HK100 ultramarathon set to start World Trail Majors as 3,000 runners tackle 103km, 56km and 33km races

Chinese contenders in 103km race include last year’s top two – HK100 record-holder You Peiquan and Zhao Jiaju, who has the highest ITRA Performance Index score

Women’s race features Wu Yuanyuan, who last year won the ‘Grand Sam’ of Third, Half and main event

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Zhao Jiaju boasts the highest ITRA Performance Index score in this year’s field. Photo: Anta HK100

Published: 7:30am, 15 Jan 2024Updated: 10:18am, 15 Jan 2024

The prestigious Anta Hong Kong 100 (HK100) ultramarathon will kick-start the inaugural World Trail Majors this week, with over 3,000 amateur and elite runners taking part in three days of racing.

The men’s and women’s 103km (64-mile) trail races start at 8am on Saturday and will see 1,800 athletes run parts of the MacLehose Trail before climbing Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak.

Smaller versions of the race, the Third (33km) and the Half (56km), will take place on Thursday and Friday respectively.

This year, 114 athletes have signed up for the “Grand Sam”, in which runners will complete the Third, the Half and the HK100 on consecutive days. The Grand Sam debuted as part of the HK100 in 2023 and all 10 mixed-gender runners finished.

You Peiquan won the HK100 ultramarathon’s 103km race last year. Photo: Anta HK100

The name refers to Sam Tam, the first runner to sign up for the grand slam option. It also sounds like the Cantonese word for three, saam.