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07 Oct, 2018

Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks hot and a leg burner

Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks hot and a leg burner

Australian, Chinese and Taiwanese grabbed Men’s top 3 at the curtain opener race

Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks Skyrace didn’t disappoint as the curtain raiser of the Hong Kong trail running season is one of the most technical races of the year.

Top trail runners had fierce competition from the enjoyable, challenging and painful course while many Team of 2 and Team of 4 participants see this race as their perfect opportunity to boost team spirit and test the team strength for the trail running season in Hong Kong as later this month, teams will shine again at the Hysan Island Hike & Run on 28 Oct. Others see this signature race as a ritual for friendship or an annual challenge to take on. Australian Hong Kong resident Vlad Ixel from The North Face won the Lantau 2 Peaks race 2 years ago and once again reaching the highest step of the podium of the 21km this year. Ixel crossed the finish line in 2 hours 29 minutes and 23 seconds. “This is my first trail run in Hong Kong in about nine months and I just came back from Australia yesterday. It's a good race to start the season and probably the hardest race in Hong Kong in many ways for the distance and the hardest race I’ve ever done. I had to save some energy for the last downhill. Lantau 2 Peaks is challenging, enjoyable and painful at the same time. Finishing the race is a good result for anybody and finishing first is just a bonus. I’m happy to make it to the finish line in one piece,” said Ixel, the overall champion of the Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks 2018 and also the overall champion of the inaugural Kazakhstan Action Asia 3 day Ultra Marathon 100km 2018 in early September.

The technical course with close to 2000m elevation gain which covered Nei Lek Shan contour trail (564m), Ngong Ping Water CP1 (458m), Lantau Peak - Fung Wong Shan (934m), Pak Kung Au Water CP2 (331m), Sunset Peak -Tai Tung Shan (807m), Wong Lung Hang Country Trail stairs, Wong Lung Hang Road, Tung Chung Citygate. The original 23km race was cut 2km short making the course distance 21km due to fallen trees on South Lantau trail after T10 Typhoon Mangkhut in September.

Only 1 minute 3 seconds behind the winner, Chinese Li Qiang from 01 Team was next to finish the Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks made his whole 01 Team proud. “The most challenging part for me was the uphill after 9 km mark which was right after the checkpoint one too,” said Li. Li who traveled to Hong Kong with his teammates for the race was born in Hunan Province and lives in Shenzhen.

Taiwanese elite trail runner Chou Ching came in third place finishing in 2 hours 36 minutes 29 seconds, right behind Li Qiang (6 minutes 3 seconds apart).

Chou thinks the whole course was extremely challenging and he is very pleased with his performance: “The whole course was extremely challenging because it’s 21 km with the elevation gain of 1800 m. The last downhill was the most difficult as it was very steep and I was basically jumping the whole way down. This was definitely not easy and I tried my best. The first and second place was way too fast and I was very satisfied with my performance,” said Chou who is also the overall champion of 2018 - Action Asia X-Trail TAIWAN.

For the Women’s battle, British runner Lauren Gibson from Uglow/Joint Dynamics team finished the race in 3 hours 10 minutes and 13 seconds shared her experience on this technical course. “Coming down the stairs on Sunset around Wong Lung Hang valley was the most challenging part of the race for me. It was very hard to run down and really tough on the legs,” said Gibson.

Canadian runner Katia Kucher finished the course only 6 minutes 3 seconds behind Gibson and came in second in Women’s category while Angelika Hahn from Germany rounded the podium of this fierce competition in 03:16:36.

For the 15km race, French Hong Kong resident Nicolas Meillassoux grabbed the champion title in 1 hour 31 minutes and 9 seconds. “I started trail running 7 years ago when I moved here to Hong Kong. I've done the 23k before and this year I decided to move to15km to go faster actually because 23km is very hard. 15km race is much much easier. I’d love to try the Lantau 50 on Dec 2 too,” said Meillassoux.

New mom Wendy Jo Porterfield from the United States won the 15km female battle in 1 hour 48 minutes and 10 seconds. “I felt great! I won this race two years ago. I become a mom this January and this was my first race after being a mom. It’s very nice to be on trails again training and enjoying the views as I am very busy these days so it’s a nice break. I will also race in 2 weeks’ time, Hong Kong 50 on 20th October and that will be my first 50km race as a mom,” said Porterfield.

The Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks organized by Action Asia Events is a qualifying Skyrunner National event. This event could not happen without the generous support of Hoka One One, Action X Store, Plantronics, Gatorade, Herbalgy, Quaker, Watson's water, Salonsip, Citygate Outlets, Royale International, Around DB, Hong Kong Chiropractors Association (HKCA) and Action Asia Foundation.

Race Results

HOKA One One Lantau 2 Peaks

21km Top 5 Men

Name – Nationality – Team/Sponsor - Time

1. Vlad Ixel – Australian – The North Face – 02:29:23

2. Li Qiang – China – 01 Team – 02:30:26

3. Chou Ching – Taiwan – Salomon Taiwan – 02:36:29

4. Bryan Crane – Canada – Uglow / Joint Dynamics / Nuun – 02:42:39

5. Rudy Bottin – France – Uglow / Joint Dynamics – 02:43:41

21km Top 5 Women

Name – Nationality – Team/Sponsor – Time

1. Lauren Gibson – United Kingdom – Uglow/Joint Dynamics – 03:10:13

2. Katia Kucher – Canada – 03:16:16

3. Angelika Hahn – Germany - 03:24:36

4. Feifei Yang– China – 01 Team – 03:28:42

5. Stephanie Mak – Hong Kong – 03:29:08

15km Top Man

Name – Nationality – Team/Sponsor – Time

1. Nicolas Meillassoux – France – Les Braconniers - 01:31:09

15km Top Woman

Name – Nationality – Team/Sponsor – Time

1. Wendy Jo Porterfield – United States – 01:48:10

Race Info

Event Name	Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks Skyrunner® National Series
Date	Oct 07, 2018 (Sunday)
Start Time	7:30 a.m. (21km), 8:00 am (15km)
Start Location	Citygate, Tung Chung, Hong Kong
Distance	21km (2 Peaks), 15km (half peak)
Category	Trail Running, Fast Hiking
Course	www.actionasiaevents.com