Hong Kong domestic helper hits home trails of the Philippines for first time and finishes fifth
- Fredelyn Alberto makes competitive debut on hills she saw as a child
- Hong Kong runners thrive at Cordillera Mountain Ultra
For the first time since she started the sport in 2016, Fredelyn Alberto got to run on the trails of her home country, the Philippines.
“It’s amazing. I’d never seen the side of the Philippines like that. I’d been to some islands in the south … but this one is really amazing,” Alberto said. “It’s like a portrait. What you see in the frame, it’s exactly like that.”
Alberto, a 30-year-old from Isabela province who works in Hong Kong as a domestic helper, came fifth overall last weekend in the competitive Cordillera Mountain Ultra, a 50-kilometre trail race around Mount Ugo in Benguet province, on the island of Luzon. The race takes competitors along ridge lines and through pine forests, with sweeping views of valleys and the sea. Almost the entire course is run on forested trails and single-track footpaths.
Veronika Vadovicova of Slovakia took first place in the women’s race after a tight battle with American Laura Kline, while the Filipino John “Stingray” Ray Onifa – a regular competitor on Hong Kong’s trails – was crowned the male champion.
Kristian Joergensen, the Philippines-based Dane who just last month was first across the finish line in the 298km Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra, came a close second after catching up to Onifa but being out-sprinted in the final kilometre. Hong Kong’s own John Ellis came fifth.