Hong Kong 100 kicks off World Trail Major Series
Sangé Sherpa, 2022 Quebec Mega Trail 100-mile champ and course record holder, took third in the Grand Sam event, featuring the combined results from a 33K race, a 56K race and a 103K race
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World Trail Majors
The inaugural event of the 2024 World Trail Majors Series, the Hong Kong 100 Ultramarathon, featured top-tier athletes from around the world tackling a 103K course with over 5,300 metres of elevation gain.
The World Trail Majors is a nine-race global running series that member race directors say aims to steer trail running in the right direction, by celebrating and preserving the identity of grassroots races. Quebec Mega Trail is the sole Canadian stop in this year’s series, which kicked off on Thursday in Hong Kong and continues with races in Arizona, Spain, Japan, Portugal, Switzerland and England before wrapping up in South Africa in November.
The Hong Kong 100 event featured four days of trail racing, which started Thursday, with runners tackling “The Third,” a 33K race; “The Half,” a 56K loop race, followed on Friday, and 1,800 runners lined up on Saturday to take part in the 100K race.
The Grand Sam, a stage race that has runners completing all three of the events, featured 2022 Quebec Mega Trail 100-mile champ Sangé Sherpa taking third place.
Quebec Mega Trail 100-miles: Sangé Sherpa sets new course record with sub-20 finish
Men’s race
Defending champion and course-record holder You Peiquan was eyeing a third consecutive title in the race, and potentially a sub-10-hour finish. However, it was Chinese trail sensation Meng Guangfu, who emerged triumphant in 10:16:56, securing his fifth consecutive ultra title since October—including wins at TransLantau 100 by UTMB and Doi Inthanon Elephant 100.
While Peiquan led through much of the race, Guangfu ran with strategic patience, overtaking Peiquan in the closing stages. The defending champion fought to maintain his position ahead of American Tyler Green, the second-place finisher at the 2023 Western States 100, who finished just moments behind.
Top Men
Meng Guangfu (CHN) 10:16:56
You Peiquan (CHN) 10:35:11
Tyler Green (USA) 10:38:12
Qin Guidu (CHN) 10:58:22
Deng Guomin (CHN) 11:06:14
Women’s race
There were renowned ultrarunners from around the world in the line-up, including the world 12-hour women’s record holder, Poland’s Dominika Stelmach (who did not finish) and Western States 100 third-place finisher, Hungary’s Eszter Csillag, but local runner Chen Lin emerged as the dominant force in the women’s category.
Leading from the second checkpoint, Lin secured an impressive margin of victory over Li Ying, with last year’s Grand Sam winner Wu Yuanyuan claiming third place. Lin’s commanding performance resulted in an almost one-hour lead, finishing 16th overall in 12:44:51.
Top Women
Chen Lin (HKG) 12:44:51
Li Ying (CHN) 13:39:30
Wu Yuanyuan (CHN) 13:54:08
Ma Ting (CHN) 13:57:15
Deng Ronghua (CHN) 14:01:10
The next event in the World Trail Majors is Black Canyon Ultras, in Arizona, hosted by Aravaipa Running. The 100K and 60K point-to-point races traverse through the Sonoran Desert.
For full results of the Hong Kong 100, head here. You can learn more about the World Trail Majors here.
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