Asia Trail Nov / Dec 2014

Asia’s first trail running magazine

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November / December 2014 HKD 48

NEW Trail Shoes Tested VO2 max: How Hard Can You Push

INSIDE CHAMPION SYSTEM ADVENTURE TEAM

How to Plan Your Race Season Home-Made Protein Bars

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

ASIATRAILMAG.COM COVER

28 The Malaysian Safrey Sumping and Daved Simpat from Champion System Adventure Team.

Photo: Spontaneous Combustion Productions

06 Photo: Pascal Tournaire

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46

60 Photo: Sabah Tourism Board.

05 EDITOR’S NOTE 06 RACE NEWS

REGULARS 45 FIRST STEPS

Getting Started: From Zero to One

UTMB

TDS 46 GEAR Tahoe200

28 New Trail Shoe Models

Tor des Géants

Lantau Vertical 56 ASK THE COACH

Lantau 2 Peaks

How to Pace an Ultra

Double Cove Ridge MoonTrekker 58 CROSS-TRAINING

Convoy Totem Run

Gym Bike

Vietnam Mountain Marathon

Miyamit Falls Marathon 60 BODY MECHANICS

The Science of Buying Footwear FEATURES ON COVER

28 RUNNER PROFILE

Champion System Adventure Team

38 TRAINING

How to Plan Your Race Season

64 NUTRITION

How to Choose the Right Protein and Energy Bars

67 GEEK RUNNER VO2max

72 RACE DIRECTORY 74 MARKETPLACE

Digital Edition

To read Asia Trail online, visit www.asiatrailmag.com

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EDITOR’S NOTE

1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE EDITOR: Clement Dumont

COPY EDITOR: Dominik Sklarzyk

CONTRIBUTORS: Andy Dubois Doug Tahirali Jonnifer Lacanlale Joshua Steimle Katia Kucher Katie Jacobs Marco Mori Matt Moroz Olivier Baillet Rachel Jacqueline Victor Ballesteros

ILLUSTRATION ARTIST: Kirk Wescom GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Syndy Wang Peh Yee

PUBLISHER: Asia Sport Connection Limited 39, Tung Wan Tau, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

FOR ADVERTISING, PLEASE CONTACT: Sabrina Dumont +852 5193 8707 sabrina@asiasportconnection.com GENERAL INQUIRIES: info@asiasportconnection.com SUBSCRIPTION: visit www.asiatrailmag.com Issue #7 Bimonthly

© 2014 Asia Trail. All rights reserved.

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However, we accept no responsibility for any error or omissions. All material published in Asia Trail is protected by copyright and unauthorized reproduction in part or full is prohibited.

asiatrailmag.com @asiatrailmag asiatrailmag

#asiatrailmag

Nepalese Samir Tamang acclaimed at the TDS (France) for his 2nd place.

Photo: Franck Oddoux

Asia Trail Turns ONE!

A

lready one year — time runs! The growing popularity of Asia Trail reflects the explosion of trail running in Asia. “Trail running isn’t easy, but I can’t go back. Try it out yourself, and let me know how it goes for you,” sums up Joshua Steimle in his First Steps column (p.45). Like most trail runners, the first race I signed up for was a half-marathon.

Nowadays, it won’t come to my mind to sign up for a road race. I usually describe myself as a trail runner who doesn’t like running. When it’s flat, non-technical, meaning that you have to run at a regular pace for a long period, I get bored. Steep climbs, roots, rocks, ropes, bushes break the monotony of running and give you the excuse to hike. We, trail runners, are not afraid to walk, stop at refreshment posts for several minutes to drink, take time to eat a soup, and then run off with the next refreshment post already in mind. You pace your race from one check point to the next. The longer the race is, the more we rely on the check point addiction. I am addicted, especially when I see the determination of the Nepalese to fight for the podiums whenever they get the chance to participate in a race. Congratulations to Samir Tamang at the TDS (p.8).

Many runners around you are talking with excitement about ultras, but you only participated in a few short distances so far. Perhaps you are becoming tempted to live the ultra experience, but are not sure whether you could make it to the finish line. Our coach Andy provides good tips on how to pace a long distance race (p.56). More importantly, you must plan your running season around this goal (p.38) together with some cross-training (p.58) if you want to be among the finishers. Regardless of whether you are a minimalist or an avid fan of cushioning (p.60), make sure to have a look at our extensive gear review of 28 shoe models that we tested for you to explore (p.46).

Thank you Asia Trail readers for your support, let’s run on this exciting second season!

Asia Trail is published by trail runners for trail runners.

EDITOR: Clement Dumont

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RACE NEWS

Running around Mont Blanc Spanish Pau Bartolo wins the CCC 100km in the Alps, while the 34 runners from Japan, China, Philippines, and Singapore had no ambition other than being among the proud finishers. The race takes the runners from Italy to France with stunning views of Mont Blanc and its glaciers. www.ultratrailmb.com | Photo: Franck Oddoux

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RACE NEWS

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RACE NEWS

Nepal on the International Scene Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) www.ultratrailmb.com

By Clement Dumont

T

he French runner Xavier Thévenard carved his name in the history of The North Face UTMB by winning the TDS. It took him only 14h 12min to complete this technical and muddy race (119km long, with 7,300m of ascent). After an impressive success last year at the UTMB and his victory at the CCC in 2010, the little French athlete from Jura actually holds the title of the three major races, and he is the first ever to accomplish this hat trick. “I had this race in mind for a little while now,” said Thévenard after crossing the finish line. But the young athlete was in doubt during these last few weeks, mostly because of tiredness.

“The difficulty is always to realize a personal ambition, a preparation.

I managed my pace, always keeping an eye on what was happening behind me. Focusing on my speed was enough to make the difference.

When I saw that I had a 30min lead at Les Contamines, I really started to believe in a win,” reflects Thévenard.

A beaming sun and perfect conditions were set for the 1,600 contestants. Thévenard quickly took the lead and ran away from the pack with the Nepalese military Samir Tamang in his footsteps. Tamang was following Thévenard’s steps in the first 50km of the race before yielding to difficulties. “If I had been him, I wouldn’t have tried to follow Xavier,” said Dawa Sherpa — infamous Nepalese runner living in France who won many ultras, including the first edition of the UTMB and the TDS — while congratulating his fellow countryman. Tamang had never attempted a race longer than 100km before, and was running for the first time on European trails. Furthermore, while Thévenard used hiking poles on uphills, Tamang had to push hard on his legs to keep the pace.

“The distance was more an issue for me than the technical sections,” explained Tamang. He had a hard time finishing, playing hide and seek with Spanish Jordi Bes, winner of the CCC in 2013. Tamang finally passed the Spanish runner on the last 5km to take 2nd place. A fantastic accomplishment for his first race in Europe, but Tamang expressed his disappointment for not winning and already announced that he will come back better prepared.

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RACE NEWS

Nepalese Samir Tamang in the footsteps of winner Xavier ThĂŠvenard. Photo: Franck Oddoux

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RACE NEWS

Asian Runners at the Ultra Rendezvous

Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) www.ultratrailmb.com

By Clement Dumont

A

rguably the most popular and competitive ultra trail race, The North Face UTMB — which is approximately 168km long with 9,500m of elevation — attracts runners from all over the world. Asia was well represented this year by nine countries: Japan outnumbered with 191 delegates, followed by 52 runners from China. Stone Tsang (Hong Kong) was the first UTMB finisher from Asia, taking 18th place in an incredible time of 23h 52min, while Kazufumi Oose (Japan) took 23rd place, arriving at Chamonix in 24h 31min. Masatoshi Obara (Japan) completed the Asian top three in 26h 22min. The first three ladies were from Japan: Yuki Kojima was the first Asian in 41h 57min, closely followed

by Ayako Murai arriving at 41h 59min.

Despite his domination from the very start of the race, French winemaker and Salomon athlete François D’Haene confesses that the race was very demanding. The difficult weather conditions during the first several hours, with heavy rains and downpour flooded paths, made the track hardly runnable. D’Haene had to fight with the two athletes able to stick to his tempo, his Spanish teammates from Salomon Tofol Castaner and Iker Karrera. The three runners remained inseparable throughout the entire night. In the morning, the weather cleared up and and D’Haene accelerated: “If I wanted to win, I had to make the difference in Champex or La Fouly (108km) because thereafter it would be too hard to make the gap.”

A clever strategy that finally set up in La Fouly, allowing D’Haene to get ahead by 35min in Vallorcine (149km), a lead that he maintained to the finish, breaking a new record in 20h 11min — very close to the symbolic 20h. Karrera, who seemed well compared to Castaner, did not want to break the holy alliance with his fellow runner, and so after waiting for him in La Flégère, they crossed the finish line together as 2nd place finishers. The American TNF athlete Rory Bosio, 2013 winner, crossed the finish line after 23h 23min with the same elegance and determination as the previous year.

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RACE NEWS

Kazufumi Oose is the first finisher from Japan at the UTMB. Photo: Franck Oddoux

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RACE NEWS

Circling California’s Largest Lake Tahoe 200 Mile Endurance Run www.tahoe200.com

By Victor Ballesteros

Circumnavigating Lake Tahoe within 100 hours. Photo: Victor Ballesteros

D

uring this first time event, runners from around the world came to test their will in America’s first 322km single loop mountain foot race. The inaugural Tahoe 200 Mile Endurance Run around California’s Lake Tahoe, a terrain involving 12,000m of climbing, was unique, challenging, and went off with a near perfect flow. The clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe were mesmerizing, appearing like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

For many, the total cutoff time of 100h and the inclusion of sleep stations were crucial to completing the 322km circumnavigation of the lake. Within this timeframe, of the 86 athletes that started the race, 60 completed the journey. It was such a surprising finish rate that race director Candice Burt had 60 award buckles produced!

The top 10 finishers included an international mix of five Europeans, one Canadian, and four Americans, including Gia Madole, the first American woman with a finish time of 75h 56min.

One of the most remarkable stories of the race involved American runner John Burton, who confided before the start that he was thinking about taking the pace out hard, then holding on for his life. That transpired into a sub 25h for the first 161km. For almost 258km John held a five-hour lead before succumbing to fatigue and blister issues that allowed

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Australia’s Ewan Horsburgh — who finished 1st in a time of 61h 32min — and me to pass him on the final 24km. Despite John’s insane pace, his plan almost worked!

A combination of patience, a keen knowledge of the Tahoe trails, along with an uncanny ability to not sleep and deal with massive hallucinations — not to mention, what was perhaps the biggest contributing factor to the success of the event, the overall attention to the race’s details by its organizers — all of these factors contributed to the accomplishment that I, along with all the finishers, was able to achieve. Hong Kong-based Andre Blumberg finished at an impressive time of 80h 56min, while the courageous Japanese Koichi Takeishi was the last finisher to make the 100h cutoff by 6s!

Being added to next year’s race calendar are two new exciting 200mi races: the Bigfoot 200 Endurance Run, a pointto-point race from Oregon to Washington, and Colorado 200.

Victor — winner of the 2009 Montrail Ultra Cup and 2nd place finisher at the Tahoe 200-Mile Endurance Run — is the founder, designer, and CEO of Victory Sportdesign (www. victorysportdesign.com), a running gear products company, known for creating the Victory Bag. He also spends a good deal of time helping runners, young and old alike, at Mecca: San Francisco Running Company.

RACE NEWS

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RACE NEWS

Italy’s 2014 Tor des Géants — an Endurance Feat for Ultra Giants Tor des Géants www.tordesgeants.it

By Marco Mori — www.trailrunningmovement.com Photos by Foto Lanzeni Courmayeur

Hiking poles were a must for the “Giants” to conquer the 24,000m of elevation gain.

T

he 2014 edition of the Tor des Géants (TDG) took place in the Valle d’Aosta, located in the north region of Italy, between September 7-13. Being 330km long with 24,000m of positive elevation, the TDG is certainly one of the longest and hardest trail running races in the world.

Out of more than 2,400 participation requests from all over the world, only 789 lucky trailers where admitted to the start line to face the toughest challenge of their life!

The number of Asian trailers who requested to participate reached over 130, most of these coming from Japan. Finally, although 115 entrants were accepted to partake in the race, only 31 arose as ‘Giants’!

In the end, it was the Asian participants from Japan who had the highest record of achievements, this included Masahiro Ono, who ranked 5th among the top ultra trailer champions, followed by Yamada Takashi, who came in the 49th position, and finally Seki Junichi, who ranked 85th. With 70 participants and 31 ultra trailers cutting the finish line, without doubt, Japan represented the main Asian country participating in the TDG. Notably, some of the other Asian countries with trailers who reached equally impressive achievements in the race included 11 representatives from Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia.

Top champions coming from more than 60 countries fiercely battled the 4th edition of the TDG. Soon after the start, trailers confronted tremendous climbs and descents that went on for hundreds of kilometers, constantly testing their psychological and physical limits.

Masahiro Ono is the first Asian finisher (5th place) in 83h 04min.

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In order to face more than 25 mountains, 30 alpine lakes, and an altitude ranging from 300m to 3,300m, the race demands hard training. Marco Mori, the Trail Running Movement coach, expert of the TDG route who ranked 62nd with a time of 107h 41min, says: “the race requires specialized physical and mental training acquired through

RACE NEWS participation in 100mi ultra trails, but also deep knowledge of high mountain environment which will equip the runner with the ability to foresee difficulties coming from fast changing weather, sudden drops of temperature below 0 degrees during the night, as well as nutrition and sleeping management techniques. With its ‘never ending’ up and down hills and an average of 5-6 days of non stop racing, the TDG is the most exhausting and demanding ultra trail that any trailer might ever dream of.”

Almost 50% of the participants usually give up in Cogne (102.1km), others soon after Donnas (148.7km), the last go on till the Saint Rhemy checkpoint (303.2 km) but are usually stopped at this time barrier.

The 2014 race presented a hard battle between French, Italian, and US trailers, with the Japanese silently yet tirelessly proceeding close to the leading group. The race ended with Franco Collè (Italy) coming in 1st place, followed by Nickademus Hollon (USA), the two WAA Team representative Antoine Guillon and Christophe Le-Saux (France), and Masahiro Ono (Japan). The women ranking celebrated Emilie Lecomte (France) in 1st place, followed by Lisa Borzani (Italy), and Denise Zimmermann (Switzerland) who ended in 3rd place despite being bitten by a dog.

All 446 finishers were greeted at the following Sunday morning celebration in the Courmayeur Sport Palace.

As usual, special awards have been given to the last man (France) and women (Japan), but also to the oldest trailer (Italy) and youngest one (South Korea).

Yamazaki Akihiro, Shibata Keisuke, and Matsunuma Yoshiko were among the proud 31 finishers from Asia.

On the 14th of September, after six consecutive race days, the 330km ultra trail race was officially closed, however, the results of an anti-doping investigation on the top ten finishers is still underway. Several weeks after the UTMB decision, the TDG has also applied tough anti-doping measures in order to eliminate the possible use of drugs during the competition.

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RACE NEWS

Season Starts on Vertical Lantau Vertical www.lantauvertical.com

By Matt Moroz

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unday, 21 September, proved to be a special day in Hong Kong’s trail running calendar. This vertical kilometer race, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, proved extremely popular for those patiently waiting for it all summer long.

The presence of Hong Kong trail running ‘royalty’ Claire Price and Stone Tsang indicated just how seriously this race was being considered. The quality of the field, as well as the weather conditions, could not have been better — racing hard almost entirely uphill was challenging enough, and so everyone welcomed the serendipitous respite from the extreme summer temperatures.

These conditions made for a fantastic and fast race, which began at the Shek Pik Reservoir, launching competitors straight up the Shek Pik Country Trail. This beautiful stretch of land would quite possibly be new to many runners; surely, a large portion of those participating must have felt the irresistible temptation to utilize this section as a part of their future training runs.

After a quick but controlled start, and a tough stair section in the first kilometer, Hong Kong newbie Dan Falconar found himself at the front of the pack. Dan would keep this spot until good friends Kawai Kawai and Stone Tsang made their move. Kawai held a strong position from the start, keeping a firm eye on Dan and other front runners. Contrastingly, Stone began further far back, but in absolute confidence that, when he calls upon it, his ability would take him to the front. Around 3km into the race, with an ease and elegance that matched his politeness and running style, Stone decided to join the head of the field.

After 5.3km, the runners hit the race’s only checkpoint, having now completed the Shek Pik Country Trail section, and all that lay before them, a mere 1.6km away, was the climb to the top of Lantau Peak. However, the job was far from done, one vital detail could not be underestimated: ahead, in the final 1.6km, awaited approximately 440m of climbing at an average gradient of 30%!

At the checkpoint, Stone and Kawai were neck-and-neck hitting the time control in 30min 25s, with Dan Falconar only 8s behind. At this point, it was Kawai’s incredible uphill and stair climbing ability — after all, he was the winner of the IFC Stair Run race in Hong Kong — that took him into the clear.

Kawai’s ascent of Lantau Peak was recorded at a fantastic rate of 50min 21s, which, to put this in context, gave him a victory over Stone Tsang by an impressive 45s. Stone’s ascent wasn’t exactly slow, he pulled out a comfortable lead over the rest of the pack with Michael Skobierski, overtaking Dan Falconar on the hill to secure the final podium spot at 53min 3s.

In the female category it was indeed Claire Price who took the top spot. Claire controlled the race from the very start, maintaining a comfortable 4min lead before the Lantau Peak climb. In true style she continued her performance during the ascent and finished in a very classy time, just under the hour mark, at 59min 38s.

Aside from Claire taking the top spot, the female race saw France dominating the podium.

The always impressive Charlotte Henry and Emilie Saint-Pé secured comfortable podium places, finishing in 1h 5min 35s and 1h 10min 30s respectively.

Without doubt, for years to come, this race and trail will become an established part of Hong Kong’s trail running calendar. The atmosphere before, during, and after the race was electric and joyous; permeating the air was the excitement that the racing season has only just begun.

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RACE NEWS

Results Men 1. Kawai Kawai 00:50:46 2. Stone Tsang 00:51:31 3. Michael Skobierski 00:53:06 Women 1. Claire Price 2. Charlotte Henry 3. Emilie Saint-Pe

00:59:38 01:05:34 01:10:30

The Vertical starts at the reservoir and climbs up to the Lantau Peak (934m). Photo: Clement Dumont

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RACE NEWS

Malaysian Show-Off on Lantau Lantau 2 Peaks www.actionasiaevents.com

By Matt Moroz

Results 21km Men 1. Daved Simpat 2. Steve Cale 3. Safrey Sumping

2:34:33 2:34:34 2:37:11

21km Women 1. Marie McNaughton 3:09:51 2. Zein Williams 3:12:55 3. Sherrin Loh 3:16:50

W

ith the introduction of the Lantau Vertical and Double Cove races on September 21st of this year, it can be argued that Lantau 2 Peaks is no longer the ‘season opener’ that it once was. The importance and feel of the race has not changed however, and those registered and lined up at the start in Tung Chung were just as excited and enthusiastic as ever.

If we add ‘apprehensive’ to this list of feelings about the race, we really capture the atmosphere of the crowd awaiting the start outside Citygate Outlets. The air of apprehension was well justified, as Lantau 2 Peaks is one of the toughest 21km races we can find on the Hong Kong trail running calendar.

Adding to the difficulty is the fact that the even years of this race (2012, 2014) offer a slightly more daunting feel than those taking place during the odd years. This is because the direction of the race switches depending on the year, making the ‘2 Peaks’ moniker slightly misleading in regards to its 2012 as well as this year’s edition, as it does not include the longest climb of the race, that of the cable car rescue trail.

As locals will know, the two peaks referred to in the name of the race are those of Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak. These two beautiful giants are the second and third highest in all of Hong Kong, standing at 934m and 869m, respectively. With only a gnarly 2.8km descent from the summit of one peak to the start of the next ascent, it is this infamous double bill that will generally work out the resulting race classifications.

With 2.5km of flat tarmac to spread the competitors before the first climb, this year’s start proved as fast as ever. Anthony Hughes and Giuseppe Mollica began very strongly, but it was the 2013 2nd place finisher Steve Cale that hit the top of the cable car rescue trail first. Behind Steve were two incredibly strong Malaysian runners Daved Simpat and Safrey Sumping, followed

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The hot and humid weather did not slow down the Malaysian Daved Simpat on his first visit to Hong Kong.

Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

by Will Davies and Dan Falconar, with Giuseppe still in the leading pack.

Steve Cale continued to push the pace at the front, reaching the summit of Lantau Peak first, while Simpat and Sumping continued posing the greatest challenge. Will Davies ran strong up and over Lantau Peak but it was the fantastic ascent and descent by Nicol Boyd that really caught the eye as he climbed from 8th to 4th position overall between Wisdom Path and Pak Kung Au, just 4.5km later.

The drama was all played out in the final scenes when Simpat made his move and beat Steve by just 1s in a time of 2h 34min 33s. Sumping secured 3rd place two and a half minutes later. A true gentleman at heart, Steve heaped praise on his fellow competitors despite the disappointment of receiving 2nd place again.

The women’s race likewise witnessed drama in the final stages. After a very strong start from Zein Williams, Marie McNaughton made steady ground on the leader as she shook off 2013 2nd place Emma Bruce after the Wisdom Path section of the race. With Zein and Marie battling it out and the victory of either being impossible to predict, a male competitor took a tumble in front of Zein. Zein put her race ambitions to the side as she helped the competitor, a move that perhaps robbed the crowd of another potential grand stand finale, but simultaneously showed how the care and camaraderie between trail runners will generally outweigh their desire to win.

Marie finished unchallenged in a time of 3h 9min 51s and so continued her incredible series of recent results. Zein regrouped to finish three minutes behind Marie and four minutes ahead of 3rd place Sherrin Loh, who managed to pass Emma Bruce on Sunset Peak.

RACE NEWS

Rock the Ridgelines Technical and rough climbs on the Ma On Shan ridge combined with stunning views.

Despite its ‘only’ 18km length, participants had to use hands and ropes on the climbs to get to the top. Steve Cale is back with a comfortable win in his first race of the season, while in the ladies category Olya Korzh takes the 1st place in a finish sprint over Marie McNaughton.

Sai Kung 2 Ridges | www.actionasiaevents.com

Results 18km Men 1. Steve Cale 2:12:59 2. Thomas Robertshaw 2:25:11 3. Giuseppe Mollica 2:27:02 Women 1. Olya Korzh 2. Marie McNaughton 3. Ching Ling Lo

2:39:52 2:39:56 2:50:10

Flying down the Ma On Shan ridge.

Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

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RACE NEWS

Chasing the Moon MoonTrekker

www.barclaysmoontrekker.com

By Matt Moroz

N

ighttime races are perhaps more commonplace in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world. The combination of hot days and incredibly safe trails allows for a plethora of nocturnal fun!

Intrinsic to all nighttime races, or indeed any gnarly nighttime trail training runs, is a sense of adventure. Even more so when a race takes place on a Friday night. Throwing off the shackles of work at 6 p.m. and beating the path to the Mui Wo Ferry or Tung Chung MTR station feels tantamount to being a child and hearing the school bell ring, announcing the beginning of the weekend and all the possibilities that come with it.

So, on October 10th, all us big kids gravitated to the recreation centre in Mui Wo. Its two races and multiple categories make MoonTrekker incredibly inclusive and massively popular, selling out in record time every year. This year the distances increased slightly with a fresh finish point in Pui O. The Sunrise 43km and Moonlit 30km were now offered with respective 20:45 and 23:15 start times. Both distances consist of very runnable sections, and the longer version’s extra 13km are indeed some of the fastest, but at the same time you can’t avoid its 934m ascent of the Lantau Peak.

All attention in the Sunrise 43km Solo was focused on Stone Tsang, and no one was surprised when Stone took the lead early on. Matt Moroz took off after Stone and joined him after 3km with the two staying together for the first 18km. Upon hitting Nam Shan, it was Stone that felt the first signs of cramps and started easing off slightly. Moroz took advantage and stayed ahead for a while before a perfectly paced run by John Ellis had the lead change for the final time. John ascended Lantau Peak with great power before beautifully descending, leaving Moroz to only applaud and refocus on holding onto second. These positions stayed intact through the final 6km and so John Ellis became the MoonTrekker Sunrise 43km champion in a time of 4h 28min 54s. Moroz finished four minutes behind, with Stone toughing it out to finish a further four and a half minutes after.

In the ladies Sunrise 43km Solo it was Valerie Lagarde who took victory in 5h 37min 28s, improving on her 2nd place finish from 2013. Valerie finished a comfortable win, with Nia Cooper coming 41min behind in a valiant second. Pulling away from Joanna Eades in the second half of the race, it was Robyn Horsefield who completed the podium, finishing in 6h 34min 29s.

The Moonlit 30km has a great history for the ladies, with Denvy Lo taking overall victory in 2012. This year was another year for the girls with eternally impressive Claire Price taking overall victory in 3h 33min 11s. By the end Claire cruised to a comfortable 15min lead ahead of Dwyfor Evans who finished in 2nd place for the second year running. Mark Western finished in 3rd position, almost 20min further back.

In the team categories, we extend massive kudos to Peter Lee and Anthony Davies who won the Sunrise 43km Pair competition for the 4th year in a row. In the process they managed to completely disprove their ‘Too old for this’ team name. The first mixed pair was the duo Marie McNaughton and Haydn O’Brien. This pair had a mixed race with Marie continuing her rich vein of form while Haydn completed despite his “(almost) complete physical breakdown.”

To complete the list of winners from Friday night we look to the teams of four. In the Sunrise 43km, team Yik Fung Je (Chi Hang Leung, Sun Kam Tang, Chor Kin Law, and Ka Wai Wong) won comfortably while the imaginatively named ‘Back Sack and Craic’ (James Park, Andrew Fletcher, Adam Wielowieyski, and Daniel Toole) won the Moonlit 30km by almost an hour.

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RACE NEWS

Take a deep breath at the top of Lantau Peak and enjoy the view before running down to the finish in Pui O. Photo: Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

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RACE NEWS

Interview: Teva Team in Force at the MoonTrekker MoonTrekker is particularly popular with its corporate team category. This year Teva — official shoes of the event — supported over 30 runners attempting the Moonlit 30km stretch. We met several of the team leaders to learn more about how they prepare for such racing events.

What was your motivation to race at the MoonTrekker?

Joey Ching Yuk Lin: As a first timer, the motivating factor that convinced me to agree to climb the Lantau peak at night was the great atmosphere I experienced being a part of the Teva team.

How many opportunities did the Teva members have to train together before the event?

Patrick Chan: Our team trained three times with other members of Teva’s team. Together we covered the entire 30km course. During the training hikes, our main objective was to get familiar with the route and create a racing strategy that would fit well with each of our teammates, so that we could all achieve the best possible results.

What was the most challenging section of the race?

Samson Lee: The most strenuous section of the race was definitely climbing to the top of the summit of Lantau Peak after reaching Ngong Ping. The final climb of nearly 500m is the steepest and also the overall hardest. But the unwavering support of my teammates made the reward of achieving the top feel fantastic.

What was the most rewarding aspect of participating in the event?

Patrick Chan: We started together as a team, moved together as a team, and together finished the race as a team. Our 3rd place as a corporate team of four in 6h 14min was sensational, an achievement worth every second of the effort.

TEVA X Roy & Marco Team wins the team of two category in 4h 08min.

Photo: Teva

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RACE NEWS

Indian Runners on the MacLehose Totem Run totemrun.runourcity.org

By Matt Moroz

W

ith the increasing number of trail running races, organizers have to be creative to attract large numbers of participants, especially in the race’s first edition. RunOurCity’s Totem Run succeeded in this task with approximately 2,000 runners enjoying the spirit-boosting live concerts of African drum, cello, and saxophone performances.

Many participants ran this race in a team of four as a preparation for the upcoming Oxfam Trailwalker (OTW) in early November.

The 57km ‘Fight With The Wild’ race offered competitors a fantastic opportunity of experiencing a large portion of the OTW course in the daylight, a chance they might not get on November 14-15. Starting at Pak Tam Chung, the competitors joined the MacLehose trail approximately 5km later at Pak Tam Au. At this point competitors followed the MacLehose trail through to the end of stage 8, after climbing and descending Tai Mo Shan.

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The very talented Wong Ho Chung continued his fantastic | ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

run of form. After dominating the XTE Midsummer Race Series, and backing this up with a victory at the Grace Charity Double Trail Run, it was again Wong Ho that led from the front to ensure 1st place in an impressive 7h 33min. Although the winning margin was over half an hour, the 2nd place performance of Leung Ying Suet must be highly commended.

Leung Ying finished second overall, and took the prize for first woman.

The 16km ‘Chill With The Wild’ race offered competitors the chance of hitting Tai Mo Shan while still very fresh-legged, an option rarely available in the other races along the MacLehose Trail. The race offered a hilly 7km start as a prelude to the main attraction. After this ‘warm up,’ the race consisted of the famous 9km of gradual climb followed by a fast, runnable descent of Hong Kong’s highest mountain.

Matt Moroz won the shorter race in a time of 1h 39min, coming in 8min ahead of Chan Ka Chun and Lin Cheuk Fung who finished close together in 2nd and 3rd spots. Leading woman was Ruby Leung, finishing in a very respectable time of 2h 22min.

The entire event was fun and organized to perfection, making this new addition to the Hong Kong trail running calendar an instant hit, and a race we can expect to establish itself as part of many trail runners’ plans in future years. As in many other Hong Kong races, charity played a large part in the race theme. At the Totem Run it was the very deserving Christian Zheng Sheng College that inspired many into fund raising.

RACE NEWS

Navigating Vietnam’s Muddy Mountains Vietnam Mountain Marathon www.vietnammountainmarathon.com

By Katie Jacobs

T

he mud was everywhere — leeching in from bogs of recently harvested rice paddy fields, oozing between tree roots, and from under rocks. Its slickness spread across the trails of the Sapa Mountain Marathon, posing an element of difficulty no runner could avoid. Although the terrain was risky, those intrepid few that took their eyes off the trail were in return greeted with picturesque panoramas of lush green mountains, misty foothills, and small villages situated among acres of rice terraces cascading throughout the Hoang Lien Valley. “I’ve never seen such splendor as in this valley,” said John Nielsen, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam and 21km runner.

Consisting of four runs — the 70km ultra, full, half, and 10km — the Sapa Mountain Marathon challenged runners through its steep hills, dense jungle, and ethnic minority villages that define this region of north-west Vietnam.

Slated as the ‘hardest run in Vietnam,’ this unique race attracted nearly 400 runners from 40 different countries, including many new runners from the local area. “I really tried to make this the hardest run possible and I think everyone may have sore legs now. I really hope so otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do next year,” said Race Director Asger Køppen during the winners ceremony.

Results 42km Men 1. David Lloyd (UK) 5:47:50 2. Koos Hagg (USA) 6:04:20 3. Mathieu Leon (France) 6:09:50 Women 1. Samantha Young (USA) 6:27:20 2. Itsuko Tanaka (Japan) 6:55:00 3. Emer Dooley (Ireland) 7:09:00

70km Men 1. Simon Grimstrup (Denmark)8:30:00 2. Boubidi Claude (France) 8:42:25 3. Trazic Jérome (France) 8:52:15 Women 1. Nora Senn (Swizterland) 10:12:55 2. Stephanie Che (Australia) 11:57:40 3. Lam Lai Po (China) 12:48:55 Picturesque rice terraces along the muddy trails. Photo: Jeri Chua

A 70km participant from Wales, who was forced to quit 30km in after spraining his ankle on a hidden tree root, said reflecting on the race: “I travel the world running ultra-marathons and I would have to say that this is one of the toughest trails I have run — it’s on par with the Amazon race, that’s how hard it is.” Not everyone, however, shared this sentiment. “The trail wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t say it was very hard,” shrugged one of the members of the local Sapa O’Chau team who, running his first ever half marathon without any training, was relying solely on his soccer fitness and local knowledge of the environment to get him through to the end — which he did.

“It’s a unique experience in a remote environment with amazing views, very varied terrain, fantastic local culture, and excellent trails,” ultra-marathoner Simon Møller Grimstrup stated after finishing the race. The experienced Danish athlete came first in the 70km, beating Boubidi Claude from France by only 12min. British runner David Lloyd captured the 42km, while first prize for the half was taken by Hanoi-based German runner Florian Deichmann, who notably also snatched second in the 10km the following morning, making him the only foreign runner to place in the shorter race. Sùng A Tỏa, a Vietnamese runner who crossed the finish line in just under an hour, took first in the 10km, beating Deichmann by a scant 31s.

While foreign runners took home the top prizes for the ultra, full, and half races, Vietnamese and ethnic minority runners dominated the new 10km race, which was created in large part to encourage local participation. With approximately half of the 10km participants coming from the Sapa region, local runners sprinted through the familiar terrain, dexterously sliding down the slick clay chutes and leap-frogging across muddy bogs; the only runners to finish the race without mud-covered legs.

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RACE NEWS

Running to the Falls Miyamit Falls Trail Marathon (MF42) mf42.strikingly.com

By Jonnifer Lacanlale

A

s a part of the Clark-Miyamit Falls Trail Ultra - CM50 race series, the MF42 is a glimpse and qualifying race for those intending to join the tougher, 50mi long CM50. The trail covers a hilly route passing through the iconic Miyamit Falls where the 26km runners turn back, while the others on the 42km distance continue, proceeding close to the ‘peak’ located 3km from the caldera of Mt. Pinatubo, before heading back, combating a total elevation of 2,500m.

In its second edition, the race saw a 30% increase in the number of participating runners. Due to the growing popularity of trail running, over 200 local runners as well as ones from Malaysia and Singapore took part in the challenge, which, hard work aside, offered them the unique chance to enjoy the cool waters of Miyamit. After basking under the sun, the tired runners welcomed the soothing rain while delighting in the scenic views and cool crisp clean air of the mountains.

The generous cutoff time allowed many runners to enjoy the falls while contenders for the win breezed through the course, setting new records for all distances.

On the 42km, James Tellias won in 5h 10min, while in the female category Lua Angela Limbo won in 6h 55min. On the 26km stretch, Sandi Abahan took the overall win in 2h 48min for the women, followed by the first male Daniel Alagos, who finished in 2h 53min.

Results Men 1. James Tellias 2. Jeff Suazo 3. Thumbie Remigio

5:10:05 5:36:06 6:02:53

Women 1. Lua Angela Limbo 6:55:19 2. Arlene Agulto 7:40:43 3. Daphne Codilla 7:40:44

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PROFILE

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

PROFILE

We are the Champions

By Rachel Jacqueline

travel, and international competition... and it evolved from there.”

While having exceptional ‘raw talent’ is a prerequisite to earn the red, black, and white racing stripes, it’s the other qualities that Blair looks for which set the team apart. “We are looking for team members who have integrity and honesty, are dedicated, and they must be team players.”

Red. Black. White. No colour combination is as revered — or feared — on the trails as the team colours of the Champion System Adventure Team, one of Asia’s oldest adventure racing teams. Ever wondered what’s in the secret sauce that creates these talented athletes? After meeting the man behind the institution, Rachel Jacqueline discovers it’s as much to do with raw talent as it is about having a whole lot of heart.

R

yan Blair is not your typical team manager. His warm, laid-back demeanour belies some serious commercial nous and athletic talent. Blair is head of Asia Pacific Adventure (APA), a group of companies with a dizzying list of specialties such as outdoor education, experiential training, film production, retail, and events, as well as is a lifelong leader in adventure sports. For the past 15 years, along with his team, he’s been picking up podium places around the region.

However, Blair’s real talent lies in creating champions.

Today, the Champion System Adventure Team (CSA) encompasses 10 athletes from six countries in the Asia Pacific region across a wide range of disciplines; from adventure racing, trail running, to mountain biking. Whenever and wherever they compete, they usually win — that, or they come pretty darn close.

While most CSA athletes are multidisciplined, their trail running pursuits will be among those most well known

by Asia Trail’s readers, the list includes:

Team manager Ryan Blair in company of five of his athletes. Photo: Spontaneous Combustion Productions

Malaysia’s Safrey Sumping who held off Nepal’s Upendra Sunuwar at the 2014 The Most Beautiful Thing in Borneo and fellow Malaysian Daved Simpat taking a historic 1st place at the 2013 Mount Kinabalu Climbathon; Thailand’s Jay Kiangchaipaipana whose easy win at the 2013 The North Face 50 had him finish more than an hour ahead of his competitors and Wong Ho Chung who also took line honours at The North Face Philippines earlier this year.

“We are a team and if an athlete only cares about him or herself I’m not interested, no matter how strong they are,” says Blair defiantly. “We previously had one of the strongest trail runners from Mainland China on the team and after a few months he showed his true colours... I literally had him pull out his team race uniforms from his bags at the airport train station in Hong Kong and kicked him off the team,” he says, still a little furious. “I told him of our disappointment in his behaviour and hoped this experience might change his approach to sport, and life in the future.”

We are a team

and if an athlete only cares about him or herself I’m not interested, no matter how strong they are

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Stone Tsang needs little introduction, having frequently graced the pages of Asia Trail for his many successful pursuits, most recently coming 18th overall at the 2014 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc — in under 24 hours.

The team’s success is by design, admits Blair, and it runs deep.

“In the beginning, we wanted to have the best Asia-based adventure racing team, not just trail runners. Our aim is — and always has been — to give Asia-based athletes the support and sponsorship they need to develop their potential while living out their passion for adventure,

Blair’s passion for adventure sports traces back to their beginnings, as adventure racing began to explode in the 1990s. Early on, he was the race director and managing director of Asia’s first series of international adventure races with the National Geographic Channel and Action Asia Magazine (the newly created company was the start of what is today known as Hong Kong-based Action Asia Events), as well as was a competitor himself. He regularly teamed up with

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PROFILE

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We are the Champions

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

We are the Champions

PROFILE

The team heads into the infamous cave run section in China’s epic 4-day stage adventure race, Wulong Mountain Quest.

Stuart Sharpless, his now business partner at APA — together they made a formidable pair, both on the trails and in life.

The idea for the CSA team was cooked up by the dynamic duo after competing in the Raid Adventure Race World Championships in 2005. They noticed a distinct lack of Asian talent displayed among the top ranks, despite being aware of the region’s potential. “Back then there was simply no Asia-based teams competing at the highest level of the sport.”

Knowing what was possible, Blair and Sharpless set out to create it.

We don’t just look for the , we best look for those who really , in racing as . well as in

athletes

blossom

The following year Blair approached The North Face to help fund the team and allow it to really grow into a professional outfit, with all the gear and financial support they desperately needed. While the team had support from Salomon, “[at the time the company’s] presence in Asia was way too small for our ambitions... and Champion Safrey Sumping recently won the TMBT 100km in Malaysia.

Photo: Lloyd Belcher

System was also in too early a stage of development in Asia to consider being the number one sponsor,” he explains.

life

The North Face was very interested to help but it was taking time to process the deal. “That was until a couple of months later when Stuart and I won the biggest adventure race in Mainland China that was sponsored by The North Face with Salomon logos across our jerseys,” Blair chuckles. The North Face quickly “stepped up,” says Blair, and in 2007 the team was firmly established by APA with top adventure sport athletes from

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PROFILE

We are the Champions

Ryan Blair in transition out of his kayak in Multisport Brazil, South America’s oldest solo adventure race.

Singapore, China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. In 2010 Champion System took over as the number one sponsor, with The North Face remaining a firm and solid supporter of the team.

Blair doesn’t just look for the best athletes, he looks for those who he sees could, with APA’s support, really blossom, in racing as well as in life. CSA team members are not given a few race t-shirts and sent on their way, they are fully integrated into a professional team and become part of the wider APA family.

APA has an athlete management division, supporting its athletes by paying the costs involved with racing and travel, special training expenses, and offers as much sponsor support as they can possibly garner for their athletes. “They get gear, equipment, nutrition, physiotherapy — and they get to keep any prize money.

We also give them opportunities to travel the world and, for many of the athletes, learn English.”

“The team can also have a huge impact on developing personal confidence.” Blair recalls the first time Sumping came to Hong Kong seven years ago and was too intimidated to venture far from Blair’s house, where he was a guest. “Now he is confident to explore anywhere, and is like a completely different person.”

And the more committed the athlete is, the more APA supports them. “If I can find a way to further support an athlete within my group of companies, I will.” He cites the example of Marites Bitbit (Baby) from the Philippines. “Baby was a professional cyclist for 10 years racing on our teams and was also supported by the Philippine Army and Cycling Federation, but wanted a way to transition out... so I employed her in our Youth Outdoor Education Division and now she works in our new retail shop.”

So where exactly does Blair find athletes who have as much heart and drive as they do talent? Honestly, it’s the stuff that fairytales are made of. Take Jay Kiangchaipaipana, one of CSA’s Jay and Ryan abseiling during the Action Asia Challenge Hong Kong. Photo: Action Asia Events

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

We are the Champions

PROFILE

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PROFILE

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We are the Champions

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

We are the Champions two Thai athletes, for example.

“I randomly met Jay on my Christmas holiday trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2010. I was looking for the best guide to take me mountain biking, saw this very fit and muscular looking local sitting in the corner fixing a bike — I asked for him. I could see his talent immediately as he ripped up the trails ahead of me. He was already an athlete, also being a Muay Thai boxer, and soon after that trip we got him a passport and his first plane ride,” describes Blair.

I just love seeing how the can provide not just race opportunities but

team

life opportunities.

“Just this summer he took 6th place in the XC race of the All Mountain World Championships... here was a guy that used to live in a temple with monks in Northern Thailand who just showed up out of the blue and was going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in America.” Blair is just bursting at the seams thinking about it. “I just love seeing how the team can provide not just race opportunities but life opportunities. What a journey Jay has had — and it’s just the beginning.”

Wong Ho Chung, one of Hong Kong’s speediest trail runners, is another example of an athlete shining under CSA’s guidance.

“Chung had displayed potential over some of the shorter distances in Hong Kong. When Stone and I met him, we both liked his attitude, humble nature, and we could see his innate talent and strength... He has fit in so well with the team, and with Stone’s mentoring he’s beginning to accomplish everything we expected of him.”

Indeed, Chung was closely on the heels of Stone during the 2013 The North Face 100 Hong Kong, his first 100 km race, coming in 3rd place in 13h and 9min.

“It’s about having something else inside besides just talent, you know... It’s that extra ability to know how to actually win a race; how to squeeze out more potential than is on paper. I think it’s a combination of competition smarts, mental strength…” he

PROFILE

5 Questions in 5 Minutes: CSA’s Top Malaysian Runners Malaysian CSA athletes Safrey Sumping and Daved Simpat visited Hong Kong last October to compete and take 1st and 3rd place at the Lantau 2 Peaks, respectively (see p.18). While Sumping had raced in the city on many occasions, it was Simpat’s first time to the region after recently joining CSA. We checked in on the two diminutive runners (also brothers-inlaw) to find out what makes them tick on and off the trails.

SAFREY SUMPING

Lives: Sabah, Malaysia Occupation: Mountain guide Height: 169cm Weight: 62kg

DAVED SIMPAT

Lives: Sabah, Malaysia Occupation: Porter on Mount Kinabalu Height: 157cm Weight: 49kg

What has running brought to your life?

S: Running has provided great opportunities to see the world, travel, and keeps me even more healthy. I have also become famous in my home.

What’s your favourite type of run: training or in a race? And why?

S: A race, because it’s a run with results. I can also meet runners from different countries.

What do you think about when you run?

D: I will think about running for safety, to enjoy the environment, the trails and of course when I run I think of the top place.

What’s your most memorable moment/ achievement in running?

S: 1st place TMBT 100km 2014 and 3rd place Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon 2006.

D: 1st place Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon 2013.

What’s your long-term goal for running?

S and D (agreeing): I hope I can become a great and famous trail runner and get more and more support with good results. I also hope to run on different trails around the world.

Jay at the start of the Downhill course at this summer’s Downieville All-Mountain World Championships.

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We are the Champions

stops. “No, it’s more than that.” But what, exactly, Blair struggles to describe.

Perhaps that CSA ‘x-factor’ is best explained by the 2012 Oxfam Trailwalker effort during which Tsang, Kiangchaipaipana, The North Face Japanese athlete Tsuyoshi Kaburaki, and Blair competed against the Salomon France team, the Nepaliboosted local Salomon team, and other top runners in the most competitive field of the race’s history.

“We all had injury issues in the one to two months before the race, and just getting to the start was a miracle.” Then, when they finally had made it, they almost didn’t get going, as their support vehicle got stuck behind a traffic accident and they scrambled to get food and water less than two minutes before the race start. Then there were the injuries that plagued Tsang and Kiangchaipaipana during the race. If you want an idea of the troubles, just view the YouTube video and watch Tsang wince in pain from ITB injury, asking for more painkillers. It’s chilling.”

“Then somehow, these four athletes from four different corners of the world pulled together as a team. Not only did we cross the line, we also finished [in 3rd place] on the podium, and under 12 hours.”

Though Blair may struggle to put his finger on what exactly has enabled this impressive team of athletes to always dig deep, he knows clearly the message he always ensures his athletes embody. “At the end of the day, we hope we can inspire others to not just get out and enjoy an active lifestyle, but also promote the value and the need to protect Asia’s spectacular outdoor areas.”

“When a team works together well, the opportunities are endless on all levels.”

PROFILE

This year Stone Tsang ran the UTMB for the fourth time in an incredible time of 23h 52min. Photo: Claus Rolff

Snapshot: CSA Athletes Thailand:

Jay Kiangchaipaipana — mountain biking and adventure racing Saman Gunan — adventure racing

Mainland China:

Piers Touzel — mountain biking and adventure racing

Hong Kong:

Stone Tsang — trail running Wong Ho Chung — trail running Ryan S. Blair — adventure racing

Philippines:

Marites Bitbit (Baby) — mountain biking and adventure racing

Malaysia:

Safrey Sumping — mountain running Daved Simpat — mountain running

New Zealand:

Louise Mark — adventure racing

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TRAINING

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

How to Maximize Your Training for a Major Race

How to Maximize Your Training for a Major Race

By Andy DuBois Illustration by Kirk Wescom

T

he growth of ultra trail races over the last 5 years has been exponential. Most of us are spoiled for choice in terms of the vast number of races available for competing in each year. However, more is not necessarily better. The human body simply can’t, month after month and year after year, compete to its maximum potential in ultra races. This is something some of the elites are starting to learn — unless your name is Kílian Jornet, racing often and hard is simply unsustainable.

But even Kílian has an off-season, during which he hardly runs at all. Surprisingly, taking such a break is not something many other elites do.

For the majority of us competing at a major race like the UTMB, UTMF, or the Translantau is a major commitment, so it makes sense to prepare oneself to be in the best possible shape for these events.

Naturally, every race has its different set of demands, so in order to perform well, training needs to be tailored to the race. In fact, the more races you do, the less specific your training will be, as you cannot train effectively for different races at the same time.

First of all, choose your #1 major race. From then Planning on, everything will your race revolve around the calendar specifics of this race.

Whether you choose a race that suits your abilities or one that

challenges your weaknesses is a matter of personal preference, but always be sure to select a competition that really excites you. #2 Assessment of the race and of yourself

Every race has different challenges to overcome. Therefore, the first step to performing well during a race depends on working out what those challenges are.

Your approach should always assess the following: Vertical – How much verticality is there and how is it derived? Does it result from big, long climbs or many short ups and downs? How steep is the overall climb? Is it runnable or do most people hike it?

Terrain – Does the terrain consist of a road, bike path, wide groomed trail, or a single track? Are there sections that are very technical? Does the stretch contain mud, stairs, sand, snow, or scree?

Weather – Will it be hot or cold?

Aid stations – Is the race well supported with stations or is the support very minimal?

Time of day – Will the race involve running during the night, and if so across what kind of trail?

TRAINING

The next step is to assess your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the specific demands of the race. The result of this will drive all your training so be realistic about your abilities. #3

Even though your main focus for the Secondary year may only be on races one particular race, that doesn’t mean you can’t compete in other races. Choosing races that replicate some aspects of your main race will help better prepare you both physically and mentally for your main event. Races that target your weaknesses can be very challenging for the ego but very beneficial in shaping your condition. Conversely, there is no point participating in a road marathon if your goal is the UTMB. Training races should be at most every 4 weeks and should never be raced at 100% of your efforts. Focus on the bigger goal and leave your ego behind. #4

Many of us live in places that are very Training dissimilar to the environment landscape of the race we are training for and access to trails and big hills is often very limited. But if we want to perform to our full potential we need to make the training as specific to the actual characteristics of the race as possible. How well you can utilize what’s around you can have a big effect on your final performance.

If you don’t have big hills nearby, consider doing successive repeats on any smaller hills you do have access to. And if your vicinity is completely flat, having no hills whatsoever, then stairs may have to feature prominently in your training.

If training trails are not accessible during the week then make the effort of driving to the nearest ones on the weekends; come race day, your trips will definitely have been worth the effort. #5

Planning your training

The building blocks of any successful training program will consist of long runs, recovery runs, hill repeats, speed sessions, tempo

39

How to Maximize Your Training for a Major Race runs, stair sessions, skill sessions, as well as a number of other sessions. Which of these will be most relevant to you will depend on your particular strengths and weaknesses, and the characteristics of the race you are preparing for. Now, before we look at how to put together an effective training plan, let’s consider all the major components that should make up the bulk of your training program, and furthermore, how to progress them throughout the year. #6

The long run is the foundation of an ultra The runner’s training. long run It should gradually increase throughout the year up to a peak around 4-5 weeks prior to the main race.

The length of these runs will depend to a certain degree on the distance of the race, but more so on what your body can handle. There is no golden rule on how far you should run, as there are a number of variables that you can always adjust. The main thing to consider when deciding on the distance is that the long run should be completed at a pace that feels comfortable. The all too common mistake is running too fast. Consider that you shouldn’t need more than a day’s recovery before being able to resume normal training. If you need more than that then you have ran too fast or too far.

As the race approaches, the terrain of your long run should be increasingly more similar to the one of the race. Work out how much vertical incline there is per 10km of the race and aim to simulate the same amount in your long run training.

For example, the UTMB has a 9600m vertical incline within the distance of 164km. That works out to be 580m of vertical slope for every 10km, and so that’s what you should aim to imitate during your long run. If the race you are training for involves a lot of hiking, as does for example the UTMB, then you should incorporate hiking into your long run. #7

Skill training

Skills like running technical trails, during the night, through mud, sand, snow, and scree need practice to be developed.

The best way to improve any skill is to start at a level you are comfortable with and gradually increase the difficulty.

Running is no different. Find trails that are on the edge of your comfort zone and repeat them until they feel comfortable, once this has been achieved, find more challenging trails. This form of training should begin at a slow pace and be increased as your competence develops.

While keeping in mind the race you are training for, make the trails you practice on relevant. #8

Strength is an important aspect of Strength any running program. training A good strength routine can increase running economy and speed, decrease the risk of injury, and improve your climbing and descending condition. Many runners are reluctant to incorporate strength training into their program as the resulting muscle soreness can affect the next day’s run. By starting your strength training early in the training program, when the running is easier, you will allow your legs to adapt to the exertion before the harder running begins.

A good strength routine for runners should consist of exercises such as one-legged squats, lunges, and step-ups.

Dynamic exercises such as jumps and hops also prove to be very beneficial for runners. Aim for 2-3 sessions per week in the early stages, dropping down do 1-2 sessions as the training volume picks up. Lighter weights and higher reps are better suited for the exercises, so aim at 15+ reps and 2-3 sets. #9

Although speed training is something Speed that many ultra training runners shy away from, thinking that it isn’t relevant, it is no coincidence that the best ultra runners are also the fastest at shorter distances.

Speed training has many benefits including better running economy, increased leg strength that helps in handling larger volumes of slower running, greater dynamic flexibility, fatigue resistant legs, and of course the

TRAINING

ability to run faster across all distances.

Start speed training early in the training season; begin with tackling shorter distances while working towards gradually increasing the lengths as the race approaches.

As running faster places a higher physical demand on the body, proper speed training should be eased into, so that in the first 4-6 weeks the sessions won’t actually be all that hard. As your body adapts, the intensity and volume should be increased. To begin with, try 5-10 repeats across 400-800m at a pace that is fast but comfortable. As your legs acclimatize, intensify the run to the maximum speed that you are able to sustain over the session.

Look to build this workout to 4-5 repeats of 1km, then to 1 mi. Once your body has adapted, introduce tempo runs to help build up endurance. A typical session might consist of 2 x 30min or 4 x 15min sets of hard running. If you find it hard to push yourself during training, 10mi to a half marathon races are a great way to execute your tempo runs. In the final month before the race reduce the volume but not the intensity, meaning that your speed sessions will return to 800-1200m repeats. #10

Hills are a part of any trail race, which means Hill hill training must training become an essential part of any appropriate training plan. The key thing to remember with hills is that the down hills load the legs far more than the up hills, and if you don’t train your legs to specifically handle the extra load, you will find yourself wanting come race day.

Due to the additional strain involving the increased load, we need to ease our way into downhill running. Initially, hill training should focus on developing strength, power, and fitness by running uphill, using downhill portions for recovery. As your strength develops, you can increase the speed at which you run down the hills; the aim is to eventually be able to run both the ups and downs of hills at full speed.

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How to Maximize Your Training for a Major Race When you start hill training even the up hills will load the body more than running on flat terrain, so it is important that the increase in the amount of hills within your program be gradual.

Fortunately, when fitness is low, you don’t have to run that fast uphill to feel your heart and lungs working. As your fitness improves, your muscles and tendons will resultantly adapt, giving you room to push increasingly harder.

Hill training should vary throughout the training year, becoming increasingly more race specific. If, for example, your race will involve lots of hiking up hill then you will need to practice that aspect in training.

Initially, shorter hill repeats of 3-5min with easy down hill recoveries will build base fitness and strength. Aim to be completing enough repetitions for them to total about 20-30min of up hill running. After 4-6 weeks you can start to increase the pace during the down hill runs, trying to run quickly but comfortably, minimizing the landing forces impacting your legs. In the beginning, you shouldn’t be pushing the pace down hill yet, let gravity help you along. Over time, hill sets should increase to 5-7 repeats that take about 5-10min to complete. As such, you’ll be covering around 45min of up hill per session. This will mean the pace on the up hill run will be reduced slightly as the volume goes up.

After another 4-6 weeks you can turn your attention to the down hills and start pushing the pace in that area of training.

If the race involves long climbs, you can focus your attention on your hiking abilities, or if it consists of a number of shorter climbs that you feel will be runnable, continue practicing running up hill. For races with long climbs choose longer hills, 10min or more in length, hiking up them as fast as possible and then running back down fast, repeating this for 1-2h. For races with lots of short climbs, sessions of running continuously for an hour up and down a shorter hill at your full speed, is great training.

During the final month prior to the race you will want to reduce the load on your legs, meaning that you will need

to decrease the down hill component of your training. Return to sessions which were similar to your hill training in the first month: shorter reps, higher intensity, and easy down hills. #11

Stairs place a different load on our legs in Stair comparison to hills. training Whereas hills allow us to choose our own stride length, stairs force us into a fixed one. When we are tired during hill runs we can shorten our stride length, thereby reducing the load.

Stairs don’t afford us that luxury. If your race has a significant amount of stairs then you will need to train on them.

To begin with, your stair sessions should consist of hiking up two stairs at a time and running back down easily.

20-30min of this is enough to get you started, and the intensity should be relatively easy, giving your legs the necessary time to adapt.

After 4-6 weeks you can start to increase the pace and volume by pushing your speed on the ups and extending the total time to 40-60min, split into sets of 15-20min. For example, 3 x 15min sets followed by 2min of recovery. To make hiking the ups purposeful, complete them as quickly as possible without breaking into a run.

The next stage of progression involves adding load by wearing your race pack filled with approximately the same weight amount you’ll be carrying on race day. As your descending skills improve you can begin to quicken your down stairs pace — but keep safety in mind, face planting is not fun!

In the final month before the race significantly reduce the amount of stairs, and in the last 2 weeks give your legs a rest from them altogether. #12

This is the most important part of training, without Recovery recovery your body won’t have the time to adapt itself, and thus won’t fully capitalize on all the hard training you have been doing.

TRAINING

Paying attention to what your body can handle, factor in a recovery week every 3-5 weeks of training. Aim to take an easy week to avoid exhaustion or injury.

You should be striving at a maximum of 2 high intensity sessions per week, avoiding making big jumps in training volume or intensity. Sleep, good nutrition, stress reduction measures, and hydration all play an important role in recovery, and the harder your training, the more you need to balance that with adequate recovery. #13

The final month before your major race is the time to start backing Taper off the training. Your long run should drop around 25% each week in the last 4 weeks; likewise speed and hill training should decrease in volume. Many runners like to keep the same frequency of running up rather than having more days off as the race advances, and there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, provided that the volume is drastically reduced.

Remember, fitness wise, there is nothing you can gain in the last 7-10 days. #14

Allocating 6-9 months to fully prepare for a Putting it race gives enough time all together for the body to adapt to the training load and get you to the start line in the best shape possible. Remember, the more races you participate in during this time, the more time off you will need for recovery. Training races are for training and should never involve 100% of your efforts. This means you can resume normal training within days, rather than weeks, after the race.

If you want to excel at one or two races per year then your training needs to reflect that and be specifically designed for those races. When, beating all expectations, you cross the finish line, all the invested effort will be well worth it!

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FIRST STEPS

Getting Started: From Zero to One W

By Joshua Steimle

ho am I? I’m a newbie to trail running myself. The advice I give you is coming from a slightly overweight and out of shape guy, and let’s be honest, if you’re a beginner, do you really want advice from the guy who glides up and down mountains as if his legs are made of springs? You’ll get the raw facts from me about what it’s like to start trail running. The tips you’ll get from me won’t come from an expert that you cannot relate to, but from someone who talks to the experts and is no more than just a step or two ahead of you.

It’s hard to start something new, and trail running is no exception. There are so many questions to be answered: What kind of shoes should I wear? What other equipment do I need? Where do I run? Am I overdoing it? Am I not doing enough? How do I run up a mountain without dying? And in Hong Kong, where I run, there are additional questions such as: How do I defend myself against the venomous snakes and man-eating spiders hiding around the trails? Here are some things to consider when it comes to getting started with trail running and successfully completing your first kilometer.

Before Your First Run Safety. Trail running is different than road running. You can find this out the hard way by tripping over a rock or tree root and rolling off a cliff.

Alternatively, if you can avoid ever having a bad fall, you’re lucky. Trail running requires paying more attention to your surroundings and especially what’s under your feet. In contrast to running on the road, where you can expect every step

to be the same, on the trails every step is different. But this is what makes trail running great and convinced me to never go back to road running. It’s much more interesting, and ends up being easier on your joints and muscles.

Shoes. Sure, you can take your road shoes to the trails, but now there are many good shoe companies focusing exclusively on trail running, and the shoes they make are substantially different. I recommend ones made by Altra and Hoka, but the best thing to do is to go into a running store that employs an experienced trail runner and talk with them. One thing to take into consideration, make sure you leave plenty of toe room. When you’re coming down a steep hill your toes will get pushed to the front of your shoes, and if your shoes are too small you’ll lose your toenails and have to buy a new pair of runners.

Clothing. A lot of road and trail runners wear a tank-top style shirt. I still prefer to use my old race shirts because it’s hard to wipe sweat onto my bare arm, and here in Asia you’ll sweat a lot. More importantly, get running shorts that have pockets in the back. I use the pockets in my shorts to carry my phone, nutrition, keys, money, etc.

Equipment. Do you really need one of those running vests? If you’re going to be running more than 90min in the summer in Asia then yes, you will be happier if you get one. As with shoes, find a trail running expert at your local store, get their advice, and try on multiple vests to see what feels best. One concern I had about buying a vest was chafing, but to my surprise it has never been an issue.

Strength training. Don’t ignore strength training. Even if it’s just 15min per day you should be doing exercises to strengthen your core and legs. If you’ve always wondered about yoga but have been afraid to dive in, now would be a good time to give it a shot.

Your First Run: Short and Slow Do you remember the first time you ran more than a few kilometers? I do, because it was just a few years ago.

I wasn’t one of those people who ran from a young age and did cross country in school. I hated running. And when I started running I increased my distance too quickly. One morning I got out of bed and fell on the floor because my knees weren’t working. I only needed a few days to recover, but I took the hint and came up with a more gradual plan for increasing distance.

Start out easy. Your first few runs should be short and in fact should feel way too easy. Your cardiovascular system may be far ahead of your muscles and ligaments. In addition, your muscles adjust and develop more quickly than your ligaments and tendons, so taking on too much, too soon, is a good way to end up with a training injury. Give yourself several weeks to adjust before you start ramping up the distance and speed. And by the way, even though I’ve been running trails for almost two years now, most of my uphill ‘running’ is better described as a fast hike. Even on flat ground I still do a lot of walking, especially if the ground is rocky, slippery, or covered by long grass.

The Reward I started participating in triathlons in 2007, but didn’t try trail running until 2012. I had grown up hiking, so I knew that trail terrains can be quite challenging. In the beginning running on a trail in the mountains seemed not just impossible, but dangerous. But all it took was a single run to convince me that I had wasted five years of my running life on boring, flat roads. Trail running isn’t easy, but I can’t go back. Try it out yourself, and let me know how it goes for you.

Joshua is the CEO of digital marketing agency MWI (www. mwi.hk; email: josh@mwi.hk), as well as a writer for various business publications including Forbes and Entrepreneur. He lives and runs in Hong Kong.

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GEAR

28 Trail Shoes Tested

28 Trail Shoes S Tested

By Asia Trail Team

hoes are arguably the most important item in a trailrunner’s gear-box. Most of us who have been trailrunners for more than six months can go on for hours about them, throwing in technical terms like toe-to-heel drop, ground feel, responsiveness, that will surely make non-runners’ eyes roll. This edition of the gear review is dedicated to those in the perennial search for the perfect pair.

The good news is that most shoes now being offered can make a legitimate claim to trail worthiness.

The bad news is no one shoe fits all. It’s all down to individual choices and many of us will continue to have more than five pairs in rotation at the same time for different terrains, race lengths, and trail conditions. We have, however, been particularly wowed by Hoka Mafate Speed and Inov-8 Trailroc.

Both lightweight and fast, the Mafate Speed’s generous cushioning, grip, and stability make them the shoes of choice for ultra distance runs, especially courses with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces. The Trailroc, with its snug fit, superior ground feel, and grip, is great for shorter, technical runs. Have a great ride!

Asics Fuji Sensor 2

asicsamerica.com | HKD 1,150 Weight (g): 355 | Drop (mm): 8 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 4 3.5 4 4.5 4

Asics GT-2000 Trail asicsamerica.com | HKD 1,000 Weight (g): 322 | Drop (mm): 10 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 3.5 4 3.5 4.5

Brooks Cascadia brooksrunning.com | HKD 920 Weight (g): 305 | Drop (mm): 12 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

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| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

3.5 4.5 4 4.5 3.5 4.5

Reviewers commend them on their superior breathability, even in the Hong Kong summer. One says they are comfortable shoes for people with wide feet, though slightly unstable on rough terrain. Another says they offer excellent grip in wet conditions, and are good for trails as well as roads.

Basically a road running shoe with a trail outsole. The traditional upper is comfortable but gets heavy when wet as it absorbs water. The insoles are quite spongy.

One reviewer says the shoes fit like a glove, and are just as good on track and road as on trails. They still have to show any visible signs of wear and tear after over 800km. Good versatile model.

28 Trail Shoes Tested Columbia Peakfreak Enduro Outdry columbia.com | HKD 1,599 Weight (g): 385 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

2.5 4 3.5 3 3 4.5

Shoes with good arch support for those not looking for a speedy and light model but rather a durable material that keeps you dry. The upper and toebox mesh is thick and tough, which compromises breathability.

The tread slips on wet, hard rocks when climbing uphill but offers a good traction on soft ground.

3.5 4 4.5 3 4 4.5

Sturdy, stable, well protected, and durable like Salomon’s XA Pro 3D Ultra series, but not exactly lightweight and fast. A reviewer says they press sideways on his little toes even though he has narrow feet and is wearing the right size. The shoes come with Vibram outsoles with large, deep lugs that tend to shed mud neatly.

Dynafit Pantera dynafit.com | HKD 1,090 Weight (g): 375 | Drop (mm): 8 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

Ecco Biom Ultra hk.ecco.com | HKD 1,799 Weight (g): 365 | Drop (mm): 5 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

2.5 2.5 2.5 3.5 3 3.5

Ecco Terra Cruise hk.ecco.com | HKD 1,499 Weight (g): 315| Drop (mm): 5 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

2.5 2.5 2.5 3.5 3 3.5

HaglĂśfs L.I.M Low haglofs.com | HKD 1,059 Weight (g): 218 | Drop (mm): 5 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

GEAR

2.5 3 1.5 2 4 3

Solidly constructed with good protection. Reviewers find, however, the upper too stiff and constricting.

The low drop and minimalist cushioning lead to achy arches within a few miles, according to one reviewer.

The soft outsoles grip well on wet rocks but attract and hold mud. The Gore-Tex inner lining works well in cold and wet conditions. These are the most expensive shoes we tested.

Comfortable and stylish shoes for short runs with very little cushioning.

Beautifully designed outsoles with small circular lugs that unfortunately do not stick on wet rocks. Laces are quick and easy to tie.

The lightest shoes we tested.

These minimalistic shoes are very comfortable, but the poor fit around the ankles and non-existent protection restricts them to non-technical trails.

We really like the non-absorbing upper that keeps the shoes dry.

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28 Trail Shoes Tested Haglöfs Gram Comp haglofs.com | HKD 1,359 Weight (g): 270 | Drop (mm): 7.5 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

Best

3.5 3.5 3 3.5 4 3

Hoka One One Mafate Speed hokaoneone.com | HKD 1,620 Weight (g): 340 | Drop (mm): 4 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

5 4.5 4 4 3.5 3.5

Hoka One One Huaka hokaoneone.com | HKD 1,480 Weight (g): 245 | Drop (mm): 2 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

4 3 4 4 4 3

Inov-8 Roclite 282 GTX inov-8.com | HKD 1,540 Weight (g): 270 | Drop (mm): 9 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

Best

3 4.5 3.5 4.5 4.5 4

Inov-8 Trailroc 255 WMS inov-8.com | HKD 1,200 Weight (g): 260 | Drop (mm): 6 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 4.5 4 4.5 3.5 4.5

GEAR

Super lightweight shoes with a minimalistic design. They stay surprisingly dry, and really do feel like you’re not wearing anything sometimes. They get fairly trashed on harder, rocky trails but the grip holds up very well. A good choice for anyone transitioning to minimalist models.

The Mafate has impressive cushioning without compromising the grip. Your feet will thank you for that. Large, deep, aggressive lugs grip well in wet conditions. Despite appearances, they seem to be rather stable, likely because of the wide midsole. The mesh upper could be stuffy for tropical weather though. Toebox could feel narrow initially but more comfortable with wear.

Featherweight, stylish, comfortable shoes well cushioned in the heel but with thinner padding and hence improved ground feel in the fore foot.

The lightweight comes at the expense of durability of the upper. They also slip on hard-packed dirt both uphill and downhill, likely due to the small and very shallow lugs as well as soft upper.

These lightweight and highly flexible shoes wowed the reviewers.

The sticky rubber outsole provides an unusual grip on both soft ground and wet rocks. Great model for short technical trails with decent comfort on road.

Lightweight, breathable, and simply feel fast on dirt trails. They have Inov-8’s signature superior traction but better protection and higher drop.

The toebox is said to be wider than in sister models. But the shallow heel cup, flexible sole, and still pretty thin cushioning do make one reviewer feel a bit under-protected around the ankle.

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28 Trail Shoes Tested Lafuma Moonlight Low lafuma.com/en/ | HKD 1,099 Weight (g): 360 | Drop (mm): 8 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 4 3.5 3.5 2.5 3.5

Lafuma Speedtrail V300 lafuma.com/en/ | HKD 1,199 Weight (g): 310 | Drop (mm): 8 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 4 4 3 3.5

Mammut MTR 201 Pro Low mammut.com.hk | HKD 1,600 Weight (g): 335 | Drop (mm): 9 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 4 4 4 3.5 4

Montrail Fluidfeel II montrail.com | HKD 1,199 Weight (g): 265 | Drop (mm): 9 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 3.5 3 3.5 4

New Balance MT610 newbalance.com.hk | HKD 590 Weight (g): 250 | Drop (mm): 12 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 3 4 4.5 3.5

GEAR

These shoes will fit those in transition from fast hiking to running.

The sole is very tough which explains the sharp curve from tread to midsole, which could be a problem for forefoot striking and drilling. It is quite steady yet clumsy on technical downhill.

Fairly responsive and lightweight shoes with Vibram V-Grip outsoles that perform well in wet and muddy conditions. Sleeker, lighter, and softer than Moonlight Low. One reviewer says the clunky shoes are great on the concrete between trails. Another reviewer notes water retention problems.

Good trail shoes with a wide and very comfortable build. They have a good arch support and grip, although a poorer traction uphill than downhill.

A lack of flexibility in the outsoles may feel too hard for some. They are good shoes for short technical runs.

Nicely designed hybrid shoes for road and trail with a comfortable ‘bounce’ and feel on both terrains.

Reviewers like the overall cushioning and fit but the upper always feels tighter when trying to get an even pressure across the shoe.

Great value for the money and ideal entry-level trail shoes. They have excellent out-of-the-box fit, enhanced by varying widths. The mesh upper offers comfort and no pressure points.

But the lightness comes at the expense of a stiff midsole plate needed for gnarly mountain trail. One reviewer finds the shoelaces do come undone easily even with a double knot. For neutral gait. Also good on road.

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28 Trail Shoes Tested NEWTON BOCO AT newtonrunning.com | HKD 1,150 Weight (g): 290 | Drop (mm): 3 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 4 4 3.5 4.5

Salomon S-Lab XT6 salomonrunning.com | HKD 1,620 Weight (g): 340 | Drop (mm): 4 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

4 4 4.5 4 4 3.5

Salomon Sense 3 Pro salomonrunning.com | HKD 1,180 Weight (g): 260 | Drop (mm): 4 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 3 4.5 3.5 3

Saucony Peregrine 4 saucony.com | HKD 860 Weight (g): 265 | Drop (mm): 4 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3 4 3.5 3 4 4

Tecnica Inferno Xlite 2.0 tecnica.it | HKD 1,630 Weight (g): 330 | Drop (mm): 10 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

4 4 4 3 3.5 4

GEAR

A long-time Newton road shoe fan likes the low drop, better fit and a wider toe box. Another reviewer notes the curved forefeet actually make you want to run uphill. The feet do slide inside the shoes on the way down. Outsole feels a bit stiff initially yet the grip on wet steps and trails is decent. The upper, while sturdy, isn’t breathable enough for Hong Kong’s steamy summer.

Lightweight, stable, well-protected trail shoes with an eye-catching design.

A reviewer does note the need to size up a bit more. The wider outsoles will take a bit of getting used to on technical terrain and narrow steps.

The stiff outsoles also make the feet feel sorer at a lower mileage. The soft ground version has superior grip on mud.

They come with the Sense series’ signature snug fit. One reviewer does find the lightweight, lowdrop go-fast shoes lack the desired padding for runs longer than a few hours. The narrow fit also sacrifices stability, another finds. They are very responsive shoes but traction can be a problem in serious mud.

The Peregrine brings the comfort of road shoes to the trails, with the added bonus of super grippy soles and protection around the forefeet. Lighter than previous editions, these are great shoes for running comfort when you don’t want to be thinking too much about where to put your feet.

Well-cushioned shoes similar to Hokas with a wider build. A reviewer, however, feels the superior cushioning compromises the ground feel a bit too much, making the shoes less nimble on technical terrain. In fact, the feet feel boxed-in and over-protected.

53

28 Trail Shoes Tested Teva Sphere Surge Event teva.com | HKD 1,299 Weight (g): 415 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

The North Face Ultra Smooth thenorthface.hk | HKD 990 (950 W) Weight (g): 265 | Drop (mm): 8 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 4 4 3.5 4

3.5 4 3.5 4.5 3.5 3.5

TrekSta Alter Ego treksta.com | HKD 890 Weight (g): 300 | Drop (mm): 4 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 3.5 4 4 4 3.5

TrekSta Sync treksta.com | HKD 950 Weight (g): 310 | Drop (mm): 4 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

3.5 4 3.5 3.5 4 3.5

Vasque Ultra SST vasque.com | HKD 1,299 Weight (g): 330 | Drop (mm): 6 Landing comfort: Traction: Stability: Fit: Breathability: Durability:

4.5 3.5 3 3 3 3.5

GEAR

Thanks to the spherical shape of the heel, these shoes are surprisingly stable, nimble, and grippy on uphill climbs and on muddy grounds. One of the heaviest models we’ve tested that do not, however, have good traction on wet rocks, as one reviewer learned the hard way.

The lightweight shoes have a snug fit, soft upper, and flexible Vibram outsoles that grip well even on mossy steps. The lack of cushioning did make one reviewer’s arches ache after just 20km. Another says these qualities make them fit for only flat and groomed trails, road, and track. They slip more uphill than downhill and the upper is less breathable than some rival brands.

The reviewers like their lightweight and breathability. But it’s one of those brands that seem to have their own sizing systems. One reviewer comments that the stability is very good with a good arch support and grip. Another reviewer finds an unnatural feel to the heel.

Like its sister model, lightweight and comfortable but one may need to order half or a full size smaller.

This model has largely the same construction as Alter Ego with fewer, larger but shallower lugs that give a better grip in muddy conditions. Good choice at this price.

These moon-like shoes bring to mind the first version of the Hokas. The generous cushioning and significant midsole foam support provide good comfort and responsive rebound for long distances. One reviewer had, however, blisters after running for a few hours in them.

55

ASK THE COACH

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ASK THE COACH

How to Pace an Ultra

By Andy DuBois

T

his has to be the most common question I am ever asked as a coach. Bottom line, getting the pace right, particularly in the first few hours of a race, will have a massive impact on the outcome of your race. Start by going too fast and any time you made up in the first half of a race, and not to mention potentially a lot more, will be lost in the second half. In fact, very few races are lost due to going too slow at the start.

The effect of running too fast in the beginning Running too fast has a number of major negative effects on the body. Not only does it burn more calories but burns more calories from carbohydrates instead of fats, and as such does more damage to your leg muscles. Burning more calories from carbohydrates means you have to replace more calories, which will inevitably increase your chances of suffering gastric problems, a major reason for DNFs in ultras. Doing more damage to your leg muscles in the early stages is not something you can recover from during a race; once the damage is done it’s done, and you’ll have to deal with the consequences later on.

amount. But those who can slow down the least will usually be at the front of the field.

The danger of having fresh, tapered legs is that your long run training pace now feels very easy and the temptation to run faster is extremely high. However, in shorter races your race pace is faster than your training pace, but during

Taking it easy at the start of the race requires discipline, patience, and the ability to put aside your ego. The start of an ultra is not the time to let your competitive nature show itself.

In some races there is a mad sprint to get to a climb or single track before the masses to avoid getting stuck in a big line. You need to ask yourself how much time you will actually lose getting stuck in a queue of people versus losing time later in the race due to your legs being exhausted and preventing you from finishing. For most people the damage done running too hard at the start will far exceed any time lost waiting in a queue.

Running versus walking uphill When to walk and when to run is another difficult decision. Running up hills early in the race can burn up a lot of calories that you may struggle to replace later on. Once again the key is to focus on intensity. As soon as you feel the intensity rise, slow down the pace, and if that means that for some time you have to walk, then so be it.

One golden rule:

How slow should you go at the start?

In a race where the terrain varies so much, how can you set a target for your running pace? In a marathon the goal is to try to run the second half as close to the speed of the first half as possible. In most hilly ultras 100% of the field will run the second half of the race slower than the first, and usually by a significant Elite French runner Antoine Guillon who raced on several occasions in Asia is known as the perfect metronome in pacing his races. Photo: Claus Rolff

If you think you are going too fast, you are, and if you think you are going too slow, you aren’t.

ultras the race pace is often slower than your training pace. So if you start the race at your training pace, it is often not sustainable and will usually result in quads that have had enough well before the end of the race.

My advice is to ignore your watch completely and not worry about measures of speed or heart rate. Make sure the first hour feels more manageable than your normal easy run. The longer the race the slower the race pace will be relative to your training pace. Focus on your breathing and perceived effort, making sure that the undertaking feels easier than your long training runs. Don’t worry about losing time in the first few hours, your patience will reward you with legs that can still run in later stages of the race.

How fast should I run down hill?

Whilst running down hill requires less aerobic energy, it places much more pressure on your quads. Run down hill too fast and you’ll overload your quads, making running later in the race far more difficult. For this reason, when running down hill you can’t ultimately rely on intensity to be the measure determining your pace. You will need to think about the load on your quads, making sure it doesn’t significantly surpass what you’d experience running on flat terrain. Focusing on minimising the load by running with smaller, faster strides and light landings to reduce the strain on your leg muscles will help you avoid incurring any undesirable damage.

The one golden rule to remember when working out the pace at which to run an ultra is: if you think you are going too fast, you are, and if you think you are going too slow, you aren’t.

Andy is an award-winning personal trainer and elite endurance athlete specializing in ultra running. You can find more useful info on his ultra running coach website (www. mile27.com.au).

57

CROSS TRAINING

Gym Bike

Gym Bike

By Olivier Baillet

S

pending countless hours on the trails is obviously a prerequisite to do well in trail running, but cross training can be even more beneficial; with this diverse approach you will effectively minimize the risk of injuries, avoid the boredom of always doing the same routine, and even take refuge from inclement weather.

As cross training options go, we already saw in the July/ August edition of Asia Trail a few valuable swim workouts. In this edition, we will review 3 workouts that can be done on a bike trainer at the gym.

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Recovery workout — 55min After a hard or long running session, it is sometimes better to avoid loading your legs with extra pounds. However, as doing nothing does not necessarily help recovery, the use of the stationary bike is an option worth considering. Fast spins flush the legs with blood, have little impact on your body, and resultantly assist and increase the rate of your recovery.

Warm up — 15min Very easy pedaling for 5min, then progressively harder for 10min, but always maintaining a conversational pace.

Main set — 30min 1. 10 x 30s of spinning on an easy gear, keeping cadence above 100 rpm (revolutions per minute), without bouncing; followed by 30s of easy pedaling.

2. 5min of easy pedaling.

3. 10 x 45s of spinning on an easy gear, keeping cadence above

Gym Bike

CROSS TRAINING

100 rpm, without bouncing; followed by 15s of easy pedaling.

Cool down — 10min 10min of easy pedaling.

Anaerobic endurance workout — 1h 5min This is a classic workout that helps with raising your threshold limits. Don’t think that you do not need to work around threshold intensity because you are training for a 160km race, these kinds of workouts are beneficial to everybody. You do need a certain level of fitness though, and you should not try this before at least 2-3 months of high volume, low intensity base training.

Warm up — 25min 1. 10min of easy pedaling.

2. 10 x 30s of spinning on an easy gear, keeping cadence above 100 rpm, without bouncing; followed by 30s of easy 3. pedaling.

5min of easy pedaling.

Main set — 40min 1. 5 x 4min of hard pedaling, doing this progressively harder to reach threshold level after 1.5min and then maintain that level for 2.5min.

2. 10min of cool down.

3. 10min of easy pedaling.

Strength workout — 1h 20min You need strong legs for climbing. You can obtain this, as well as at the same time improve your cardio, by doing big gear intervals on the stationary bike. Your legs may feel heavy for a couple of days after that, so avoid this workout during race season, but it is perfect for the middle of your training season.

Warm up — 25min Similar to the warm up before the anaerobic endurance workout.

Main set — 45min 3 x 15min: 12min of pedaling on biggest gear you can maintain at a cadence of 50-55 rpm (pedal progressively harder on the first 3min to reach a heart rate level that is 5bps under threshold and then maintain that level for 9min); 1min of super spin at 110 rpm and 2min of easy pedaling.

Cool down — 10min 10min of easy pedaling.

None of these workouts will make you stronger in isolation, and ultimately nothing replaces specific training, especially when the race is getting closer. However, through the repetition of these types of sessions, experimenting with variations (number of repetitions, work intervals, rest interval durations), and alternating your normal running program, you are guaranteed to start experiencing a visible gain in your strength.

Olivier is the founder of beyond the line — endurance coaching and consulting (www. beyondthelinecoaching.com). He trains athletes to reach their best at swimming, biking, running (road and trail), and triathlon competitions. He himself is a seasoned athlete, having completed the Ironman World Championship 3 times, as well as the UTMB where he finished 75th overall.

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Photo by Claus Rolff

BODY MECHANICS

The Science of Buying Footwear

The Science of Buying Footwear

By Doug Tahirali

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The Science of Buying Footwear

BODY MECHANICS

Malaysian mountain guide Danny Gongot defying the best trail runners at the Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon (4,095m) race with her plastic shoes.

Photo: Sabah Tourism Board

Minimalist shoes figure at the extreme end, meaning that these shoes are

not for everyone.

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The Science of Buying Footwear

BODY MECHANICS

63

NUTRITION

Protein and Energy Bars

By Katia Kucher

P

rotein and energy bars are convenient, tasty, and great at providing anything from an energy boost to post workout replenishment. But the truth is that not all bars are created equal. Most of them are loaded with unnecessary sugars, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, and preservatives. With so many different brands available, you need to consider all the ingredients and your individual nutrition needs.

When you need a quick energy boost before hitting the trails, make sure you take along a bar with maltodextrin, a type of carbohydrate that is rapidly absorbed by the body. The PowerBar Energize Fruit Smoothie Energy Bar is a good example of a bar that contains maltodextrin, some calcium and sodium to prevent cramps, and is low in fiber.

For mid to long runs you want to avoid stomach issues and fluctuations in blood sugar levels, and therefore you need energy from sources that are easily digestible. Look for carbohydrates that contain both glucose (fast acting) and fructose (slowly absorbing) sugars.

The best food that contains glucose and fructose — as well as vitamin B, calcium, and iron — is honey. In terms of bars, products by Honey Stinger are great.

For longer trail runs some protein intake is a definite must, look for energy bars that contain around 8 grams of protein. Look for products containing nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, as these will provide you with carbohydrates, protein, and antioxidants. Bars by Kind, Lärabar,

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and Clif are packed with all the nutrients needed to help you make it to the finish line.

Post run recovery is very important.

When our body enters into full muscle recovery mode and it is busy pumping blood to repair the vital organs, all the while leaving our appetite suppressed, that’s when a protein bar can come in handy. Look for a 4:1 carbohydrates to protein ratio and no more than 20 grams of protein. Also, seek out bars containing plant based or whey protein.

Finally, make sure you consume some carbohydrates and protein within 30min after running; this will allow for proper muscle recovery. Worth considering are Vega Sport Protein Bars, which are rich in nutrients and contain 15 grams of plant based protein.

As your body is screaming for pain relief after finishing those excruciatingly long 50km and 100km runs, consider taking a shot of caffeine. A study from 2009 found that caffeine effectively reduces exercise related pain by blocking the brain’s receptors for adenosine, a chemical secreted in response to inflammation. If you don’t have access to coffee, grab a caffeinated bar instead, for example the Cool Mint Chocolate by Clif Bar, which contains 50 milligrams of caffeine.

However, if time allows you to do so, be creative and make your own protein bars, so that you can go ahead and hit those check points while being sure that you are enjoying proper replenishment!

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

NUTRITION

Home-Made Protein Bars Ingredients: 3 cups 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1 cup

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp 1 cup

1 tsp 1/4 cup

1/2 cup

1/2 cup

1/2 cup up to 1 cup

organic raw oats whole sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds unsweetened organic shredded coconut ground cinnamon Himalayan salt or sea salt Greek yogurt (using plain or vanilla yogurt will make the bars a little sweeter) honey organic peanut butter (alternatively use almond butter or any nut/seed butter of your choice) organic vanilla extract liquefied organic coconut oil (coconut oil will be solid at room temperature in cooler weather) chopped organic dark chocolate or chocolate chips (70% cocoa or more is the healthiest) chopped seeds, nuts, or a combination, for example sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, and/or pecans (alternatively use additional peanut or any other nut butter) chopped dates, raisins, figs, or other dried fruit vanilla or chocolate plant based or whey protein powder — go with 1 cup if you want the bars to have significant protein content; use 1/2 cup or omit altogether if you dislike the taste or the idea of protein powders

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with a little coconut oil.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (Greek yogurt through coconut oil).

4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined, and then mix in the chocolate.

5. Taste a little of the homemade protein bar mixture. Is it tasty? You can add more peanut/almond butter or the optional nuts at this point if you like. Is it sweet enough? If not, you can add some additional sweetener or the optional dried fruit. Now is also the time to add in the protein powder if you are going to use it.

Once everything is combined, mix well.

Katia is owner of d.BeFit (www.dbefit. com), is a NASM certified personal trainer, a NASM Sports Nutrition Specialist, as well as is TRX certified.

6. Spread the mixture onto your prepared dish and bake for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, let it cool a little, and then slice the bars into desired shapes. Your homemade protein bars can be sliced into squares, or if you prefer into the more typical store bought bar shapes. Spread the bars out onto a cookie sheet and bake for 15 more minutes. Allow them to cool. Finally, wrap and store the bars in the refrigerator or freezer.

65

GEEK RUNNER

VO2 Max: How Hard Are You Able to Push Your Body

By Matt Moroz

A

t the start of the trail running season, six experienced trail runners in Hong Kong visited the studios of Joint Dynamics to participate in various tests including the famed VO2 max.

The six runners in question are all either established Hong Kong trail running legends, or legends in the making, they are: John Ellis: Incredibly varied and talented trail and road runner. 1st place at XTE MidAutumn Race in August and 3rd place at TransLantau 100 in March.

Clement Dumont: Infinitely versatile trail runner and stair climber. 1st place at Lantau 2 Peaks and MoonTrekker in October 2013, and more recently a fantastic 68th overall at UTMB in August.

Stone Tsang: Arguably Hong Kong’s most talented trail runner of all time. Stone is also incredibly versatile, as illustrated by his recent 18th place at the 168km UTMB in August, followed by a close 2nd in the 7km Lantau Vertical in September.

Sabrina Dumont: Sabrina comes with a great trail running pedigree including 1st place in the Dalian50 in China back in April.

Dan Falconar: Great Britain Team triathlete and strong trail runner. 4th place at Lantau Vertical in September and 3rd overall in AVOHK 5km series after three races.

JoeJoe Fan: Elite road and trail runner. JoeJoe has ran very competitively for years with trail victories including the MSIG HK50 in 2013.

Although the aforementioned runners had other physiological aspects measured in their visits including weight, body fat percentage, metabolic rate, and a number of metrics in an incredibly advanced gait analysis, it is the VO2 max test that we focus on here.

Most experienced runners will have heard of VO2 max, but to many it may still be a bit of a mystery. In very basic terms VO2 max is a measurement of fitness. More specifically, it is the maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres we can use in one minute, per kilogram of body weight. In layman’s terms, the relevance of this is that the more oxygen we can utilise per minute, the more fuel we will have for our working muscles, and therefore the harder and more intense we can exercise and race.

So why do we care what our VO2 max score is? Is it just for bragging rights?

This is a good and often asked question. It seems that an athlete’s VO2 max is somewhat predetermined by genetics.

If this were the whole story then perhaps the test would be a simple case for bragging rights. This value however can change and indeed be raised using several techniques. The ability to improve our VO2 max scores means that we can use certain training methodologies or interventions, and then retest in order to measure the effectiveness of the approach for a given individual.

An example of this might be the inclusion of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or altitude training for a particular athlete. Some techniques may influence VO2 max results for some athletes, but may not do much at all for other ‘non-responders.’ By using the VO2 max as our dependent variable, we can manipulate other independent variables (altitude exposure, intensity of workouts, and frequency of HIIT) in turn, and eventually discover and narrow down the best training approaches for a given runner.

Limiting factors and increasing our VO2 max Tim Noakes is a highly respected professor of exercise and sports science. He discusses VO2 max and the effects of age, gender, and training on an individual’s score in his 1986 book, Lore of Running. Heralded by many as the ‘runners’ bible’ in which Noakes discusses how VO2 max will decrease with age, will be lower in females, and will increase only around 5-15% through training. When we return to look at our list of highest ever recorded totals, it is not surprising to see that at the very top is an 18-year-old male.

So if we are already highly trained we may struggle to increase our VO2 max significantly. The absolute limiting factors are still widely unknown and no general consensus between exercise physiologists has been agreed upon. Joe Warpeha summarises how “no single mechanism limits VO2 max. Rather, VO2 max appears to be limited by multiple interacting factors that make it virtually impossible to trace the limitation back to the original source.”

That said, we can still try and increase our score by addressing some of the potential physiological limitations

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VO2 Max: How Hard Are You Able to Push Your Body

GEEK RUNNER

and by effect directly impact the measurement.

1: Lose Weight/Body Fat — As the measurement includes the subject’s own body weight, (measuring maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres that we can use in one minute, per kilogram of body weight), any loss in weight (specifically body fat) will have a positive effect in the score.

2: Intense Training — Some studies claim that training at a level close to VO2 max will elicit an increase in the score. This may be for physiological reasons (increased mitochondrial density), or simply due to how the ability to maintain the VO2 max test for longer without perceived effort will increase through greater exposure to the intensity level.

3: Altitude Training — An increased number of oxygen rich red blood cells in the body will help deliver more oxygen both through their sheer numbers, but additionally due to increased efficiency in oxygen delivery from each cell as the body adapts to living in a hypoxic state.

To the tests Joint Dynamics offer a range of VO2 max test protocols that can be tailor-made for the individual in question. A cyclist will perform their test on a stationary bike, a runner, logically, will perform on a treadmill. A variety of protocols can be used, again depending on the speciality of the individual being tested. To keep everything consistent and fair among our ‘contestants’ we flipped a coin to determine order and all subjects used a flat treadmill. In every VO2 max protocol, the general aim is to gradually increase intensity of workload to the point of failure or exhaustion. At this point the subject hits the stop button and the resulting VO2 max

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VO2 Max: How Hard Are You Able to Push Your Body

GEEK RUNNER

for deciding exercise intensity for training and racing in endurance sports. The AT provides you with a heart rate level that will allow you to train to improve performance, without guessing.

will ideally be the point where the oxygen consumption plateaus. After warming up, our subjects began by running at 10km/h. The test gained intensity every 30s as the speed was incrementally raised by 0.5km/h each time.

First up was John Ellis, who, despite breaking the cardinal VO2 max rule ‘thou shall not train the night before,’ still performed admirably, maxing out at 20.0km/h, with a heart rate of 161bpm, and a final score of 61.7ml/ kg/min. Next up, the impressive Clement Dumont, maxing out at 19.5km/h and a heart rate of 175bpm, finished with an incredible score of 76.1 ml/kg/min. Following Clement came Stone Tsang, who seemed to not be having the smoothest day in terms of heart rate, which was reaching 170bpm at a speed of 14.5km/h, despite this he continued until his heart rate topped 200bpm with a VO2 max at 68.4ml/kg/ min. It was only the safety function of the treadmill that stopped Stone once he exceeded 20.5km/h! Sabrina, who had a lot to live up to after the previous two tests, showed great strength and poise, ending the challenge after hitting 16km/h, with a heart rate of 184bpm, and a final impressive score of 56.4 ml/kg/min. Next, up stepped Dan Falconar, with a massive task if he was to compete with the achievements of Clement and Stone. Similarly to Stone, Dan also ‘beat the machine’ as it maxed out before he did. In the process of reaching 20.5km/h Dan’s heart rate increased to 178bpm and his score was

recorded at 68.4ml/kg/min. Finally we witnessed the always impressive JoeJoe who cruised to the highest female score so far at Joint Dynamics. JoeJoe hit a maximum speed of 16km/h with a heart rate of 160bpm while recording a VO2 max score of 58.6 ml/kg/min.

How do we use this information to improve performance?

With endurance exercise the body uses two systems to produce the energy it needs to keep going. The aerobic system burns carbohydrates and fats in the presence of oxygen and provides a steady source of energy. When exercise intensity is greatly increased, and the aerobic system can no longer keep up with the body’s energy demand, the anaerobic system kicks in; the body burns stored sugars to supply the additional energy needed and lactic acid is produced to accommodate the energy demands. When lactic acid is produced faster than it can be metabolized, an athlete experiences muscle pain, burning, and fatigue; this makes anaerobic energy expenditure difficult to sustain for longer than a few minutes.

Training at your lactate threshold (AT): Studies have shown that optimal training benefits occur when lactate threshold training makes up 15-20% of your total weekly mileage. Training for prolonged periods at intensities around the lactate threshold will improve your exercise economy, aerobic capacity, and endurance race performance.

There are two ways to incorporate this training: 1. One long effort — for example, 20-30min.

2. Series of smaller intervals — for example, 3 x 10min tempos with 2-3min active recoveries.

Training at intensities around the lactate threshold will your exercise economy, aerobic capacity, and endurance.

improve

Anaerobic threshold (AT), also called the ‘lactate threshold,’ is the exertion level between aerobic and anaerobic training. The AT is the point during exercise when your body must switch from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism. The AT is a useful measure

The longer, continuous efforts should be performed at a slightly lower intensity and heart rate than the lactate threshold zone, therefore at an intensity that can be sustained for 1h— known as the Functional Lactate Power (FTP). The shorter intervals should be performed at an intensity and heart rate that is in the lactate threshold zone, and usually can be sustained for 30min. Training at FTP will still promote the same training benefits as the shorter interval bouts.

Thank you to Jessica Philips, exercise physiologist, for testing our geek runners at Joint Dynamics (www.jointdynamics. com.hk), an up-and-coming business based in Hong Kong, whose concern is every aspect of sports and exercise science including training, injury prevention, and recovery. The studios are filled with state of the art equipment as well as a fantastic and highly specialized staff.

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RACE DIRECTORY

Where To Race In Asia DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

1-3 Nov

Nepal Action Asia

60km and 100km

Nepal

actionasiaevents.com

2 Nov

Datun Mountain

10km, 22.5km and 45km

Taiwan

ibodygo.com

1 Nov 2 Nov 7 Nov 8 Nov 8 Nov 9 Nov

8-9 Nov

9-21 Nov 14 Nov 23 Nov

LT 70

Challenging 12 Hours Bromo Ultra

Taiwan Action Asia Trail Hiker

The North Face Japan

Bangalore Ultra Marathon Everest Trail Race

Oxfam Trailwalker CM50

23 Nov-25 Dec Ramp Challenge 28 Nov

29-30 Nov

72

The Ancient Khmer Path HK 168

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

70km

12km, 26km and 42km 100km

5km,13km,21km and 50km 10km and 30km 100km

50km, 75km and 100km 160km 100km

50 miles and 60km

10km, 12km, 14km 220km 168km

Hong Kong Hong Kong Indonesia Taiwan Macau Japan India

Nepal

Hong Kong

Philippines Hong Kong Cambodia

Hong Kong

lantaubasecamp.com

c12hrs.sowers.org.hk bromotenggersemeru100ultra.com actionasiaevents.com

macau-trailhiker.com/about-us.html kanna-mountain-run.com bangaloreultra.com

everesttrailrace.com oxfam.org

cm50ultra.strikingly.com/#coursedetails hkmsa.hk/zh-tw

global-limits.com hk168.com.hk

RACE DIRECTORY

DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

30 Nov

KOTH HK

18.6km and 30.5km

Hong Kong

seyonasia.com

6 Dec

Trail Night Run

12km

Malaysia

malaysianighttrail.com.my

30 Nov 5 Dec 7 Dec

13 Dec 14 Dec 14 Dec

20-21 Dec 1 Jan 3 Jan 4 Jan

17 Jan

OtterBox Salomon Action Asia 10km and 18km Oxfam Trailwalker Mumbai MSIG Lantau 50km

The North Face 100 Care Action Cup Samal Island

Trail In Twilight Stars XTE New Year N.E. Mountain Race

Kathmandu Ultra Trail KOTH Lantau

Vibram HK 100

Malaysia

100km

5km,13km, 25km, 50km and 88km 50km and 100km 30km

13km,25km and 42km 7km

28km and 20km

10km, 25km and 100km 14km and 29.8km 100km

India

Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong

Philippines Malaysia

Hong Kong Nepal

Hong Kong Hong Kong

actionasiaevents.com

trailwalker.oxfamindia.org actionasiaevents.com

thenorthface100.com careaction.org.hk

samal42.strikingly.com

facebook.com/TrailInTwilightStars xterace.com

ultratrailkathmandu.com seyonasia.com

hk100-ultra.com

If you wish to add your race to our race calendar, please send us an email at sabrina@asiasportconnection.com

The Ancient Khmer Path, 220km stage race in Cambodia. Photo: Global Limits

73

MARKETPLACE

Hong Kong

OVERLANDER RC OUTFITTERS ACTION X

www.actionxstore.com Daily: 11am-8pm G/F, 28 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 3102 2977

www.rcoutfitters.net Daily: 12pm-10pm

Causeway Bay

2/F, Kin Tak Fung Commercial Bldg, 467-473 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay T: +852 2390 0020

Mong Kok

APA Outdoor Shop

eShop: www.apa.co/eshop Free delivery in Hong Kong!

16A Gee Chang Hong Centre, 65 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm Sat-Sun: 11am-6pm T: +852 3153 4091 E: shop@apa.co

5/F & 6/F, Oriental House, 24-26 Argyle street, Mong Kok T: +852 2390 0980

RE:ECHO Tsuen Wan

Shop UG51, Citywalk, 1 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories T: +852 2838 1176 Mon-Thur: 11:30am-9:30pm Fri-Sun & PH: 11:30am-10pm

Yau Ma Tei

1/F, 50-56 Pitt Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon (Near Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, Exit A2) T: +852 2385 1822 Daily: 11am-10pm

Shatin

2/F, Men’s Wear Department, Phase 3, New Town Plaza, 2 Shatin Centre Street, Shatin, Hong Kong T: +852 2694 3080

Tsuen Wan

3/F, Tsuen Wan Plaza, Tsuen Wan T: +852 803 9107

Yuen Long

Flat B, 1/F, Tai Tong Mansion, 29-33 Tai Tong Road, Yuen Long T: +852 2390 2388

ROUND THE WORLD www.roundtheworld.hk Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

Shop A, 51 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 2745 6988

www.lantaubasecamp.com

Mon-Fri: 8:30am-7:30pm Sat-Sun & PH: 8am-7:30pm Closed on Tuesday Shop J, Sea View Building, Mui Wo, Lantau Island T: +852 5463 6060

74

RECTIME Room 709, 7/F, Prosper Commercial Bldg, 9 Yin Chong Street, Mongkok, KLN E: info@rectime.com.hk T: +852 3527 3080

| ASIA TRAIL • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

Base Camp@ CausewayBay

3/F Gold Swan Commercial Building, 438–444 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay T: +852 3695 0871

Causeway Bay

Shop 205, Causeway Bay Plaza I, No.489, Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay T: +852 2319 2038

Base Camp@Mongkok

Rm 12-23, 12/F, Hollywood Plaza, 610 Nathan Rd, Mongkok T: +852 2117 1810

Packcity (Mongkok)

Shop 229, Level 2, Trendy Zone, 580A-F Nathan Rd, Mongkok T: +852 2116 2707

GigaSports

Unit 1, Level 8, Megabox, 38 Wang Chiu Rd., Kowloon Bay T: +852 2629 5009

Shatin

ESCAPADE SPORTS LANTAU BASE CAMP

www.overlander.com.hk Mon-Sat: 11am-9:30pm Sun: 11am-9:00pm

Causeway Bay 1/F, 19 Leighton Road T: +852 2891 1855 Mon-Thrus: 10am-9:00pm Fri-Sun: 9:30am-9pm

Central 1/F, 30-34 Cochrane Street T:+852 2851 0769 Mon-Thurs: 10:30am-9pm Fri-Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

Shop 536, Level 5, New Town Plaza, Phase 1, Shatin T: +852 3427 9626

Tseung Kwan O

Shop 1129, Level 1, Phase II Metro City Plaza, Tseung Kwan O T: +852 2628 9902

Tsuen Wan

Shop UG57, Citywalk, Tsuen Wan T: +852 2117 1720