Elite global sky runners descend on Hong Kong for Lantau 2 Peaks event
The world championships of skyrunning – a sport where athletes run up mountainous inclines and down ankle-snapping terrain as fast as possible – moves to Hong Kong this weekend as the 2015 Lantau 2 Peaks race hosts one of five world-series circuit events.
The world championships of skyrunning – a sport where athletes run up mountainous inclines and down ankle-snapping terrain as fast as possible – moves to Hong Kong this weekend as the 2015 Lantau 2 Peaks race hosts one of five world-series circuit events.
“It will be a very challenging race – full of stairs, lots of concrete,” said Frenchman Gregory Vollet, a runner and manager of the Salomon racing team.
Actually, wet weather is better for us coming from Europe as it will be cooler
“Running down this hard terrain, it’s like sending shock waves through the body in a way us [European] runners are not used to … it will be very important to manage the body and the legs until the finish.”
Italian Tadei Pivk, currently ranked number one in the points tally, has been using a jump rope to prepare himself for the unusual terrain.
Weather will present an extra obstacle: World No 10 Yngvild Kaspersen left snow in Norway four days ago; on Sunday she will encounter a forecasted 26 degrees Celsius and 92 per cent humidity.
And with tropical cyclone Mujigae set to make landfall in southwestern Guandong on Sunday, runners are bracing themselves for an extra slippery adventure.
“But actually, wet weather is better for us coming from Europe as it will be cooler,” adds Vollet.
Born in the European Alps 20 years ago, skyrunning has grown into a global phenomenon.
Results from this weekend’s 23km race that scales both Sunset and Lantau Peaks will be used to determine the 2015 Skyrunner World Champion.
In contention is Pivk (current champion based on points tally) and Marco De Gasperi, last year’s number three overall, though they will face competition from newcomer, 20-year-old Swiss Remi Bonnet.
De Gasperi hopes to use his experience of racing in Hong Kong at the Asia Skyrunning Continental Championships to his advantage. So is Italy’s Elisa Desco, who won the 28km race in Februrary this year; she’s hoping to win against No 1 Maite Maiora Elizondo from Spain.
Race director Michael Maddess of Action Asia Events said: “It’s very prestigious and an honour to hold the race here.”
“Hong Kong is against tremendous competition in 2016 against Asia as a whole. Every single trail running country in Asia wants a global championship race, so it could be the one and only,” he added.
