis pain (a common problem for runners).

LED LENSER HEADLAMP H6R LedLenserUSA.com | HKD 600

This USB-rechargeable headlamp works great for your night runs — its 200 lumens (projected either as a wide beam or powerful long-distance spot) will illuminate darkness for speedier runs. The battery life is 2h in full power, and up to 40h in low power, but, should you unexpectedly run out of juice, you can also use standard AAA batteries. We found the H6R very stable on technical runs, even with the batteries in the back, with the overhead band firmly grasping the head.

KAPPA WOMEN’S QUARTER TIGHTS Kappa.com | HKD 298

These 3/4 tights are breathable and comfortable. Their wide waistband offers a sleek fit, which makes them perfect for your runs or cross-training.

Stay visible on your night runs with their reflective side bands.

KAPPA MEN’S TRAINING TEE Kappa.com | HKD 338

This tight-fitting, but breathable, training t-shirt is made of 92% polyester and 8% elastane, allowing you to feel comfortable and unrestricted when running.

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Asia Trail Tests for You:

Cryotherapy, the Deep Freeze Ice baths used to be the go-to for athletes looking to optimize recovery time and improve blood circulation, but today cryotherapy — the use of extreme cold — is replacing athletes’ traditional ice-bath routines. Cryotherapy is the ultimate approach for improving performance and accelerating recovery.

As a clinically proven non-invasive treatment, cryotherapy has a number of benefits for beauty, overall wellness, and athletic performance. The procedure involves exposing the skin to cool dry-nitrogen gas, reaching sub-zero temperatures and triggering the body’s natural healing responses.

During a cryotherapy session, we entered 54

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

a cryosauna, a chamber which is filled in a slow and controlled pattern, with dry nitrogen gas covering the body (excluding the head and hands, which are placed outside the machine at the top). After 3min, the temperature reaches between -90°C to -140°C, enabling an adrenaline rush and the rapid release of endorphins.

During these treatments, the cold temperatures trigger the body’s natural fight-orflight response, stimulating blood circulation, and increasing oxygen and nutrient supply to areas of the body that need it.

Accompanying these responses is also the release of endorphins, relieving stress and increasing energy levels, instantly.

Cryotherapy also triggers vasoconstric-

tion (tightening of blood vessels) and vasodilation (widening of blood vessels), allowing blood to flow more freely through your veins (very advantageous for runners). The benefits of cryotherapy include regulated sleep patterns, improved energy levels and metabolism syntheses, strengthened immune system, improved blood circulation, speedier muscle recovery, maintenance of youthful skin, and reduction of inflammation.

Our conclusion: We felt great after the session. It is worth a try, at least for experiencing the extreme -140°C temperature!

Where to experience it: Polaris-Wellness.com

FIRST STEPS

n u R I d l u Sho ? t s a f k a e Before Br

By Joshua Steimle

Are there benefits to waking up and running on an empty stomach?

I usually wake up, drink a glass of water, and go. If I’m running for less than 90min, I don’t take any liquids or nutrition with me.

But sometimes I get a late start, in which case I’ll often have breakfast with the family before I go out. Breakfast is usually a bowl of oatmeal or granola with fruit and almond milk, or a green smoothie. Despite the sharp contrast in calorie intake, I’ve never noticed a difference on my shorter runs, and on longer runs I only notice that I need calories sooner if I don’t fuel before running. But what about burning fat? And could there be other performance gains, or losses, to running on an empty stomach that I’m not noticing? Are there even any hard-and-fast rules that apply to everyone, or is everyone different?

Burning More Fat... or Not?

Around 2001, someone gave me a copy of Bill Phillips’ best-selling fitness book, “Body for Life.” In it, Phillips teaches that morning exercise on an empty stomach leads to dramatic fat loss. His logic is that without food in the belly, one’s glycogen levels are low in the morning, so, when you exercise, your body has to use fat as fuel, rather than stored carbohydrates.

Unfortunately for those of us trying to shed extra weight, this isn’t how things work. Although there may be accelerated

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burning of fat in the short term, the body adjusts and compensates, and due to this there is virtually no difference in the long term. Science has borne this out in studies showing that while exercise burns fat, whether one exercises on a full or empty stomach makes no long-term difference1 — until you exercise over 90min.

I almost always run more than 90min, and sometimes for several hours, so does that mean I’m better off starting without food?

Hardly. Exercising without food can send your body into a catabolic state2 (meaning it starts processing muscle tissue as fuel, and that’s the last thing you want).

Other Potential Benefits to Running On an Empty Stomach?

You may have had the experience of downing a large meal, going out and running, and then feeling drained of energy and perhaps even nauseous. This can happen when your body’s energy is focused on digesting food rather than running. Running on an empty stomach means avoiding this situation, providing an obvious benefit in terms of performance, and an obvious alternative to vomiting on the side of the trail or having to lie down and rest while your body processes the food.

However, you can also avoid this situation by allowing adequate time for digestion of your breakfast before heading out on your run. That time can be minimised by consuming lighter foods and those that come in liquid form, like a smoothie.

The Best Rule In researching this article, I read 10 other articles, got opinions from several experts, and examined findings from a number of studies. At best, it appears that running on an empty stomach removes the likelihood of certain gastrointestinal issues that may occur from running on a full stomach. At worst, running on an empty stomach can be damaging to muscle tissue. Neither practice will have a large effect when it comes to burning fat. The only guiding principle I can draw from the information available, as well as from my personal experience, is to experiment and do what works for you. As always, aim for a longterm lifestyle that meets your needs rather than short-term gain.

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.

References:

1. Horowitz JF, Mora-Rodriguez R, Byerley LO, and Coyle EF. “Substrate metabolism when subjects are fed carbohydrate during exercise.” American Journal of Physiology 276.5 (1999): E828-35.

2. Blomstrand E, Saltin B. “Effect of muscle glycogen on glucose, lactate and amino acid metabolism during exercise and recovery in human subjects.” Journal of Physiology 514 (1999): 293-302.

FIRST STEPS

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ASK THE COACH

How Many Races Is Too Many – and How Long to Rest Between?

How Many Races Is Too Many – and How Long to Rest Between?

By Andy DuBois

F

OMO — the fear of missing out — is common with ultra and trail runners: So many races to do, so little time! But how many is too many and how long off should you take between races?

There are a number of variables you will need to take into account to determine the optimal number of races for yourself, and how long between races you will need to rest. Things to consider include the distance of the race, how well trained you are, how many races you want to perform at your absolute best, how well you recover, and the terrain of the race.

Longer races don’t always take longer to recover after than shorter races — a hard road marathon would take longer to recover from than a 50km trail ultra (assuming you race both to the best of your ability on the day). Races involving fast downhills on hard surfaces will take longer to recover than races on soft trails. A longer race that involves a lot of hiking may take less time than a shorter race that involves more running.

For marathon- and longer-length events, a maximum of four races per year is at the limit of what most people can attempt, competing at their peak. Any more than that and you are heading for burnout or suboptimal performances.

So when looking at which races you are keen to undertake, pick out the 3-4 that excite you the most. These are your ‘A’ type races, the ones you train specifically for, and taper for, to make sure your legs are fresh. ‘A’ races require total physical and mental commitment and usually leave you feeling washed out physically and men-

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

tally for a few weeks afterwards. You just cannot dig that deep too many times each year, without suffering consequences.

The gap between A races should minimally be 6-8 weeks. This allows for 1-2 weeks of recovery, 2-4 weeks of hard training, and then 1-2 weeks to taper. Ideally, A races should be spread throughout the year — but in a place like Hong Kong where the majority of the major races are all in a four-month time period, this is difficult, so aim to have your A races spread throughout the season as much as possible, to maximise recovery and time available to train for each of them.

Recovery from an A race should consist of short and easy 30-60min runs, for the first 7-10 days. Active recovery that keeps your body moving but not stressing it, such as walking or bike riding, can be a better alternative if the legs are very sore. Passive recovery techniques, such as massages and ensuring you have at least 8h of sleep each night, are also very important for a speedy recovery.

Any other races need to be B or C races.

B races are ones that you only have a few days to freshen up for, that are raced on slightly tired legs, and during which you don’t push 100%. You will typically need an easy-training week after a B race, and then be fine to resume back into full training.

B races should only need 3-7 days for recovery, and because of this they shouldn’t be longer than your regular long runs.

Doing a 100km race as a B race will affect your A races, since it takes more than a week to recover from this longer distance,

even if you don’t push 100%. B races are typically 20-60km and help you prepare for your A races. As B races are run at a faster pace than your normal long runs, you should space these out throughout the racing calendar — leaving at least 3-4 weeks between B races. Avoid doing any B races in the two weeks before or after your A races. The focus should be on tapering and recovery, not on racing.

C races are events that you fit into your normal training with no taper or recovery.

They are part of your training and are typically 10-20km, and are done instead of the tempo session that you would normally do as a part of your training.

How well you are trained for each race will determine how much recovery you’ll need: The bigger the gap between your training and the demands of the race, the longer the recovery period. For example, if your longest run is 20-30km and you do a 100km race, then you’ll probably take longer to recover compared to a person who regularly does 40-50km training runs. Specific training for each race will help shorten the recovery period.

Yes, there are some who manage to race every weekend — but if you want to maximise your potential and ensure you are racing for many years to come, it’s better to be a little more strategic with which races you enrol in.

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

ASK THE COACH

Elite runners like Yun Yanqiao can complete an ultra per month. Photo: Alexis Berg

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WOMEN’S CORNER

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WOMEN’S CORNER

Introduce Doubles into Your Life: The Key for the Time-Crunched Woman in Training

By Anna Boom Photos by Michael Payne

M

any long-distance and ultra running women have training schedules that include midweek medium long runs with longer mileage on the weekends. For the elite field, this is a great way to build up the aerobic endurance required to win. For those who train to run well but are not yet at that level and also have a full-time job, or juggle the activities of a family, time is limited and those longer midweek runs are difficult to squeeze into the schedule.

This is where running doubles, doubling up, or twice-a-days will be a great addition to help hit the numbers in the training schedule.

It can be daunting to look at the training calendar and see an 8-12mi run waiting for you every Wednesday.

Some part of the daily schedule must be sacrificed, it seems — sleep, business, chores, time with the family.

Breaking the run into two segments and running twice a day may be easier than allotting one long unbroken period of time. Women who are struggling to balance many training hours, along with work and family, often fall into the category of the “time-

crunched folks trying to squeeze in miles,” and as such can benefit from incorporating doubles.

What Are the Benefits?

Completing what is on the training plan and ‘checking the box’ can be very rewarding for many runners. They want to do well and will train to what the training plan states. Instead of cutting it short, use doubles and hit the goal mileage. No more worrying about how and when. That box is now checked and the training day was a success, providing that needed stress relief. In this way, doubling up is an excellent way to balance training with the other competing demands — and there are always other competing demands.

Doubling up is also a smart way to increase the daily caloric burn as the body continues to consume calories during the after-burn. The after-burn is the time it takes for the body’s engine to cool back down and return to homeostasis, or its pre-exercise state. More scientifically, this is called the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. One report stated that two 15min bouts of exercise provided more caloric deficiency in the after-burn

when compared to one 30min continuous-exercise stretch at the same intensity.

Cooling back down takes energy, energy used equals calories burned, and by running doubles there are two opportunities for the after-burn.

Another benefit that some studies have found is that running doubles can train the body to use glycogen efficiently. By putting the body in a diminished or depleted state it will easily shift to a fat-burning mode.

The body naturally has much more fat stored than glycogen, providing energy that can last a very long time and through many miles of running. Most women’s bodies naturally store more fat which may partially explain the success of women at ultra running. The same study found the body will also stimulate production of mitochondria from running twice a day, and the more mitochondria a runner has the better she will feel during exercise.1 Solutions

There are a few ways to introduce twoa-days into any plan: Try waking up 3045min earlier than normal and running half the distance set in the training plan.

Prepare a set of workout clothes and plan 61

WOMEN’S CORNER

to run at lunch, after work, or in the evening, to cover the second half of the mileage. This allows longer quality sleep while still getting the miles ran.

Stay away from heavy meals before that second run to avoid the feeling of being bloated or running with too much in the belly.

Plan A: Divide the run by two and run each at the same intensity and effort.

The miles are completed as set out in the training plan.

Plan B: Break the run into a tempo and recovery run. Run the first as a tempo run, with increased intensity and effort.

Run the second as a recovery run with easy effort. This way, the intensity required to become a better run is completed along with a recovery run during the same time frame.

Using either plan the female runner will get the gains from revving up the engine twice and the after-burn calorie 62

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

torch times two.

Remember, it is both intensity and mileage that counts towards making stronger runners. Having two exercise sessions allows the female runner to up the intensity a little more on each one, compared with one long, continuous session during a midweek long run.

If stressed about time and wondering how to get that midweek longer run done, try running doubles. Along with twice the runner’s high per day, you will also burn more calories with two after-burns and teach the body to run in a more tired and depleted state.

It is a key way to increase the number of miles for the time-crunched woman in training.

Anna Boom, founder of Women Out On Trails, is an avid trail ultra marathoner and triathlete based in Japan but racing all over Asia.

References:

Marshall, L. “You don’t have to be an elite athlete to divide and conquer.” 2013.

Retrieved June 19, 2016 from www. runnersworld.com/running-tips/prosand-cons-of-running-twice-a-day

McCall, P. “7 Things to Know About Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption.” 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from www.acefitness.org/ blog/5008/7-things-to-know-aboutexcess-post-exercise-oxygen Vella, C. and Kravitz L. “Exercise After-Burn: Research Update.” Retrieved June 19, 2016 from www.unm. edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/epocarticle.html

Cespedes, A. “If I Exercise Twice a Day Will I Lose Weight?” 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from www.livestrong. com/article/217568-if-i-exercisetwice-a-day-will-i-lose-weight

WOMEN’S CORNER

GEEK RUNNER

Mental Warm-Up and Pre-Competition Routines

Mental Warm-Up and Pre-Competition Routines

By Karen Lo, Inner Edge

A

s a certified sports and performance psychologist, I’ve worked with numerous hardworking and disciplined individuals who strive for excellence in their athletic careers, many of whom care enough about their sport to want to incorporate mental skills into their training regime.

You might think that these people naturally know how to compete, being the ones who have the ability to do well in competition because they have trained hard — and we don’t really have to worry about them because they are ‘tough enough.’

Contrary to popular belief, however, there are a lot of athletes who train very well during practice, but just don’t do well at competitions — some get distracted by other competitors or spectators, others succumb to pressure at critical moments.

Interestingly, one of the biggest and most-common issues I’ve come across in my consulting practice is athletes’ lack of ‘readiness.’ A football player I recently started working with frequently admitted that it wasn’t until the second quarter of the game that he started feeling properly warmed up — only then realizing that the match was already halfway over and he’s wasted the entire first quarter not playing up to his A game.

This phenomenon has nothing to do with his skill level, experience, or how much time he spends stretching before a match.

It all boils down to understanding the importance of mental warm-up; of using a pre-competition routine so that one feels ready to go at the starting whistle.

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According to American sports psychologist Dr. Adam Naylor, a good warm-up consists of two components: the physical and the mental. Most people focus on the physical side by spending time on stretching, drills, and footwork but neglect the other equally important component of warm-up: the mental aspect. The best athletes know how to warm-up both their bodies as well as their minds.

What constitutes a good mental warm-up, then? Naylor suggests that a good mental warm-up should leave you feeling confident, at ease, and ready for the race. Below are a few steps for trail runners to follow to warm-up the mind:

1. Taking Care of ‘Big Thoughts’

There are numerous plans, techniques, or strategies to remember before a race: our race tempo for the first 10mi, when we might use our trekking poles, or how we manage those steep downhill slopes with speed. These pressing thoughts can all be considered ‘big thoughts.’ Managing big thoughts can be relatively time-consuming, so we need to make sure we have ample time to go over them. A good moment to do this might be between your arrival at the race venue and your physical warmup, as time is usually limited afterwards.

2. Knowing How You Want To ‘Feel’

Our readiness comes from the understanding of our ideal state the moment we start competing. In Asia Trail #15, we discussed how to utilize playlists to adjust your mood and arousal to an ideal state. If you had to recall your ideal state, would you be able to describe it (i.e., if you could rate it on a scale of 1-10 — with 1 being ex-

tremely relaxed and 10 extremely psyched up — how ‘psyched up’ or ‘relaxed’ do we want to feel)? What is your number? We should always adjust our arousal levels to that number at the start line, because that is how we want to feel.

3. Managing the ‘Small Thoughts’

Big, complex thoughts lower concentration levels, and should be avoided as much as possible right before a race. After we’ve done our stretching and short jogs, we should only be left with minor details to focus on. Pick 1-2 simple goals, such as running with your chest up, or doing short and quick strides by using simple cue words (recall my article about the benefits of utilising self-talk), like ‘chest up’ or ‘quick feet.’ The simpler and easier these goals, the clearer your head will be during the race.

4. Using a Cue to Get Ready

Once we start racing, we want to be in ‘competition mode.’ This is when you should be at your ideal state of arousal, and already have your big and small thoughts taken care of. Some coaches work with kids on their concentration levels by asking them to switch on their “practice mode” buttons. Coaches would hang a piece of string across the locker room door to show that the kids need to be in that mode once they duck under the string to get out of the locker room. As such, the string acts as a cue, reminding the kids to be ready for practice. It’s the same with competition — we need a cue to remind ourselves to get into that competitive state. Some athletes like to use an action, like a thump on the chest, or a pat on the shoulder. Others like to use cue words — that is, self-talk — like

GEEK RUNNER

Joe Grant’s mental warm-up, at the start line of an ultra.

Photo: Alexis Berg

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GEEK RUNNER

Mental Warm-Up and Pre-Competition Routines

‘See me fly!’ or ‘All set.’ We could also be creative and use imagery skills (recall Asia Trail #17), imagining ‘flipping on’ a red switch every time we want to enter our

TIME TO START & YOUR LOCATION

1.5h

competition-ready state.

Let’s say that my ideal state is a 7, and I will run best at this number. We can merge

AROUSAL LEVEL

4

On bus to race

1h

4

At race venue

35min

6

At race venue in warm-up area

20min

6

At race venue, close to start line

5min At start line

7

mental skills together using the following pre-competition routine table as a reference:

THINGS TO DO

1. Songs of choice (maintain arousal level at 4 to avoid being over-aroused so early on): a) b) c) . . .

1. Change into trail shoes, have all equipment ready 2. Take care of big thoughts (plans, strategies) 3. Songs of choice (to slowly increase arousal state from a 4 to a 6): a) b) c) . . .

1. Stretch, light jog 2. Songs of choice (to be in sync with my jogging rhythm): a) b) c) . . .

1. Chat leisurely with other competitors (to increase arousal state to 7) 2. Songs of choice (to help increase arousal state to 7): a) b) c) . . .

1. Manage small thoughts (1-2 controllable goals) 2. Song of choice: Pre-race song 3. Cue (action or word)

So far we’ve discussed a few important mental skills and tools that are crucial to improving athletic performance. These include goal setting (Asia Trail #13), stress and anxiety management (#14), music and its effects (#15), self-talk (#16), and imagery (#17).

From the table, we’ve meshed all of them together to minimize stress and anxiety, and to make our warm-up as comprehensive as possible by using mental techniques. Try to establish such a routine when you practice, so that you can make practice more competitive-like, or competition more practice-like!

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

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NUTRITION

Optimal Nutrition to Speed Up Recovery

OPTIMAL NUTRITION TO SPEED UP RECOVERY Proper Nutrition Is Key to Refuel, Rehydrate, and Rebuild Post-Exercise

By Michelle Lau

W

hether you are a professional athlete, or a weekend warrior, recovery nutrition is essential for building on any gains from exercise or races, allowing one to bounce back and be physically and mentally ready for subsequent trainings.

After strenuous endurance exercise, athletes are often physically depleted, dehy-

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

drated, and mentally exhausted. Therefore, optimal nutritional intake during recovery is key to replenishing endogenous substrate stores as well as helping to facilitate the repair of damaged muscles while promoting their adaptation.

Recovery nutrition encompasses three primary goals: Refuelling, Rehydrating, and Repairing/Rebuilding.

Refuelling Carbohydrates: The main fuel used during endurance exercise is carbohydrate (glucose), which is stored in the muscles (and liver) as glycogen. As you exercise, your muscles use the stored glycogen. Muscles can store enough glycogen for about 60-90min of high-intensity exercise, and these stores are depleted after strenu-

NUTRITION ous endurance effort. Glycogen depletion causes fatigue and negatively affects athletic performance. Hence, post-exercise carbohydrate ingestion is the most important factor in speeding up recovery (muscle glycogen repletion).

Amounts and timing:

• A great way to restore muscle glycogen is to consume 1-1.5g of moderate- to high-glycaemic carbohydrate per 1kg of body weight, immediately after exercise (within 30min).

• Another way to replenish glycogen is to consume 0.6-1.0g of moderate- to high-glycaemic carbohydrate per 1kg of body weight, within 30min after exercise, and again every 2h for 4-6h.

• Examples of high-glycaemic index carbohydrate foods include: white bread, candy made from dextrose, peanut butter crackers, maltodextrin supplements.

• Timing of intake, that is ‘nutrient timing,’ is also important in muscle glycogen recovery, as a delay in carbohydrate ingestion by 2h or more can lower muscle glycogen synthesis by as much as 50%.

As such, carbohydrates should be ingested within 30min post exercise in order to achieve higher glycogen levels.

• Co-ingestion of protein and/or amino acids can increase muscle glycogen stores when insufficient amounts of carbohydrates are consumed. The addition of proteins can provide amino acids for the maintenance and repair of muscle protein, but no specific guideline is currently available which suggests including protein as part of the recovery meal plan post endurance-type exercise.

• Worth noting is that if the recovery is more than 24h between trainings or events, a specific nutrient timing strategy is not as important, provided that enough carbohydrates are consumed over a 24h period and that daily carbohydrate requirements are met according to one’s activity level and body composition.

• Consuming 50-100g of carbohydrates is sufficient in kick-starting the refuelling process. Aim for another snack or meal within the next 2h. A carbohydrate-rich

drink offers a quick and convenient way to refuel, and also has the added benefit of providing a means for rehydration.

Rehydration

Fluid losses vary between people, so fluid needs are highly individualised. During recovery, rehydration should include replacement of both fluid and electrolytes lost through sweating.

• An easy way to assess your hydration status is by monitoring the colour of your urine. When you are well hydrated, your urine should be relatively clear. Weigh yourself before and after exercise to determine fluid losses during exertion.

• Fluid losses should be kept below 2% of body weight (safe hydration level).

• Sodium — the key electrolyte lost through sweat during exercise — should be added to fluids during exercises lasting more than 2h, as well as to fluids that are ingested given that you have lost more than 3-4g of sodium in sweat during exercise.

• Aim to consume 125-150% of the fluid lost during exercise over the 4-6h period after exercise ceases, in order to achieve optimum recovery of fluid and electrolyte balance.

• Consuming fluids together with recovery snacks containing sodium — such as cereal, sandwiches, and smoothies — will enable the body to rehydrate more efficiently and effectively.

Repairing/Rebuilding

Exercise stimulates catabolic hormones to facilitate glycogen breakdown for fuel, and the process continues to deteriorate muscle tissues post exercise. In the absence of adequate nutrient intake, this catabolic process carries on for hours after exercise stops, contributing to muscle soreness and exercise-induced inflammation, which may interfere with positive training adaptations and can curb subsequent athletic performance.

• Consumption of protein-rich foods during recovery is beneficial in promoting

gains in muscle mass, and assists the repair of muscle damage, particularly after strength training.

• Aim for 10-20g of high-quality protein (e.g., whey) and about 1g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass (decreasing muscle protein breakdown by stimulating insulin release) within 30min after exercise.

• Aim to ingest protein regularly throughout the day to support maximal muscle-protein synthesis, as this process remains active for up to 48h post exercise (called the ‘anabolic window’). Whey is the ideal post-exercise protein for recovery due to its amino acid composition (namely, leucine), plus, the amino acid’s fast-releasing action helps supply it into the bloodstream for quick utilisation.

• Phytonutrients — such as flavonoids and anthocyanins — from plant-based foods like cherries, beetroots, and berries are valuable in suppressing exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness.

They block the production of inflammatory compounds and inhibit enzymes that cause muscle pain and inflammation following exercise. Therefore, eat plenty of antioxidant-rich colourful fruits and vegetables after exercising — fresh juices and smoothies can be convenient options.

In a nutshell, post-exercise foods should be: high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein, moderate/low in fat.

Recovery snack ideas:

• Chocolate milk and fruits.

• Banana, nut, and seed bars.

• Smoothies: Greek yogurt, frozen berries, milk or juice.

• Greek yogurt, berries, and granola.

• Granola bars, cheese string, and juice.

Recovery nutrition, along with sufficient rest and sleep, is just as important as pre-exercise!

Michelle is a qualified nutritionist, nutrition expert, and wellness coach who specialises in sports nutrition and weight management. For more health and nutrition tips, follow her blog: nutriliciousss.wordpress. com / instagram @nutriliciousss

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Ultra runner Gonzalo Calisto from Ecuador suspended for 2 years after a positive EPO test at the 2015 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. How do we keep doping out of trail running?

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| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

Photo: Alexis Berg

NUTRITION

NUTRITION

Best Foods and Supplements to Boost EPO Hormone, Naturally!

By Katia Kucher

Increasing the EPO hormone — which determines your body’s oxygen-carrying capacity — can be very beneficial for athletes and long-distance runners.

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NUTRITION is mostly common with long-distance runners, involving a process wherein red Erythropoietin is a natural hormone that blood cells are damaged when the foot hits stimulates and regulates the production of the ground — that’s why this condition is red blood cells. The EPO hormone is pro- less common among cyclists. duced in the kidneys and is made of 165 amino acids. EPO is stimulated by low ox- Iron-rich foods include lean red meat, eggs, ygen levels in the kidney cells. After EPO is dark leafy greens, legumes, and whole produced in the kidneys, it then travels to grains. Combining iron-rich foods with the bone marrow, where it stimulates the foods packed with vitamin C will aid the production of red blood cells. absorption of iron. On the other hand, calcium, dairy, and coffee inhibit the absorpHow does EPO help increase an individual’s tion of iron — meaning that if someone has low iron levels it is important to avoid comperformance level and endurance? bining iron-rich foods with dairy or coffee.

When the body has an increased level of red blood cells, this results in an increase Consuming iron-rich foods will help to in your body’s oxygen-carrying capaciincrease the blood-oxygen capacity in ty. This process leads to a decrease in the athletes. Another diet deficiency that reamount of oxygen required to maintain a duces the production of EPO hormones is peak level of performance during training a low-protein diet. For endurance runners, or racing. The margin of safe and lethal levthe protein intake should be between 1.4els of EPO is very narrow, that’s why taking 1.7 g/kg of bodyweight, per day. drugs to increase the body’s EPO levels is very dangerous. EPO levels up to 48% are And finally, one more factor in our diet considered safe levels for increasing perthat affects the production of EPO is insufformance, but anything higher than 48% ficient calorie intake. Endurance athletes can be hazardous. Increasing the levels of have to make sure their caloric intake is in EPO beyond that safe level thickens the line with their training program’s intensity. blood, which makes it difficult for the heart Other common supplement deficiencies afto pump. So unsafe levels of EPO will have fecting ultra runners are low levels of vitanegative effects on an individual’s health min B12, vitamin C, and folic acid, as these and performance, increasing the risk of supplements are also very important in heart attack. maintaining one’s oxygen-transportation capacity.

What is erythropoietin (EPO)?

What can we do to naturally increase our EPO levels?

Benefits of HIIT and altitude training: First, the lack of specific foods and micronutrients in our diet can inhibit EPO production. On the other hand, certain foods and natural supplements, as well as altitude or interval training, stimulate the kidneys to increase the production of EPO. Interval training uses the same mechanism as prescription drugs to increase the levels of EPO hormones. So between the right diet and exercise, anyone can increase their levels of EPO hormones safely and naturally, resulting in an increase in their performance levels.

A common cause of a low red blood-cell count in long-distance runners is a low level of iron — in fact, this condition affects almost 56% of runners, with a higher percentage affecting female runners.

The reason why runners suffer from low iron levels — which negatively affects the transportation of oxygen — is mostly due to ‘foot strike hemolysis.’ This condition

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Including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in your training program will also increase your EPO hormone levels. Even short intervals of 3min at max capacity will raise the production of EPO hormones.

Altitude training likewise promotes EPO production.

Two natural foods and supplements that can increase EPO levels:

highly increase EPO hormone levels.

Beets are a great source of inorganic nitrates. Dietary nitrates (in vegetables like celery, spinach, arugula, lettuce, and, of course, beets) convert in the body into nitric oxide. After drinking beet juice, some of the nitrate comes in contact with saliva, allowing friendly bacteria in your mouth to convert the substance into nitrite oxide.

To assist the conversion, avoid brushing your teeth, chewing gum, or drinking other juices right after drinking beet juice (as the conversion doesn’t happen instantly).

What happens after drinking beet juice before training? The amount of oxygen required to maintain your performance level during training or racing decreases — so basically beets increase your VO2 max.

The easiest way to get the most benefits from beet juice is to take it in concentrated 70mL shots. Otherwise, the recommended dosage is between 300-600mL of regular beet juice, which tends to be a lot of liquid to ingest. The equivalent is to take 1-2, 70mL shots. The nitrite level peaks at about 2.5h after ingesting the beet juice.

Incredibly, recent studies have shown that consuming beet juice will improve your performance by 2.5-3.5%.

Benefits of beet juice for athletes:

-Increases the size of blood vessels to allow more oxygen flow.

-Improves muscle oxygenation during exercise.

-Increases exercise tolerance during longterm endurance exercise.

-Reduces fatigue. The recommendation for athletes is to take 70-140mL of concentrate beet juice shots pre-training to increase their performance and lower fatigue, which is achieved by reducing the amount of oxygen required to perform at peak level. Beetroot concentrated powder can also be found in supergreens powder supplements. Remember, including beetroots in your diet will also have some positive effects on the total oxygen-carrying capacity.

1. Echinacea: An herb that has long been known as herbal medicine for treating the flu and common cold — but lately, echinacea has proven to help increase EPO levels, too. Echinacea can be taken as a supple- Bottom line: There is a legal and natural ment or in extract form, and taking it for way to increase the production of EPO leva period of 14 days has shown to increase els.

EPO levels by 63%.

Katia is owner of d.BeFit (dBeFit.com), is a 2. Beetroot: Known as a great food supple- NASM-certified personal trainer, a NASM ment with the ability to lower blood pres- Sports Nutrition Specialist, as well as is TRX sure. Now we also know that beetroots can certified.

Illustration by Kirk Wescom

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NUTRITION

Berry and Beet Smoothie Bowl Ingredients: 1 medium beet 1/4 cup milk or plain unsweetened non-dairy milk 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 tsp orange zest 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries 1 frozen banana, chopped Garnish options: chopped unsalted pistachios, almonds, or your favourite nuts, and raw cacao nibs.

Directions: Preheat oven to 190°C. Wrap beet in foil and bake for 1h, or until soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Place milk, yogurt, orange zest, ginger, beet, strawberries, and banana in a blender, and blend until smooth. Place in a bowl and garnish with nuts and cacao nibs, or other desired toppings.

Enjoy!

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thegreenrace.run

75

RACE DIRECTORY

Where To Race In Asia DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

10-Sep-16

The Great Relay – Hong Kong

50km and 100km

Hong Kong

tghkrelay.com

10-Sep-16

10-Sep-16

11-Sep-16

11-Sep-16

14-Sep-16

16-Sep-16

17-Sep-16

18-Sep-16 18-Sep-16

18-Sep-16

19-Sep-16

23-Sep-16

24-Sep-16

24-Sep-16

25-Sep-16

25-Sep-16

25-Sep-16

25-Sep-16

28-Sep-16 1-Oct-16

1-Oct-16

2-Oct-16

2-Oct-16

2-Oct-16

8-Oct-16

8-Oct-16

8-Oct-16

8-Oct-16

9-Oct-16

9-Oct-16 10-Oct-16

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Devil’s Ridge

3rd Village of Kawaba Yamada Noboru Memorial Cup Salomon X-Trail Series

Tissot Limitless Challenge

Shangri La Ultra Trail Race Ultra-Trail of Taiwan

Kaveri Trail Marathon

25km, 50km and 100km

30km, 60km and 128km 8km and 18km

China Japan

Hong Kong

3km or 4.8km + 10 obstacles Hong Kong 100km

110km

10km, 21km and 42km

International Friendship 60km and 100km Race in Historical Road Tango 100km Ultramarathon

Hong Kong Taiwan India

Japan

cnmtntrails.com

yamadanoboru.com/en salomonhkxtrail.wix.com/xtrail sportsoho.com

xtechallenge.com/shangrila.html beclass.com

kaveritrailmarathon.com

r-wellness.com/tango/english

Super Kerbau

5km, 15km, 30km

Malaysia

borneoultra.com

Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji

72km and 165km

Japan

ultratrailmtfuji.com

Lantau Vertical

Annapurna Circuit Trail Race

7km

252km

Kalatungan Ridge Ultimate 14km, 30km and 42km Race Vietnam Mountain Marathon XTERRA Samui

Mid Autumn Race

Action Asia X-Trail Taiwan Aqua Terra: H.K. Island Ultra Trail Gobi Race

G5N - Gunung 5 Nuang The Shaman Trail Lantau 2 Peaks

Miyamit Falls Trail Marathon – MF42

Khao Yai Trail Marathon

Cameron Ultra Marathon

MesaStila Peaks Challenge Totem Run

Ferei Dark 45

Ten Times Needle Hill

Oakley ‘Prizm’ Hong Kong Trail Half Marathon Series Hok Tau The North Face 100 – Singapore

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

10km, 21km, 42km, 70km and 100km Off-Road Triathlon 6km and 16km

9km and 17km

Aquathlon, 16km 400km

100km

15km and 70km 23km

26km and 42km

3.5km, 10km, 21km and 42km 13km, 25km, 50km and 100km

13km, 21km, 42km, 60km and 100km 16km and 57km

23km and 45km 21km

10km and 21km 13km, 25km, 50km and 50km Duo

Hong Kong Nepal

Philippines Vietnam

Thailand

Hong Kong Taiwan

Hong Kong China

Malaysia

Myanmar

Hong Kong

Philippines Thailand Malaysia

Indonesia

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Singapore

lantauvertical.com

annapurnatrailrace.org

2ndkalatunganridge.verticaltosky.com vietnammountainmarathon.com ama-events.com xterace.com

actionasiaevents.com terramar.hk

utg.xuanzang.com.cn myultrarunning.com theshamantrail.com

actionasiaevents.com mf42.strikingly.com tigerbalmtrail.com cultratrail.com

mesastila.fonesport.com totemrun.runourcity.org xterace.com

tentimesneedlehill.com hktrailhalf.com

thenorthface100.com.sg

RACE DIRECTORY

DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

14-Oct-16

Ultra-Trail Jeju

32km+35km+33km

Korea

ultratrailjeju.com

16km and 60km

Russia

14-Oct-16

14-Oct-16

15-Oct-16

16-Oct-16

16-Oct-16

16-Oct-16

22-Oct-16

22-Oct-16

23-Oct-16

23-Oct-16

23-Oct-16

23-Oct-16

23-Oct-16

Bhatti Lakes Ultra Barclays Moontrekker

Ralieigh Challenge – Wilson Trail Mount Falaza ultra trail

Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon

Rishikesh Running and Living Cross Country Race Annapurna 100

29-Oct-16

31-Oct-16 4-Nov-16

5-Nov-16

5-Nov-16

5-Nov-16

5-Nov-16

6-Nov-16

10-Nov-16

23km

50km and 100km

4km and 38km

Altra Terra: Sai Kung

13km, 25km

Sowers Action Challenging 12 hours Care Action Macao

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Malaysia

9km, 15km, 21km and 25km India

Nishimera Skyrunning Quest

29-Oct-16

29-Oct-16

30km, 50km, 80km and 160km

MSIG HK50 Series - Hong 24km and 50km Kong Island

Annapurna Ultra Mountain III

29-Oct-16

30km and 43km

Peak of Jiang Nan Ultra Trail 35km and 50km Skyrunning Race

26-Oct-16

26-Oct-16

50km, 80km, 100km, 160km India and 220km

12km, 26km and 42km 5.3km, 5.3km and 16.8km

China

Hong Kong Japan

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Macau

barclaysmoontrekker.com raleigh.org.hk/wilsontrail asiatrailmaster.com climbathon.my

runningandliving.com annapurna100.com jn100trail.com

actionasiaevents.com

universal-field.com/event/nishimera-skyrunning-quest c12hrs.sowers.org.hk terramar.hk

careactionmacau.com

Nepal

trailrunningnepal.org

Nepal Action Asia 3 day Ultra 60km and 100km Marathon

Nepal

actionasiaevents.com

Macau Eco Trailhiker

Macau

Ultra Marathon Sovev Emek

72km

Nepal

bhattilakesultra.com

12 km, 21 km, 33 km, 66 km, 100 km, 133 km, 166 km and 200 km

Israel

PuZheHei International Trail

5km, 10km, 21km and 42km China

Ultra Trail Mt. Jiri

30km

Lantau 70

Bromo Tengger Semeru 100 Ultra Manaslu Trail Race

Compressport 100 Semenyih Series

Kailas Ultra Tour Mt. Siguniang Race HK 168

HK Rally

AR World Championships 2016

70km

10km and 30km

Hong Kong

South Korea

30km, 70km, 102km and Indonesia 170km 197km

Nepal

42km and 60km

China

25km and 50km

33km, 63km, 93.5km and 173km 12km and 30km

Adventure Race 550-600km

Malaysia

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Australia

sovev-emek.org/en/round-the-valley-ultra-marathon/ shangri-la-ultra-marathon.com events.lantaubasecamp.com macautrailhiker.com trailrunning.co.kr

bromotenggersemeru100ultra.com manaslutrailrace.org

liv3ly.com/event/details/Compressport+100+-+Semenyih+Series utms.com.cn xterace.com hkmsa.hk

xpd.com.au 77

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

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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 • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

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 Times Square T: +852 2506 0677

7

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 T: +662 6729141 Mon-Fri: 11:00 - 20:00

18 September 2016 79

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