Tough Lantau 2 Peaks trail race pushes runners to their limits on brutal climbs and descents
- The race packs almost 2,000m in climbs into 23km, with steep staircases sapping runners’ energy over Hong Kong’s second and third highest peaks
Hundreds of runners took on a brutal trail race on Sunday, climbing Hong Kong’s second and third highest mountains. The Hoka One One Lantau 2 Peaks race started in Tung Chung and rounded over Lantau and Sunset Peak. In just 23km, the course packed in 2,000m of accumulative ascent.
Brit Zein Williams won the women’s race and said the hardest section was ironically a brief 3km of flat, between Lantau and Sunset Peak.
“I’m use to favouring the hills but that little 3km section just about killed me as was scared the others were going to catch me,” she said.
Williams won in three hours, 25 minutes and 36 seconds, beating New Zealander Lucy Cant (3:31:57) and Lauren Decoff from the UK.
John ‘Stingray’ Onifa, of the Philippines, won overall in 2:42:38, beating Taiwanese runner Chou Ching (2:46:04) and Solomon Wettstein, of Switzerland (2:57:16). Check out this video to see the gruelling race.
Onifa’s time is a new course record, beating Jeff Campbell’s by around five minutes.