Australian Vlad Ixel wins gruelling North Face 100 Hong Kong trail run
Hong Kong resident triumphs in 100km event as the favourites drop out
Seasoned Australian trail runner Vlad Ixel conquered the arduous North Face 100 Hong Kong trail run at the weekend as his chief rivals found the going too tough to handle.
This is my favourite race in Hong Kong, well-organised and a really challenging course
The Hong Kong resident finished the 100km loop starting and finishing in Tai Mei Tuk in 13 hours, five minutes and 41 seconds, having built a comfortable lead over second-placed finisher John Ellis, another Australian living here, who clocked 14:12:03. Malaysian Safrey Sumping (14:30) rounded out the podium.
Last year’s winner, China’s Yun Yianqiao, and French ace Sebastien Chaigneau dropped out about three-quarters of the way into the race.
“My race went well, I didn’t over-push and kept a nice easy pace the whole way,” said Ixel. “This is my favourite race in Hong Kong, well-organised and a really challenging course.”
New Zealander Marie McNaughton won the women’s race in 15:44:32 from China’s Ma Yinsing (16:33:06).
