It was a day for the history books for ultra-running in Hong Kong on Saturday as two elite runners broke the 10-hour barrier in the Vibram Hong Kong 100 over the notoriously hilly terrain.
China's Yan Longfei ran aggressively to finish in nine hours, 52 minutes and 42 seconds. Yan, 26, a professional trail runner who switched from road running two years ago, sliced more than two minutes off the course record set in 2012 by South African star Ryan Sandes.
China’s Yan Longfei finishes first after pulling away from Sondre Amdahl after checkpoint eight.
Norway's Sondre Amdahl followed in 9:59:46. Sandes, Yan and Amdahl are the only runners in the five-year history of the 100km race to finish under 10 hours.
Rounding out the top three was France's Antoine Guillon in 10:30:01.
Yan Longfei with Sondre Amdahl (right) and Antoine Guillon at the presentation.<br />
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The first Hong Kong-based runner home, in eighth place, was Santosh Tamang, a 23-year-old Nepali. Stone Tsang Siu-keung was ninth.
Hong Kong's Wyan Chow Pui-yan's evenly paced run saw her win the women's race in 12:25:11, having overtaken mainlander and eventual runner-up Dong Li after about 65km.
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Hong Kong’s Wyan Chow steps up the pace.<br />
"I really didn't have any expectations coming into the race as I was sick with a fever last week," said Chow, 37, who last year became the first woman to complete the Oxfam Trailwalker in a mixed team in under 13 hours.
