Trail racing returns to Hong Kong after Covid-19 hiatus; ‘strange’ to be back on a start-line, say racers
- The first race in over a year is a welcome break from virtual races
- The Hong Kong West 25km course records fall as runners benefit from a year of training instead of racing
The first trail race in over a year took place today over Tai Mo Shan, and while it was a welcome relief on the road back to normalcy, to some racers, it also felt a bit odd to be back on a start line with other runners.
The Hong Kong West 25, organised by Action Asia Events, was won by Guillaume Perrot and Wong Mei-yan, both of them setting the men’s and women’s course records in cool conditions. Perrot took over six minutes off Vlad Ixel’s course record finishing in a time of two hours, 13 minutes and 39 seconds. Wong Mei-yan finished in 2:46:40 taking over eight minutes of Wendy Porterfield’s course record.
“I’m so excited that we can come back to race,” Wong said. “It’s been a long time. I kept training, so when there is a race, I can do my best. Throughout the period I’ve done virtual races. I like the real races better. You can’t meet each other, you cannot see each other on virtual races, the atmosphere is different.”
“Hong Kong trail runners, especially women, are great. I didn’t expect to win the race, it was a surprise. I thought I would be passed many times, but when I was in the last few kilometres, someone said I was the first lady, I thought maybe I could win.”