Whelan and McLeod take top spots as trail running returns to Hong Kong at Action Sprint Repulse Bay
- Competitors just delighted to be out and racing again in fast and furious event over Violet Hill
- Ryan Whelan calls beach finish just ‘awesome’ after holding off challenge of Lloyd Bradbury and James Park
Ryan Whelan and Alice McLeod won the men’s and women’s 14km races at the Action Sprint Repulse Bay on Saturday, as trail running made a low-key return to Hong Kong.
The city’s strict approach to the coronavirus meant just several hundred athletes were able to take part in the race, with started and finished on the beach.
Still, those that were able to compete were just delighted to be out and running again following two years of lock downs and restrictions on exercise.
After an early battle on Violet Hill, where he had to hold off the challenge of Lloyd Bradbury and James Park, Whelan eventually pulled clear and won in a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes 52 seconds, nearly two minutes ahead of Bradbury.
“Beautiful race, beautiful scenery, nice views coming down from the top [of Violet Hill],” Whelan said. “It was a short race, so it was really fast, fast and furious and yeah, awesome to finish at the beach.”
Bradbury finished in 1:15:48, with Park third in 1:16:42. Rayda Kezaz and Chris Davis rounded out the top five in the men’s race, finishing in 1:19:06 and 1:20:18, respectively.