Even when you're on, say, the Hong Kong hundred route, you'll be blown away to see the cityscape
at some point, and then look the other way and just see endless forest and beautiful trails.
First impressions of Hong Kong are just mind-blowing, really. It's such a dramatic city,
all this sort of the classic iconic skyscrapers against the backdrop of steep hills and mountains,
all just clad in greenery, beautiful seas and coves as well, so really, really pretty place.
I'm just completely amazed as far as the city goes, it's just these towers everywhere,
people everywhere, amazing city, just incredible, and then you've got all these amazing green
and mountainous open spaces all around it, and I'm just so impressed with it.
I think most people probably have an image of Hong Kong as I did when I first came of being
in a total concrete jungle, which of course it is, and I'm sure people are surprised to the
degree that we have trails absolutely everywhere. It doesn't matter where you are in Hong Kong,
on Lantau and the new territories, even on Hong Kong Island, which is one of the most
populated places in the world, you're still five minutes outside your door and it's
bang, you're on a beautiful trail.
For me, I think one of the really unique things about Hong Kong is just the juxtaposition of
the vibrant city with so many people moving about, so many sights, sounds and colors,
with the solitude of the trails, so whether that's running along quite the lapping sea,
running over sandy beaches or up in the hills, and they're so close to each other, but it's
completely different worlds.
You know, in a city with so much talent, you can't just be good to stand out, you have to be
exceptional. And so we've gathered a lot of people who by nature are highly competitive,
you know, they're always looking for a personal challenge, they're meticulous, they're disciplined,
they're masters of time management, they're tenacious, they've taken knocks and they know
how to spring back up. Not only are there more races, the signing up for the races is just going
crazy too. It's being oversubscribed, you've got to be quick not only on the trails now but on
your computer just to get the entry. And I missed the Hong Kong 100 entry because I was too slow.
Well, Hong Kong has got fantastic trails, beautiful beaches, great scenery, great hills,
but it never had an individual 100k race. So Janet and I decided that with such beautiful scenery,
it deserves one. So we put it together four years ago and advertised, if you like, the race,
you know, on the local running websites and so on. And that first year, the applications from
participants were relatively slow. In the end, we had 250 runners and we were delighted with that.
We thought anything over 100 would be a real success. And then in the subsequent years,
the numbers increased very, very quickly. So 750 in the second edition, 1250 for the third edition,
and then for this fourth edition, 1600 people are running with 500 on the waiting list. And of course,
we would love everybody to be able to take part. You know, the last thing we want to do is say,
no, sorry, we're full. But at the same time, we have to make sure that everybody has a great experience.
Hong Kong 100 supports two local charities this year, Blind Sports Hong Kong and Food Angel.
This year, 50 participants in Hong Kong 100 supported 25 visually impaired athletes and
their guide runners to participate in the Taiwan football marathon. The visually impaired athletes,
they actually come out to support our participants by manning one of the checkpoints, Hoi Ha.
I think Hong Kong 100 has a very beautiful road line. At first, it would be in the west,
you would see a very beautiful海岸線, and then it would be through Ma Wan Shan.
Through Ma Wan Shan, you would see two cities, one in the west and one in the desert.
Then you would see a very beautiful city in Hong Kong. Or when you go to Ma Wan Shan,
you will see Hong Kong, for example, Chuen Wan, especially Hong Kong Island, you can see it.
That area is a very open place. This is a very beautiful road line.
Personally, there's no place on the planet we'd rather be than right here, right now.
I'm sure you all feel the same, so welcome to all of you. I hope you have a fantastic, fantastic day.
Look after each other, take care of each other, take care of the volunteers and have a brilliant,
brilliant weekend. Enjoy every step, guys.
I think the Hong Kong 100 course is a really honest course. It doesn't really suit any type of
runner in particular. It's got sections where you need to be able to run fast. It's got a really
tough last half, so you need to be strong. It's got really steep climbing, so you need to be a
good climber. It's also got really steep, steep descent, so you need to be pretty fearless there.
So I think whoever wins on Saturday is really going to have to have a complete
set of skills out there on the course.
I think there's a danger that you can perhaps overcook it early on and not have enough strength
in your legs for the big climbing at the end. I've been doing a fair amount of stairs and
training. I've been saying to friends and family, me and stairs, I've got a pretty tight relationship
at the moment. It's something I've come to enjoy as an aspect of running that I've never
done before. It's going to hurt tomorrow, that sort of back half. I've been trying to prepare
myself for that and just how I'm going to deal with that on race day, so looking forward to it.
Great work, guys!
Thank you. Hi, man!
So my problem is that long-conk-undred comes in a period in which there's snow from me,
so it's going to be a complicated race because I don't have a lot of races. But I feel
good, I've been trained to do alpinism, so let's say I'm still organically fit. And my
expectations are simply to be able to do my best and certainly to have a very strong athlete's
plateau helps me a lot because in those cases I still go, I'm happy. In short, if I can do
my best, I'm satisfied. Then it's clear to win, it's nice.
So if I understood correctly, there's a first part of 45 km which is very slippery,
we're going to be able to run really fast and try to save. And then the second part where there's a lot more
mountain, so it's going to be more of our advantage, we really come from the mountain, so we prefer when
it goes up. We think we'll have to be patient about the first part and then try to see everything
that remains of strength in the second part.
Come on!
A little bit I know about the course, I guess my approach will include just going out pretty
well in the first half and then see what happens in the second half, but I'm definitely not going to
blow up the first half. And it seems like my best race has happened when I kind of treat it like an
adventure rather than trying to go out and treat it like a competition right after that. It seems
like things just kind of flow well into the second half of races, so I'll go out and do it that way.
Come on!
Come on!
It's good!
If I'm honest, I don't know a huge amount about the course, except for what I've picked up from
chatting to people that have done the race before and looking at the maps and studying the course
profile, that sort of thing, so I'm running the course blind, which is not my preference.
Come on!
Come on!
Come on!
Come on!
Come on!
Come on!
Come on!
The first half of the race went pretty well for me. I felt excellent overall, felt like my pacing was good.
The technical parts of the race were just phenomenal with the rocks and ups and downs and the steps.
I just absolutely loved it. I felt like I was eating it up.
About halfway, I'm on my little Obershachi pass, about a kilometer 68.
I realized I wasn't taking enough electrolytes, the heat was starting to get to me, and I also ran out of fuel,
so I had a little bit of a catch up as far as the intake goes, but it was a little bit too late.
I had a little trampoline issues with my quads. That cost me quite a bit of time,
probably about 30-45 minutes overall on the race.
engine noise
At this point
I had the feeling that I was serving up myд.
However, I was careful not to over-pace my pace at the limit of my limits.
I had a course time before, and I had a course in Japan.
I was practicing in a fast-forwarded state, so I was running with confidence.
For most of us ultra-runners, the Hong Kong 100 race doesn't really start until Taipo road.
The whole trail has around 4500 meters of elevation gain,
but most of that really happens on those last 22 kilometers.
History has shown again and again that the eventual winner will actually make his move in this last section.
This is the end of the video.
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See you in the next video.
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for watching.
For me, in any race, I just try and get out there and run to my capacity.
I want to stay fast and relaxed through that first half.
And I mean in any ultra-race, it's really that last 25% of the race that really determines who's going to win it.
So you want to have something left in the tank for that last section,
especially in a course like this where it becomes more difficult as the race goes on.
After passing Taimo Shan,
the highest point in the race, you only have a few kilometers to go to the finish.
Depending on how fast you are, you can enjoy a stunning sunset,
or you can see the Hong Kong by night and it's all illuminated.
It really looks beautiful.
I'm so happy that I won the Vibram game and won the winner.
I'm so happy that I won the Hong Kong by night and I'm so happy that I won the Hong Kong by night.
I mean, it's just 100 kilometers to go to the finish,
but I'm really looking forward to it.
It's just 100 kilometers to go to the finish.
I'm so happy that I won the Vibram game and I'm so happy that I won the Vibram game and won the winner.
I'm so happy that I won the Vibram game and won the winner.
I'm so happy that I won the Vibram game and won the winner.
As I was running down in those last few k's,
I really had a chance to think about all the low moments and high moments of the race,
all the tough inclines, the amazing views, the tough competition that we've had to face throughout the day.
And I was just happy to let my legs relax and roll and just enjoy the last bit of this amazing race and amazing experience.
Okay, coming here, give her a big applause and away from the pill, Yuta Badu Kamang, the winner of the 12 Vibram Hong Kong 100.
Congratulations Yuta.
In second position in the fourth Vibram Hong Kong to 100,
Badu Samoa, well done Badu, congratulations. All the way from Western Australia, Lad Iksal in third position, congratulations Lad.
Fantastic race, very well done. On the podium in the first ever event of the Ultra Trail World Tour, well done Lad.
At the end of the race it was such a mixture of emotions, there's the relief that it's all going to be over
and there's the realisation of what you've done and what you've achieved out there.
And for me the biggest thing is just a real sense of satisfaction that I've been able to transcend and get through the day out there,
through the good times and the bad times, through all of your problems that you face out there in a long race like that.
And the fact that it's all coming to an end, it's just a real sense of satisfaction and celebration that managed to transcend myself.
All the way from Christchurch, New Zealand, Badu Nusong, well done Badu.
In fifth place in the Vibram Hong Kong 100, Scott Walker, well done Scott, fantastic.
Very well done, very well done.
In eighth position Dave Mackey, well done Dave.
In eighth position is the Vibram Hong Kong 100, 2014.
Hong Kong's favourite, well done Scott, well done Scott.
Very nice for you Dave, best year for you Malaysia, jazz pride.
Thank you Malaysia.
To win the Hong Kong 100, I think the first thing that you're going to have to do is pace the race really cleverly,
to be very intelligent about the speed you go out at, because the course is back loaded so a lot of the climbing is later on.
The course has got every type of trail, there's some asphalt, there's steep climbs, there's beaches,
so somebody who's really comfortable in all of those environments and who has a mental strength to tough it out in what's becoming an incredibly competitive field.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
