Asia Trail March / April 2015

Asia’s first trail running magazine March / April 2015

Assortment of Gear Tested

The Skinny on Speed

S.M.A.R.T.

Running Goals

Remember to Swing Your Arms

THE AUSSIE

SUPERKID:

VLAD IXEL

MARCH / APRIL 2015

ASIATRAILMAG.COM COVER

38 Aussie Vlad Ixel is now based in Hong Kong.

Photo: Claus Rolff

06 Photo: Ama-events

32

44

50 Photo: Claus Rolff

05 EDITOR’S NOTE 06 RACE NEWS MSIG HK50 Series - Sai Kung Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Tarawera Ultra Marathon The North Face Kathmandu Ultra Trail Cambodia - The Ancient Khmer Path Columbia Trail Masters Episode VIII The North Face 100 Thailand Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge King of the Hills Mountain Marathon Series The Great Relay New Year N.E. Mountain Race

28 TRIVIA

What Do These Acronyms Mean Anyway?

FEATURES ON COVER 32 RACE

The Skinny on Speed

38 RUNNER PROFILE

60 GEEK RUNNER

Vlad Ixel

42 TRAINING

S.M.A.R.T. Running Goals

REGULARS

Get Coached

64 RACE DIRECTORY 66 MARKETPLACE

44 GEAR

Assortment of Gear Tested

48 ASK THE COACH

Muscular Endurance Nutrition in Ultras

53 BODY MECHANICS

Remember to Swing Your Arms

56 FIRST STEPS

How to Stay Injury Free

58 NUTRITION

Digital Edition

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

Liquid Energy for Trail Runners

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EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR: Clement Dumont

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Claudia Sing COPY EDITOR: Dominik Sklarzyk

RACE NEWS EDITOR: Matt Moroz and John Ellis PHOTOGRAPHER: Claus Rolff CONTRIBUTORS: Andy Dubois Clint Cherepa Doug Tahirali Joshua Steimle Katia Kucher Olivier Baillet Rachel Jacqueline Richard Bull Teresa Lam

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Syndy Wang Peh Yee Vivien Chan Wai Wai

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 #9 Bimonthly ISSN 2409-5036

© 2015 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.

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Māori warriors performing the Haka - a traditional ancestral war dance - before the start of Tarawera Ultra Marathon. Photo: Alexis Berg

Haka Stimulus

T

he main stimulus promoting adrenaline secretion is exercise — hence, running. The excitement of a race usually begins by preparing your gear, carefully studying the race’s profile, and ends with an agitated night prior to the start. This adrenaline shot also pushes you to feel like a speedy Kenyan (p.32) at the start line, a mistake that you later pay for (since in fact, you are not a Kenyan). From my recent experience, the fantasy about one’s abilities is all the more heightened when you are racing in New Zealand surrounded by Māori warriors performing the Haka. However, at the end of the day, it is this excitement of the unknown that you are looking for when joining a new event.

Trail running is growing fast in Asia, with too many exciting races to sign up for. With that in mind, use the S.M.A.R.T goals (p.42) to ensure that you do not overdo it and are able to perform your best at the races in which you do participate. Bottom line: If you want to enjoy your race, you better properly prepare for it. Have a look at coach Olivier’s workouts (p. 48), great exercises that will help you build up dependable muscular endurance and develop a stronger resistance to fatigue. You will also have to work on your nutrition, especially for ultras — and there is no magic recipe, so start figuring out the peculiarities of your body’s diet now by reading some of the tips from our coaches Andy (p. 50) and Katia (p. 58).

Without doubt, runners will have different approaches and visions on the issue of nutrition. The vegan athlete Vlad Ixel recently moved to Hong Kong to escape the hot summers and flat terrain of Perth, Australia. He is well known in Asia for finishing up on the podium at every race he enters. How does Vlad manage to do this? Hard work he tells us — and lots of bananas to recover faster! Just by looking at his typical training week, you already feel tired.

But perhaps after all — as our physio-specialist Doug reveals (p. 53) — maybe the secret is in remembering to swing your arms!

Asia Trail is published by trail runners for trail runners.

EDITOR: Clement Dumont

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RACE NEWS

Asian Continental Championships Start in Hong Kong MSIG HK50 Series - Sai Kung www.actionasiaevents.com

By Matt Moroz

Men - 28km

Dai Matsumoto (Japan)

2:49:23

Tom Owens (Great Britain)

3:06:06

Kondo Yoshihito (Japan)

Marco De Gasperi (Italy) David Byrne (Australia)

Women - 28km

2:51:41 2:54:32 3:09:54

Elisa Desco (Italy)

3:41:02

Chiaki Fjelddahl (Japan)

4:24:03

Stephanie Jimenez (France) Kanako Hasegawa (Japan)

Oksana Riabova (Ukraine)

Men - 50km

3:41:45 3:56:25 4:31:12

Samir Tamang (Nepal)

4:55:40

Blake Hose (Australia)

5:18:17

Yan Long Fei (China)

Cristofer Clemente (Spain) Miki Ushida (Japan)

Women - 50km

5:11:50 5:15:07 5:28:40

Mira Rai (Nepal)

5:39:31

Alessandra Carlini (Italy)

6:43:37

Dong Li (China)

Kasie Enman (USA)

Shiho Iwadate (Japan)

6:00:49 6:13:57 6:55:37

Young Mira Rai took chances early on with pace but held on with grit and determination to win comfortably. Photo: Lloyd Belcher

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

RACE NEWS

T

he first major skyrunning event of the year was held in Sai Kung, Hong Kong, on Saturday, Feb. 7.

The Asian Continental Championships were held in one of the most beautiful areas of Hong Kong, and had the same starting point as other classic Hong Kong races, specifically the Oxfam Trailwalker and Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail.

Unlike in some of the races in Hong Kong, there would be no scorn or superiority shown by the runners of the longer event towards those in the shorter race. Here both the 28km and 50km races were held in the highest regard — each simply attracts a different kind of specialist. The Skyrunning series is a worldwide event that encourages this distinction without prejudice by supporting three distinct disciplines. These are the Ultra, Sky, and Vertical Kilometer. Please refer to the Trivia column for more details on the Skyrunning series.

This year, to gain an overall classification in the Skyrunner World Series, a competitor must compete in three of the five world series races as well as one continental championship. So here on a beautiful sunny day in Sai Kung, both the MSIG HK50 Series - Sai Kung (MSIG Sai Kung) 28km and 50km distances offered those ambitious skyrunners a chance at bagging a big points haul from the first opportunity in 2015.

The downhill start and proceeding left turn up narrow stairs encouraged a ferocious start. The fast elite men were joined by Mira Rai as they looked to hit the stairs in the front group and avoid getting stuck in the inevitable bottleneck behind. With an incredibly stacked field of international elite runners in both races, the race continued at a great pace with little respect shown for the very challenging hills that confronted them. Both the 28km and 50km races had to be slightly modified from the MSIG Sai Kung races in 2014, due to a ban on races going completely over Sharp Peak. This ended up adding an extra challenge in overall the vertical gain, with competitors still having to tackle a tricky descent from two-thirds up the infamous mountain.

A few wrong turns dictated how the 28km race turned out with both Italian Marco De Gasperi and Great Britain’s Tom Owens losing time and places. Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon 2014 winner Dai Matsumoto ran a fantastic race to continue his amazing string of results, winning the shorter race in 2h 49min 23s, just 2min ahead of his Japanese countryman Kondo Yoshihito. Marco recovered well to finish in (a disappointing) 3rd place a further 3min back.

In the women’s event, SCOTT team runner Elisa Desco from Italy won by a mere 43s ahead of 2nd place Stephanie Jimenez from France. This grandstand finish forced the two runners out of their comfort zone for the entire race and offered spectators real excitement throughout. Third place went to Japanese runner Kanako

Hasegawa, making it a very exciting and successful race for Team Japan.

If the 28km race was successful for Japan, the 50km ultra race was even more so for Nepal. Samir Tamang and Mira Rai both led from the front to dominate proceedings over the numerous Sai Kung hills. Appealing to their strengths, the tough and technical ascents and descents offered the perfect foil for these two incredible Nepalese athletes to once again show Asia and the rest of the world the strength of Nepalese trail running. Samir has previously shone on the world stage with an incredible second place at the TDS (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie) in 2014, while word has been spreading regarding Mira after fantastic performances in Hong Kong including a close second behind world champion Stevie Kremer on her last trip.

Samir’s very fine victory in 4h 58min 40s was a full 13min clear of, the very much in form, Yan Long Fei (who notably was the winner of the MSIG HK50 Series - Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island, as well as Vibram HK100).

It might be argued that Long Fei may not have been fully recovered from his win and new course record at the Vibram HK 100, but we can take nothing away from an amazing victory for Samir. Third in the men’s race went to Spain’s Cristofer Clemente, just over 3min further back.

The women’s race was even more dominant with trail running sensation Mira Rai once again lighting up the race with both her talent and personality. Hard to imagine that Mira only began running back in March 2014, and first visited Hong Kong for the MSIG HK50 Series - Hong Kong back in October. Such is her following and local popularity in Hong Kong that it is difficult to comprehend that she has not been part of the Hong Kong trail running scene for many years. Mira took chances early on with pace but held on with grit and determination to win comfortably.

The very talented Dong Li from China finished in a very respectable 6h 49s, 20min behind Mira. Kasie Enman from the US completed the podium finishing a further 13min behind.

Saturday’s results mean several things. They mean that Hong Kong and Asia trail running are firmly on the map and getting the recognition they deserve. Very strong races with very deep fields were won by three Asian runners, with only Italian Elisa stopping a clean sweep.

They also mean that the four winners secured maximum points in their respective events to take forward into the Skyrunner World Series, with their overall fates in the series only being decided in September/October. Before the dust settles on the final standings, Hong Kong will play host to a skyrunning Sky category race, the well established Lantau 2 Peaks. Fantastic races await all those looking for an overall classification, and we will keep a close eye on our talented Asian runners over the following eight months.

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RACE NEWS

Yan Long Fei Breaks the Course Record Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail www.hk100-ultra.com

By John Ellis, Gone Running

G

iven a record field of 1,822 runners from 51 countries, a best ever international contingent including four of last year’s Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) top 10, 600 excited volunteers, and picture-perfect weather, expectations were high for this year’s Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail (Vibram HK100), and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

The course (100km; 4,500m+) starts in Sai Kung, winding its way around the stunning coastlines of Sai Wan Ho, Tai Long Wan, and Hoi Ha in a very runnable first 45km — and then the climbing starts. A monster back half includes Kai Kung Shan (399m), Ma On Shan (580m), Beacon Hill (457m), Needle Hill (532m), Grassy Hill (647m), and finally Hong Kong’s highest peak Tai Mo Shan (957m) — so a sensible pacing strategy is absolutely critical.

The race kicked off in chilly 8 a.m. weather, with Swedish national 100km representative Linus Holmsater setting a blistering pace, hurtling through the first 12km water point in 50min 44s (4min 13s/km), some 2min quicker than Ryan Sandes’ 2012 race record. In hot pursuit, the chasing pack included many of the early favourites: UTWT top 10 finishers, Norway’s Sondre Amdahl and France’s Cyril Cointre; Chinese speedster Yan Long Fei; Spanish hotshot Jordi Gamito; and Tsutomu Nagata from Japan.

There was no letup as the leading group sped around the Sai Kung coastal trails. However, one by one, the pack whittled down to just Sondre and Long Fei, who surged ahead on the climb up Kai Kung Shan at 47km to make it a two-horse race.

The pair traded blows until Long Fei’s push up Needle Hill, building an ultimately insurmountable lead to break the tape in a stunning course record of 9h 52min 42s. Sondre clocked in shortly afterwards in a time of 9h 59min 46s, only the third runner to clock sub-10 hours in the race’s history.

Behind them, WAA athlete Antoine Guillon lived up to his monicker ‘the metronome’ by starting out slowly (27th at the first water point) and gradually reeling in his competition.

He moved up to 3rd over Ma On Shan and never looked back, rounding out the podium in 10h 30min 2s, some 24min ahead of countryman Cyril, who crossed the line hand in hand with Jordi in a great show of trail camaraderie.

It was great to see two local runners in the top 10, with Nepalese Santosh Tamang backing up his last up win in

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

King of the Hills Lantau with a perfectly paced 8th in 11h 21min 24s, while local hero Stone Tsang Siu Keung finished a very creditable 9th in 11h 24min 8s, despite a very injuryinterrupted preparation.

The women’s race was also highly anticipated, with a shootout expected between reigning champion Francesca Canepa and mountain queen Lisa Borzani, both from Italy, and hometown record holder Claire Price. Local runners Wyan Chow Pui Yan and Marie McNaughton were also expected to figure after strong racing seasons.

However, it was China’s Dong Li who set the early pace and, by the third checkpoint at Hoi Ha, had built a 15min lead over Claire and Lisa in the chasing pack. Further back, Wyan and Marie had both started slowly and were now beginning to reel in the leaders, with Wyan pushing up to second by Yung Shue O. At the front, Li was starting to pay for her lightning start and struggled up the climbs at Kai Kung Shan and Ma On Shan. This opened the door for the even-paced Wyan to catch her by Gilwell Camp, before pulling away on the remaining climbs, with the advantage of poles versus hands on knees.

Wyan would ultimately finish with her trademark beaming smile and a comfortable victory in 12h 24min 56s. Fifteen minutes back was runner-up Li in 12h 39min 54s, while Lisa held off a fast finishing Marie on the final descent from Tai Mo Shan to narrowly hold onto 3rd, just 25s separating the two. Hong Kong’s Nicole Lau and Canada’s Stephanie Case rounded out the top six.

As race director Steve Brammar noted, this year we got “an incredible show put on by some of the world’s best trail runners” and a creditable 79% finish rate. However, the highlights didn’t stop there, with one wedding proposal at the finish line and another runner, Hsieh Tien-Jen from Taiwan, completing the entire rugged course barefoot, using a corefocused technique called Let Body Vibrate Brilliantly.

And so with another very successful Vibram HK100 completed the UTWT competitors now head to Tarawera in New Zealand and Transgrancanaria for the next legs.

RACE NEWS

Many international runners were pleasantly surprised by the presence of beautiful coastal areas in Hong Kong. Photo: Alexis Berg

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RACE NEWS

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH NOVEMBER / APRIL / DECEMBER 2015 2014

RACE NEWS Vibram HK100 Results Ultra-Trail World Tour — Stage 1 Men

Yan Long Fei (China)

09:52:42

Cyril Cointre (France)

10:54:33

Sondre Amdahl (Norway) Antoine Guillon (France)

Jordi Gamito Baus (Spain)

Women

09:59:46 10:30:02 10:54:34

Wyan Chow Pui Yan (Hong Kong)

12:24:56

Marie McNaughton (New Zealand)

12:51:03

Dong Li (China)

Lisa Borzani (Italy)

Nicole Lau (Hong Kong)

12:39:54 12:50:38 13:37:32

Dong Li seemingly totally spent at the end of Vibram HK100. Photo: Alexis Berg

A Record Field of 1,822 Runners From 51 Countries Participated in the First Race of 2015 UTWT

Yan Long Fei and Sondre Amdahl duked it out at Ma On Shan, part of the race course of Vibram HK100. Photo: Sun Chan

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RACE NEWS

2-time female champion Ruby Muir breaking the female course record by 84min. Photo: Alexis Berg

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

RACE NEWS

Fast Times for the Ultra-Trail World Tour on Kiwi Territory Tarawera Ultra Marathon - New Zealand www.taraweraultra.co.nz

By Clement Dumont

C

ourse records were shattered on a perfect weather at the Tarawera Ultra. During the arguably fastest 100km (2,500m+) race of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, American athlete Dylan Bowman and local runner Ruby Muir won in amazing times of 7h 44min and 9h 2min, respectively. Runners from Asia were part of the podium with an impressive 2nd place for Ruth Croft (25min ahead of 3rd place Núria Picas), a New Zealand athlete based in Taiwan on her first 100km attempt. Japanese Yoshikazu Hara, known for his impressive 2013 win at the Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji, took 3rd place in the men’s category, coming behind the American Jorge Maravilla who recently won The North Face 50 in California.

An authentic ferocious Haka performance by Māori warriors was pumping up the adrenaline of the 1,000 participants just before the start. The runners then rapidly disappeared in the still dark Redwoods forest, together with the race director Paul Charteris who took part as a runner during this seventh edition. The British Robbie Britton and Chinese Yun Yan Qiao ran ahead at a really fast pace, developing a 3min lead at the first checkpoint (12.5km) that they maintained for 50km. This pace could not be sustained, Yan Qiao dropped at the 60km point, while Robbie suffered from this mistake on the last 40km. Dylan decided it was time

to take the lead half way and from there constantly increased that lead to the finish from his compatriot Jorge and Japanese Yoshikazu. The women’s race was likewise filled with excitement despite the fact that the lead from start to finish was dominated by Ruby. Ruth took a conservative start during her first 100km, but rapidly increased her pace to progressively move from fourth to 2nd place. Ruth eventually caught Ruby at the 90km point but her legs could not keep up with the anger of Ruby who secured a win and a 9th place overall. Núria, not used to training or racing on such flat terrain, and herself still in the early stages of her running season, managed to brilliantly finish 3rd in 9h 40min.

The beautiful trails go on for 60km in the volcanic valley along four scenic and colourful lakes, mostly on single tracks, passing by the Tarawera waterfalls. After accumulating 2,000m of short and non-technical climbs, a new race starts on a different décor and mental challenge. An endlessly wide and flat 40km dirt road surrounded by majestic trees brings you to the finish in Tarawera with just 500m of elevation gain. If you are looking for your personal best in a 100km trail race, Tarawera Ultra Marathon offers everything with a great organisation and atmosphere — showcasing beautiful sceneries on the first section before taking you to the challenge on the last 40km.

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RACE NEWS

Dylan Bowman on his way to smash the course record. Photo: Alexis Berg

Tarawera 100km Results Ultra-Trail World Tour — Stage 2 Men

Dylan Bowman (USA)

7:44:58

Vajin Armstrong (New Zealand)

8:26:50

Jorge Maravilla (USA)

Yoshikazu Hara (Japan) Michael Wardian (USA)

Women

8:12:14 8:32:38

Ruby Muir (New Zealand)

9:02:45

Fiona Hayvice (New Zealand)

9:57:33

Ruth Croft (New Zealand) Núria Picas (Spain)

Kovo MacDonald (New Zealand)

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8:01:45

9:14:36 9:40:49 9:57:45

Japan’s Yoshikazu Hara strategically paced himself to an overall third in the race. Photo: Alexis Berg | ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

RACE NEWS

Nepal’s best runners present The North Face Kathmandu Ultra www.trailrunningnepal.org

By Richard Bull

A

race director’s nightmare: waking up to the sound of winter rain in the days running up to the event date. The forecast predicted a 60% chance of rain, and the forecast was right — a couple of days of wet weather in an otherwise guaranteed settled period of crisp, clear winter sun.

narrow technical forest trails into 2m wide stone walkways through the trees. Yet again, after a couple of years, vegetation took root, making the steps look less like a modern, misguided imposition, and much more like an ancient trail to somewhere mysterious, and hard to run down with big feet.

The race keeps to trails as much as possible though in recent years many trails became jeep tracks, which, unmaintained, soon became enjoyably runnable. Similarly, trails in the national park have been visited by the Asian Step-Building Fairy to turn

The 80km route proved tough in the rainy weather. Upendra Sunuwar powered home in 8h 1min, over an hour ahead of the 2nd place runner, Bhim Bahadur Gurung.

Within minutes of the main pack starting, after some blue sky and reasonably fine weather, rain started to fall enthusiastically. What could have been a miserable day, turned out to be no such thing. The rain made trails cool and slippery, but the squally atmosphere offered runners rare, rich views of the Kathmandu Valley at its best.

The 50km and 80km races had top turnout with Nepal’s best runners present. Tirtha Tamang, who came first in the Ultra-Trail World Tour’s Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail race a year ago, fought with Khagendra Bhat for first place in the 50km, finally taking 2nd in a downhill sprint finish. Mira Rai started her year with another 1st place.

Runner traversing through the Shivapuri National Park where the race was held. Photo: Anuj Adhikary

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RACE NEWS

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Running past the ancient temples.

Photo: GlobalLimits | ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

RACE NEWS

Journey from the Ancient Khmer Kingdom to Modern Cambodia GlobalLimits Cambodia - The Ancient Khmer Path www.global-limits.com

By Teresa Lam

A

total of 43 runners from 20 countries participated in the third edition of Cambodia - The Ancient Khmer Path, a 220km, six-day stage race organised by GlobalLimits.

The runners were taken through a time journey from the ancient Khmer Kingdom to modern Cambodia; and finished at the World Heritage Site and the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat, located in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap. Accompanied by a local tour guide, the runners absorbed the local history and culture as they sank into the timeless beauty of the route of local monasteries, village houses, and ancient temples.

The race is popular with Singaporeans who represented eight out of the 43 runners. Steven Lee from Singapore, also the oldest competitor in the race, completed the 180km endurance race but was disqualified in the third stage because he could not meet the cut-off time.

Part of the senior management of the Singapore Athletic Association, and also the president of a local long-distance

running club (MacRitchie Runners 25), Steven considers himself a fanatic long-distance sport promoter. Steven reveals that the key reason for taking part in the six-day stage race was to meet the key performance indicator (KPI) set by his employer.

Nevertheless, Steven is not inexperienced in terms of these types of gruelling physical challenges. In 2012, for example, he completed a seven-day multi-stage Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon in South Africa.

At the end of the day, Steven believes that being “old is not [an] excuse not to run, [it is however a reason] to take care and listen to your body.”

Information and contact details: www.global-limits.com info@global-limits.com Global-limits Sri Lanka 2015 – The Wild Elephant Trail: March 6-14 GlobalLimits Bhutan 2015 – The Last Secret: May 29-June 6 GlobalLimits Cambodia 2015 – The Ancient Khmer Path: November 27-December 5

Participants paying full attention during organiser’s briefing. Photo: GlobalLimits

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RACE NEWS

Thailand 2015 Race Calendar starts with Columbia Trail Masters The Columbia Trail Masters Episode VIII www.ama-events.com

A

total of 2,200 runners turned up early morning on Jan. 11 for the start of The Columbia Trail Masters held at Khao Mai Keao Reservation Park, Pattaya, Thailand. The area is well-known for its challenging and technical single tracks and undulating terrain. Photo: Ama-events.

Record Turnout of 2,400 Runners From 38 Countries The North Face 100 Thailand www.thenorthfacethailand.com

T

he North Face 100 Thailand was held at Amphoe Pakchong, Thailand — a course with a total elevation gain of 2,664m and 1,332m for the 100km and 50km races respectively.

Even with the ungodly 5 a.m. start, close to 700 runners toed the start line of the 50km and 100km races of TNF Thailand. The early start was, however, a secondary concern to the expected heat, as the temperature would climb from a cool 20∘C in the morning to a super hot 35∘C by midday. Photo: The North Face 100 Thailand

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Reviving old tribal paths to create the wildest Ultra Trail in Asia

150K

8’800m+

8’500m-

4 > 6 December 2015 – Thailand 2 RACES: ULTRA TRAIL OR 3-DAY RACE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION:

www.ultra-thai.com

2016

4 POINTS

RACE NEWS

Underdog Jag Lanante Emerges As Sole Survivor of Epic Challenge Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge

www.facebook.com/HK4TUC

By John Ellis, Gone Running

M

any Hong Kong stalwarts will look back fondly on their Oxfam Trailwalker (100km; 4,500m+) experience as perhaps the pinnacle of their trail running lives. In terms of Herculean tasks, it really doesn’t get any harder than that — does it?

Now consider the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC), the brainchild of Hong Kong ultra trail legend and race director Andre Blumberg. Andre’s mission is for competitors to complete all four of Hong Kong’s iconic trails, back-to-back, all self-supported and under 60h. The MacLehose Trail is but the first leg, immediately followed by the Wilson (78km; 4,600m+), the Hong Kong (50km; 2,000m+) and the

Lantau (70km; 3,300m+) trails, for a combined total distance of 298km and 14,500m of elevation gain — a massive stretch that can only be traversed by virtually relinquishing sleep.

Of the four intrepid adventurers who toed the 8 a.m. start line on Jan. 1, only ultra trail champion Jeri Chua could realistically be considered a potential finisher, having previously completed the Tor des Géants (330km; 24,000m+) and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (168km; 9,600m+). She was joined

by Singapore’s Janelle Seet and local trail runner Paul Wong.

The participant list was rounded out by Filipino underdog Jag Lanante whose training consisted of 500m laps around his work’s car park between nightly shifts. This was Jag’s first trip

Jag always smiles and never complains during the challenge. Photo: Patchanida Pongsubkar

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RACE NEWS

Name: Jorge Alyn Gil Jr. Lanante ‘Jag’ Age: 29 Nationality: Filipino Hometown: Davao City Occupation: Nurse in a private hospital in Bangkok, Thailand

Jag was introduced to road running by his boss in 2011. Just four months after he started running, he signed up for a marathon in Pattaya, Thailand, and finished in sub-4h.

His current personal best is 3h 10min.

Jag’s indomitable spirit takes him through the challenge. Photo: Patchanida Pongsubkar to Hong Kong and his gear included a $10 Casio watch and a pair of borrowed HOKAs.

The race began with picture-perfect weather, with Jeri taking an early lead and well ahead of schedule until her pre-existing knee injury flared up, forcing her out at around 10 p.m. The other three pressed on, completing the MacLehose Trail on the second morning, with Jag and Paul coming in together around 5:30 a.m., and Janelle pushing through some nasty blisters to clock slightly before 11 a.m.

After a quick, hot soup at Nam Chung, both Paul and Jag kicked off the second leg. Paul steadily pulled away over Pat Sin Leng to build a big lead, ultimately finishing the Wilson Trail at a little before 10 a.m. on the third day and with less than 30min of sleep. Further back, Jag dropped almost 5h after getting lost in Taipo and was rejoined by Janelle, with both runners descending the second Twin a little after 2 p.m., and 54h in, to tick-off the Wilson Trail.

With the 60h time limit out of reach, the HK4TUC had become a battle of survival. Ultimately, all three runners completed the Hong Kong Trail with Paul cresting the Peak and 228km around 1 a.m. on day four and Janelle accomplishing it later that evening, before both succumbed to sheer exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Jag had retaken the lead around Parkview and, amazingly, accelerated to make the 12:30 a.m. ferry over to Mui Wo. Even with ‘only’ the 70km Lantau Trail remaining, Jag had no certainty of finishing. As Andre says, “blisters, hallucinations, anything can happen, even in the last 15km.” Additionally, with a return flight due to leave at 8 p.m. that night, Jag only had 16h remaining, effectively requiring him to run the Lantau Trail within a top 100 time. But run it he did — being met at the finish with a celebratory burst of Moët rosé champagne at 5:30 p.m. on day four, for a finishing time of 81h 30min, before being bundled into a waiting taxi for the airport.

So what’s next for the inspirational Jag? “Andre said I need to rest for three months but I think I’m OK — I’ll go for the North Face 100.” Jag completed the race which took place on Jan 31 in 14h 59min.

In 2013, Jag’s love for outdoors shifted his running interest from the road to the trails.

Prior to the HK4TUC, he completed various trail races including ultras such as The North Face 100 Thailand in 2013 and 2014, and also the Thailand Ultramarathon in 2014.

What kept Jag going in HK4TUC? “The marvellous views, and the people who cheered me on made me happy, so I remained positive. Also, the days before HK4TUC, I was very emotional about what happened to AirAsia flight 8501 because it was the same airline and time of departure that I was intending to take. So during the low points, I kept telling myself how lucky I was to still be alive and to be given the chance to fulfil a dream.”

Jag’s favourite food in Hong Kong Being on trails for four of the total six days in Hong Kong did not leave Jag with much time to explore the city’s gourmet dining.

However, thanks to Andre who provided him with sustenance at the end of the MacLehose and Hong Kong trails, Jag’s hunger was happily satisfied: “Yes, wonton soup. Heaven!

One of my saviours when I was cold.”

Jag’s typical training week Jag trains at least 10h a week. On workdays, most of his running workouts are performed in the early mornings, before the start of his 9h work shift. If Jag manages to sneak past the security guards of the hospital, he uses the hospital’s emergency stairs for his elevation training — stairs workout.

On his free days, you can find Jag running flat loops of 2.5km in Suan Rot Fai Park (a public park in Bangkok), carrying a pack weighing 8-10kg. His longest running time is more than 6h.

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RACE NEWS

Eyes riveted on KOTH King of the Hills Mountain Marathon Series - Lantau Island and Sai Kung www.seyonasia.com

By John Ellis, Gone Running

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

Born to run Michael Hazen looking strong in sandals in Sai Kung. Photo: Claus Rolff

RACE NEWS

Santosh Tamang Storms Through the Final Section and Emerges as Winner

T

he King of the Hills (KOTH) series has a reputation for attracting some of the best fields in local running, and this year’s Lantau Island edition was no exception. A starstudded field lined up to tackle the unforgiving 32km course, including last year’s winner Clement Dumont, Australian vegan ultra star Vlad Ixel, and returning hometown legend Jeremy Ritcey.

Like last year, the second leg up to the Buddha was rerouted to avoid the San Tau villagers who have been sporadically blocking hikers. While slightly easier than the original course, the 2,050m of relentless climbs up Lin Fa Shan and Lantau Peak, combined with some unseasonably warmer weather despite the early 10 a.m. start, made for a tough day filled with plenty of cramping.

In the men’s race, early favourites Vlad, Clement, and up-andcoming Nepalese runner Santosh Tamang duked it out until Pak Kung Au. With 8km to go, Santosh kicked on the final contour around Sunset Peak to break the tape in a new course record of 3h 39min 29s, some 4min ahead of Vlad, Clement, and a fastfinishing Will Davies, who all finished within a minute of each

other. Evergreen Bob Shorrock continued to show the young tackers up with a very creditable 5th.

The women’s event was also closely contested and, not for the first time this season, involved a battle between Zein Williams, who took advantage of the steep technical downhill to Tung Chung to build a 5min lead, and Marie McNaughton who, after taking the lead on the climb up Lantau Peak and never looking back, won the race in 4h 25min.

However, the most exciting finish unfolded in the halfmarathon category, with defending champion Jo Koster just pipping Australian runner Eti Rodriguez, with both posting the same time of 1h 27min 29s. David Woo rounded out the men’s podium. In the women’s race, Emma Bruce took a stranglehold on the series competition with another win, in 1h 42min 29s, followed home by Rachel Jacqueline and Shirley Cheung Pui Yu.

Kudos to race organiser Keith Noyes for creating another fun, faultless event, and also to Francis Chan for his well-supported suggestion for each runner to pick up one piece of rubbish from Lantau Peak, leaving the course “cleaner than we found it.”

Series of Records Set at Sai Kung

D

espite some rain the previous day and a few top runners absent, including current series leader Vlad Ixel, this year’s KOTH - Sai Kung was another hard fought affair, with a number of record-breaking performances.

Unlike the Lantau Island version, where unheralded Nepalese Santosh Tamang caused a considerable upset with his first major Hong Kong win, the full-marathon distance was run largely to expectations. By the first checkpoint at Yung Shue O (5km), early favourites Will Davies and Michael Skobierski had built a 3min lead, with Will tracking Michael all the way to Tung Sam Kei (24km), before kicking on to the win in 3h 46min 8s, over 8min better than his second place last season.

Michael followed his third on Hong Kong Island with a 2nd here, in 3h 54min 44s, with rising local star Allen Ng next in 4h 2min 56s. British-born duathlete Dan Falconar proved he’s not just a sprint king, holding onto 4th in 4h 6min 42s despite suffering over “some serious climbing through very steep and overgrown bush trails” in the last quarter, followed home by local favourite, 2XU’s Tsang Chun Kit (aka Ying) in 4h 11min 46s.

In the women’s race, a shootout between Joint Dynamics’ runners Marie McNaughton and JoeJoe Fan looked to be on

the cards, with both notching up a win already in the series.

However, with both under injury clouds, it was Raidlight’s Zein Williams who set the early pace and, despite being caught by Marie at halfway, accelerated to an easy victory in 4h 32min 8s.

Second was Marie in 4h 41min 59s, followed by previous Queen of the Hills Olya Korzh in 4h 50min 17s. Fourth place, in a record-smashing F50 time of 4h 58min 20s, went to Joanne Brown, with Ida Lee claiming 5th spot in 5h 4min 56s.

In the half-marathon category, Asia Trail’s Clement Dumont ran out an easy winner in 1h 33min 31s, well ahead of 2nd place Erich Felbabel (1h 37min 16s) who was understandably tentative on the downhills in his first trail outing since breaking an ankle at the Lantau Vertical in September. Third was Seth Fischer in a new M40 record of 1h 38min 3s.

In the women’s race, Nepalese superstar Mira Rai blitzed the field in 1h 38min 44s, less than a minute off the men’s podium and 7min better than JoeJoe’s 9-year-old course record. Local triathlete Claire Chapman cruised into 2nd in 1h 56min 5s, with Marie Pettersson rounding out the podium in 2h 10min 7s.

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RACE NEWS

Hong Kong’s Longest Trail Relay The Great Relay Hong Kong www.tghkrelay.com

By John Ellis, Gone Running

I

n a winter weekend racing calendar that is becoming increasingly saturated, Saturday’s The Great Relay by first up race director Vlad Ixel was a day out to remember. Against a stunning backdrop of Pat Sin Leng and in cool, crisp weather, a little over 200 runners divided up into 35 teams lined up in relay teams of two, four, six, and eight to complete the 25-lap race for a total of 102km. Starting at the BBQ site at Hok Tau Reservoir, the 4.1km loop started with an 800m road climb and stairs, before a slightly uphill rolling trail, flat pavement, and then heading back down the road section. The largely nontechnical interval-style event suited the road running teams, but there was the 150m of elevation gain per lap to satisfy the tastes of trailies.

Hometown heroes Mizuno Elite and Singapore road running club F1 Runners duked it out all day in a ding-dong battle that

was only decided by fresher legs towards the end, with the eight-man Mizuno team taking 1st place in 7h 23min. Second placed F1, in a mixed team of four, finished only 9min back in 7h 33min, and most likely with handicap honours. The podium was rounded out by five-man Team QR in 7h 58min, a fast finishing Asia Trail mixed team of eight in 8h 4min, and local road running club Hong Kong Long Run with their two-man team taking 5th in 8h 7min.

While not an individual race, top lap times were Mizuno’s Tsang Chung Kit (aka Ying) in 16min 13s, then Asia Trail’s Vlad Ixel and Clement Dumont, in 16min 21s and 16min 40s, respectively.

A team member running the 4.1km loop around Hok Tau Reservoir. Photo: Jun Sat

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RACE NEWS

First Race of 2015

New Year N.E. Mountain Race www.xterace.com

By Matt Moroz

R

ace director Felix Shum offered an alternative to latenight drinking and hazy hangovers with a great race on New Year’s Day — with 700 participants showing up.

After a fast start the early leader relented and left Matt Moroz at the front. However, Allen Ng and Thomas Lam gradually passed Matt on the trickiest downhill shiggy section. With 4km remaining, victory could have gone either way, but it was Matt that kicked 1st, ahead of Allen and a very fast-finishing Tsang Chun Kit (aka Ying Ying) who pipped Thomas for the final podium place. In the women’s race the ever-impressive Marie McNaughton won in great style, with Olya Korzh in 2nd and Wong Mei Yan in 3rd.

Wong Mei Yan, 3rd place female, kick-starts her new year with a mountain race. Photo: Xtraventure Training and Events Limited

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TRIVIA

UTMB, UTWT, ITRA, ISF, IAU What Do These Acronyms Mean Anyway?

By Claudia Sing

A

cronyms are frequently splashed across the front pages of trail running news. Closer to home recently, we saw Hong Kong being the centre of attention as media covered the Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail race, which is the inaugural event of the 2015 UTWT circuit, and also the MSIG HK50 Series - Sai Kung, which for the first time is included in ISF’s Skyrunning Continental Championship. Finally, at the end of the year, there is Suunto Lantau 2 Peaks, taking place as part of ISF’s Skyrunner World Series.

What do these acronyms represent?

Who are behind these organisations?

What are their roles in the trail running scene? How are these groups related?

The following write-up aims to shed some light on the relationships between these various organisations.

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

UTMB is a trail running race that was first set up in 2003 by an association called Les Trailers du Mont Blanc. The

key management of UTMB is in the hands of a French couple, Catherine and Michel Poletti.

The race is completed by running around the Mont Blanc massif, a mountain range which encompasses 168km of trails across three European countries (France, Switzerland, and Italy). Subsequent shorter sister races were created, these include the CCC (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix), TDS (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie), OCC (Orsières-Champex-Chamonix), and a

The next IAU Trail World Championship — 68km Technica MaXi-Race — will be held in France on May 29, 2015.

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

TRIVIA

non-competitive team eventcalled PTL (La Petite Trotte à Léon).

Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) www.ultratrailworldtour.com

UTWT, an international trail running circuit, comprising of 10 races held across 10 countries, was launched in 2014. The key management of UTWT consists of French Jean-Charles Perrin and Fabrice Perrin, both of whom are also part of the race organisation committee of UTMB. Catherine and Michel Poletti from UTMB are among the founding members of UTWT.

evaluation and certification (difficulty of a race is first assessed and certified), establishment of health and security guidelines, etc.

ITRA partners with UTWT on the annual UTWT championship

World Championships, and Skyrunning Continental Championships.

1, Skyrunner World Series

An international skyrunning circuit, first launched in 2003. In 2015, the circuit will include five races from each of the

The oldest race in the UTWT is Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run (1973) in the USA., while the youngest race is Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail (2011), whose circuit includes UTMB.

The winner of every race gets 100 points and each finisher gets points based on the difference between their time and the winner’s. The UTWT champion titles, both for the male and female categories, are awarded annually, based on the top three results.

In 2014, François D’Haene and Núria Picas were the male and female champions, respectively. Our local trail runner legend, Stone Tsang, was ranked eighth based on his results for for UTMB, 2014 Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail and Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji (the accredited sister race of UTMB).

International Trail Running Association (ITRA) www.i-tra.org

ITRA was set up in 2013 as a service platform to provide information to race organisers and trail runners. The founding members include the key management of both UTMB and UTWT.

The services that ITRA provides include the creation of an international performance index (calibrated using a runner’s top five results from the previous two years as well as the current one) that allows runners to benchmark their level against the other runners, race

The Ultra-Trail World Tour champions Núria Picas and François D’Haene. Photo: Alexis Berg ranking process, by leveraging on ITRA’s performance index. ITRA also works with UTMB on the evaluation of races requesting to be part of UTMB’s qualifying races.

International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) www.skyrunning.com

In the early 1990s, a group of European mountaineers pioneered records and races in the Italian Alps, which subsequently led to the creation of skyrunning — running at altitude— as a sports discipline. In 1995, these mountaineers formed the Federation for Sport at Altitude (FSA) to address the need for rules to govern skyrunning, which was later replaced by ISF in 2008.

Among the various skyrunning competitions organised by ISF are the Skyrunner World Series, Skyrunning

three skyrunning categories: SkyRace or SkyMarathon (Sky); Ultra SkyMarathon (Ultra); and Vertical Kilometer (VK) — together spanning eight countries.

Prior to 2015, runners were scored based on their top three of five races from each discipline. Starting in 2015, runners can choose the fourth race from the Skyrunning Continental Championships.

2, Skyrunning World Championships

The event is held every four years, with the next one coming up in 2018. Unlike the Skyrunner World Series, only nations will be ranked in the Skyrunning World Championships, and ISF members have the right to candidate the race. At the conclusion of the championship event, the first male and female competitors with the highest scores will be declared ‘World Champions’ while the national

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

TRIVIA

The Asian Continental Championships were inaugurated in Hong Kong at the MSIG HK50 Series - Sai Kung race.

Photo: Jordi Saragossa team with the highest score will be declared ‘World Champion Team.’

In 2014, France emerged as the top ranking country, which is computed based on the sum of three men and one woman. For individual titles, Kílian Jornet and Stevie Kremer took the men’s and women’s combined title (based on the results of two of the three disciplines).

3, Skyrunning Continental Championships

Launching in 2015, the event is established to allow runners to have an extra local race count towards their Skyrunner World Series points. The 2015 circuit has a total of 12 races, consisting of five SkyRace/SkyMarathon events, five Ultra SkyMarathon races, and two VK competitions — all taking place across

five continents and spanning a total of six countries.

ISF members in Asia include Japan, Australia, the Philippines, China, and Malaysia. In Hong Kong and Mainland China, the ISF member is represented by China SkyRunning Association (CSA), a non-profit organisation founded in 2013 to promote the growth of skyrunning as a sport in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The president of CSA is Michael Maddess, who is also the race director of Action Asia Events. Currently, only the events organised by Action Asia Events in Hong Kong are under the auspices of CSA.

International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) www.iau-ultramarathon.org

IAU, another frequently seen acronym, operates under the patronage of the International Association of Athletics Federation. IAU aims to promote and develop long-distance running worldwide. Some of the competitions organised by IAU include the 100km World Championships, 24H World Championships, and Trail World Championships.

On Jan. 30, 2015, the Hong Kong Ultra Marathon Association held the first ever Hong Kong Ultra Marathon recognized by IAU. In the race, competitors run as far as they can in either 12h or 24h.

The next IAU Trail World Championships will be held by MaXi-Race —a route of 86km in France—on May 29, 2015.

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RACE TRAINING

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| ASIA ASIA TRAIL TRAIL• •MARCH NOVEMBER JANUARY / APRIL / FEBRUARY / DECEMBER 2015 2015 2014

The Skinny on Speed

The Skinny on Speed

By Jessica Phillips Illustration by Kirk Wescom

A

s trail runners, we are always trying to get our edge and stay ahead of the pack. How do I shave 10min off of my North Face 100km personal best? What do I have to do to beat Stone Tsang or John Ellis in just one 50km race? Have you ever wondered what physiological traits are the reason for which the top runners are so fast?

The world’s really fast distance runners tend to look so small and weedy, as if the weakest typhoon could effortlessly blow them away, yet they seem to run at a pace rivalling that of a leopard. You’re a runner. You have put in similar training hours leading up to a big event, yet despite your tough and gruelling training schedule, you do not even match their pace on a bad day. What factors are to blame for shaming us mere mortals?

Let’s take a look at the Kenyans. When it comes to running, they are hands-down the best. This nation has produced the highest quantity of world-class runners.

Two tribes are specifically notable for their exceptional runners — the Kisii and the Kalenjin. I am almost certain that you have heard of the Kalenjins. If not, you’ve probably been living underneath a boulder. The Kalenjins have won more than 50% of all Kenyan Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals. The new world record marathon holder Dennis Kimetto, from the Kalenjin tribe, set the record at 2h 2min 57s on Sept. 29, 2014.

The three placing after him in that same race were also Kenyan.

David Epstein, senior editor at Sports Illustrated and the author of “The Sports Gene,” states that, “There are 17 American men in history who have run under 2h 10min in the Chicago Marathon.

There were 32 Kalenjins who did it in October 2011.”

Vincent Sarich, who was an anthropology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, calculated that Kenyans outperform the rest of the world in cross-country running by a factor of about 1700. This means that while the rest of the world has one elite athlete per 20 million males, Kenya has 80 elite athletes per every one million males. There are about 3 million Kalenjins, therefore Kenya will have about 240 elite male athletes at any one time.

So what are the biological factors that make these runners so fast? Scientists and sports gurus have researched all sorts of explanations over the years but have not come to a single conclusion. Is it diet? Altitude? Genetics?

Training schedule?

RACE

Talent: Perhaps a possible explanation.

These tribes used to partake in cattle raiding. This practice would ensure that the best runners would obtain the most cattle and they would survive the longest by escaping the spears of the recently dispossessed cattle owners. This resulted in the best runners securing the most wives as they could provide them with the most cattle. Therefore, any genes determining running ability would be passed down through the generations as this cattle raiding practice killed off the slower runners while the faster runners procreated. Their talent was distilled.

Researchers John Bale and Joe Sang state that because of this, “the Kalenjin men became not explosively muscular, but lean and tireless.”

The rest of the world has one elite athlete per 20 million males,

Kenya has 80 elite athletes per

Diet: This is not a big factor.

The Kenyans eat lots of ugali, which is maize flower mixed with water and salt. It is a good source of carbohydrates. But we also eat our fair share of carbohydrates, so this is not a significant finding.

Altitude: This can also be ruled out as a factor. Kenya is based at a moderate altitude of 2,300m. This altitude has moderate year-round temperatures, favouring year-round training and red blood cell production. In saying this, countries with a similar altitude, such as Peru, Nepal, and Lesotho, have not produced a rival number of outstanding runners — even other Kenyan tribes have not managed to bring forth as many great runners as the Kalenjins.

every one million males.

Some scientists have also concluded that it is the shape of the Kalenjin tribe’s bodies. The Kalenjin tribe has predominantly thin ankles and calves.

There were interesting findings from a study that looked at the anthropometric, gait, and strength characteristics of Kenyan distance runners. These runners all had a low body mass index (20.1 kg.m² ± 1.8 kg.m²), a low body fat percentage (5.1% ± 1.6%) and a small calf circumference (34.5cm ± 2.3cm). This study concluded that the slim limbs of Kenyan distance runners may positively contribute to performance as there is a low moment of inertia, therefore requiring less muscular effort in leg swing. The study also found that the Kenyans had a short ground contact

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The Skinny on Speed

RACE

Kenyan Kipruto Godwin was in third place when he reached the top of Mt. Kinabalu during the climbathon event, before experiencing a bad fall on the technical downhill. Photo: Chong Chin Ve time. This may be related to an efficient gait and running economy as there is less time for the braking force (i.e. contact time) to decelerate the body’s forward motion.

Epstein backs this up in his book, stating that “thin ankles and calves are particularly important in running because your leg is like a pendulum. The more weight you have farther away from your centre of gravity, the more difficult it is to swing.”

Superior fatigue resistance: A study was conducted comparing a group of black runners consisting of Kenyans, Ethiopians, South Africans, and Moroccans to South African white runners. The participants had similar marathon times and similar VO2 max scores and were set to run a marathon on a treadmill. The study found that the black runners completed the marathon at a higher VO2 max (89%) than the white runners (81%). This showed that

the black runners have a much greater resistance to fatigue.

Meaning that if the very best black and white runners have the same VO2 max values, the black runners would still outperform the white runners in endurance events because of their greater capacity to run for longer at a higher percentage of the same VO2 max. This hypothesis has, unfortunately, not been evaluated as there are not enough elite white runners in the world to match the performances of the best Kenyans, Ethiopians, Moroccans, and South Africans.

What we can take away from this is that, if we know our own VO2 max score, we can train smarter to slowly increase our VO2 max percentage when racing, and therefore increase our performance.

We will never be as fast as the Kenyans, but we can tweak a few factors to make us

skinnier, more efficient, and quicker.

Muscle function and recruitment capacity: The study mentioned above

also looked at muscle function and found that black distance runners could complete more contraction/relaxation cycles before they developed fatigue. This makes sense as they would be able to resist fatigue by utilising a higher level of skeletal muscle recruitment, prolonging the onset of ‘hitting a wall.’ Another study found that black African distance runners

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The Skinny on Speed have more Type II (fast twitch) muscle fibres, and their Type II fibres are more similar to their Type I (slow twitch), particularly regarding their high capillary density and high mitochondrial enzyme content. This high capillary density would ensure that oxygen delivery to, and metabolite clearance from, the muscles is more efficient. Having a high mitochondrial enzyme content would also make the muscles more efficient as they are able to utilise more oxygen as energy.

Slow rate of heat accumulation: All of us have run a trail race during which our head felt like it is on fire, and there is nothing you can do to overcome this heat accumulation except slow down, thus limiting your performance. This is not a great racing scenario. The ability to slow the rate of heat accumulation when running fast would be highly advantageous. Factors that slow the rate of heat accumulation when running fast are: small size and high running efficiency. These are both characteristics

describing Kenyan distance runners.

Size can be worked on as you can always become smaller to improve your running performance. Ask most top runners what their ‘fighting weight’ or best running performance weight is and it will always be on the lower end of their scale.

Running efficiency can also be worked on by improving the elastic energy return systems of the muscles. The more that the muscle acts as a spring, the less energy it will consume and the more efficient it will be. This more elastic, efficient muscle will enhance performance by slowing down the rate of metabolite accumulation causing fatigue, and prolonging the rate of a rising body temperature. Foam rolling and dynamic stretching can help to improve muscle elasticity.

In conclusion, we can improve what VO2 max percentage we perform at, our overall body weight, therefore size, and our muscle elasticity. So, despite the fact that we will never be as fast as the Kenyans, we can tweak a few factors to make us skinnier, more efficient, and

RACE

quicker, and hopefully catch Stone Tsang and John Ellis on the trails soon. That is the skinny on speed.

Jessica is an exercise physiologist and running consultant at Joint Dynamics. She loves trail running and escaping manic city life to explore the many mountains and single tracks that Hong Kong has to offer.

References: 1. Noakes, T.D. Lore of Running (2001). Fourth Edition. Pg. 406-408; 433-437. Oxford University Press, South Africa.

2. Christensen, D.L., van Hall, G., Hambraeus, L. Food intake of Kalenjin runners in Kenya: A field study (1998). Journal of Sports Sciences 16. Pg. 500.

3. Bale, J., Sang, J. Kenyan Running: Movement Culture, Geography and Global Change (1996). Frank Cass, London.

4. Kong, P.W., de Heer, H.Anthropometric, gait and strength characteristics of Kenyan distance runners (2008). Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 7. Pg. 499-504.

5. Bosch, A.N., Goslin, B.R., Noakes, T.D. Physiological changes during a simulated marathon in black and white athletes (1990). European Journal of Applied Physiology 61. Pg. 68-72.

6. Weston, A.R., Karamizrak, O., Smith, A., Noakes, T.D., Myburgh, K.H. African runners exhibit greater fatigue resistance, lower lactate accumulation, and higher oxidative enzyme activity (1999). Journal of Applied Physiology 86. Pg. 915–23.

Two Kenyan runners negotiating the technical downhill steps at the 2014 Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon. Photo: Chong Chin Ve

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PROFILE

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

Vlad Ixel

PROFILE PROFILE

The Aussie Superkid: VLAD IXEL

By Rachel Jacqueline

W

inning The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) ultra trail marathon in Sabah, Borneo, in 2013, 25-yearold Vlad Ixel showed promise as one of Asia’s rising trail runners; making the podium on almost every major ultra in the region since has shown he has the makings of a true champion.

up some seven years later in his quest to become one of trail running’s greats.

They say that in sports there are the good, the great, and the exceptional.

Some are born with talent; others are born with unyielding grit and an insatiable thirst for success.

It’s not his win at the 2013 TMBT, not even considering that it was his first ever 100km ultra marathon race, but the flurry of successes that followed which make Vlad stand out: first place at The North Face (TNF) 100 Singapore in 2013, second at TNF 50 Hong Kong in 2013, and third at the 2014 Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail just a month later — in a stacked, international field including no less than Dave Mackey and Vajin Armstrong. Finally, topping the list is his first place at TNF 100 Thailand in 2014, a finish breaking a new course record at 8h 34min.

A rising young tennis star, he moved away from his family in Perth, Australia, to Melbourne, aged just 15, to fully focus on the game. He would spend up to 10 hours a day repeatedly hitting a ball against the wall, alone, just to improve his stroke.

Vlad insists the journey hasn’t been smooth, and it’s just the beginning.

Today the Ukraine-born runner is calling Hong Kong’s Lantau Island home to “get away from the Aussie summer,” and importantly to gain more experience in the heavily packed local racing scene.

Rachel Jacqueline learns about his meteoric rise and his plans to stay at the top for many years to come.

Vlad Ixel is one of those annoyingly, naturally gifted types who possesses a rare combination of aptitude and the extreme discipline required in sport to become truly outstanding.

“To achieve something, I’ve always understood you have to put in hard work.

And I’ve always been good at hard work,” he says. Despite not picking up a tennis racquet until a year earlier, aged 14, Vlad quickly progressed to rank among the top 15 juniors in Australia within a year, and spent three years, full-time, in pursuit of becoming professional.

Though his tennis career didn’t stick, his fanatical approach remained (albeit buried under some layers of early twentysomething stubbornness), to be picked

After a summer in Europe, his winning streak in Asia has continued, with Vlad coming first in the 2014 TMBT 25km and the 2014 edition of TNF 100 Singapore.

“Building up more experience for me is crucial. A lot of people think I’ve done millions of races but realistically I’ve only done about 10 or 15 races in my whole life,” he says. He is only 27 after all, and ran his first single stage ultra 18 months ago. It’s hard to believe all he’s achieved in such a short time.

Though his natural talent is obvious, there’s more to Vlad than simply good sports genes: he’s been a strict vegan for the past two years, trains upwards of 50 hours a week, and regularly forgoes life’s

A regular podium sitter, young Vlad shows promise as one of Asia’s rising trail runners. Photo: Claus Rolff

pleasures in pursuit of his sport related goals.

“I think to succeed in life you have to make sacrifices. The guy that does the best is the guy who’s sacrificed the most.”

Indeed, his radical change to veganism wasn’t rooted in ethics (although he says it has become increasingly important), but was a conscious sacrifice for the sake of his sport. He doesn’t drink in the few weeks leading up to a race, not because he thinks it will affect results, but because “it’s how I mentally prepare for a race — knowing there’s something I’ve been willing to sacrifice.”

But to really appreciate his transition from a young, determined tennis player to a young, determined ultra runner, you have to understand the period in between — what he calls “an unhappy, unhealthy time.”

After giving up tennis, he crammed three years of neglected education into one, completing his final year of school before studying architecture. While studying he worked in hospitality, stayed up late and ate “up to a kilogram of meat” per sitting, which he washed back with a few too many beers and cigarettes. He’d pump weights during the week — one hour a day, six days a week — and fueled his taxing lifestyle with Red Bull and too many cups of coffee.

It was a six-week campervan adventure around Australia with his brother, on holiday from the Israeli military, during which the changeprovoking seeds were sown.

“We didn’t have much money and everything was really simple — we got up

39

PROFILE

Vlad Ixel

Vlad running to his win at the 2014 Translantau 50. Photo: Eddie Chiu with the sun, went to sleep with the sun, slept on the beaches, showered where we could. I really enjoyed that simplicity.”

Inspired, he returned just before his 25th birthday and signed up for his first marathon just a few days later. With no training, he ran the 42km in a speedy 3h 18min. “I couldn’t walk for three weeks afterward, but I was on a high from the run for those three weeks. No matter what I did in those three weeks, I just felt happy.”

Vlad had found his calling. With a few more runs under his belt he was at it again just six weeks later: he ran the 2012 Perth Marathon in 3h and 5min — a time most people take years to train for.

Buzzing with his new obsession and the feeling of healthiness that followed each race event, he searched for something “a bit different, a bit more extreme.” The 2013 Racing The Planet Atacama — a 250km, seven-day race across the desert — was just the sort of ticket he was after.

He ramped up his training and, inspired by Scott Jurek’s book Eat & Run, transformed to veganism in a day. “I had no idea what I was doing. I used to run around an oval with a backpack filled with 15kg of weight for 30-40km.” After a training run, he would eat 10 to 15 bananas in a sitting — a regime he still sticks to.

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Whatever he did, it worked. He finished second behind experienced Zimbabwe runner Daniel Rowland.

Returning to Perth, he ran the 75km Kep Ultra (winning in a new course record time), before setting his eyes on the next goal: 100km in a single day.

“My Dad ran the first 100km race in the Soviet Union in 1974,” he explains. “Forty years ago there was nothing — no aid stations, no gels, nothing. In my head I kept thinking ‘100km: Dad did it’ and I wanted to do it too.”

In true Vlad-style, he trained harder than he ever had before. To prepare for the last 20km of hard downhill in the

To achieve something, I’ve always understood you have to put in .

And I’ve always been good at hard work.

And so he did, beginning with the 2013 TMBT, and the rest is history. After his win and new course record at the TNF 100 Thailand he had a hunch he was good. Not content with being ordinary, Vlad wanted to “get out of his comfort zone” and head to the home of skyrunning: Europe.

His 2014 European summer running agenda was ambitious: first was the Transvulcania on La Palma in the Canary Islands — his type of race at just over 80km in very hot weather coupled with a cumulative elevation gain of 4,415m. Next would be the Skyrunning World Championships in France, both

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the Vertical Kilometer and Sky Marathon, followed by the Ice Trail Tarentaise (ITT) also in France, a 65km race with 5,000m of cumulative ascent skimming the 3,000m mark in Val d’Isère.

hard work

Transvulcania, he placed himself on a grueling training schedule, hurling down peaks for hours at a time in preparation.

His determination got the better of him: he trained himself to injury and never made it to the start line.

At the Skyrunning World Championships, he took off so hard in the Vertical Kilometer on the Friday that within minutes of shooting out of the blocks and catching up with three runners ahead, he tore a muscle in his

Vlad Ixel upper abdominals. “My body had just never worked that hard,” he shakes his head. His attempt at the Sky Marathon the following Sunday was dismal as a result — he finished in a humbling “50-something-ith place.”

The ITT was another disaster. “I wasn’t using poles, so I kept falling over.

The snow hurt my knees. I wasn’t having a good day,” he laughs.

He returned to Australia battered, bruised, and with his ego in check.

Looking back, these were important lessons.

“I learnt I shouldn’t be scared of a race — it affects how you train… To improve, you want to be changing things up but you don’t want to flip everything upside down. You just can’t start expecting miracles.”

Settling in Hong Kong, crashing at a friend’s house and living off a meager salary from online coaching and personal training, Vlad is now training hard in pursuit of heading to Europe again next year. And this time, he’s determined to do it right.

“I sacrifice a lot I think, and I think success comes with that. I enjoy training, in a way I like it more than competing. I enjoy hard work and my body reacts well to it.” He describes a regime that includes almost daily weight training sessions and plenty of long runs with as much elevation gain as possible.

“I love getting to that point where I physically can’t move any more,” he says, recalling a time in Perth where after a long run, a two-hour weight session and a two-hour bikram yoga class, he could barely lift his head from exhaustion.

While Vlad identifies his hardworking nature as having fueled his successes so far, the question has to be asked: is it sustainable? Is his rigorous regime the formula for success, a devotion whose intensity is required to be truly ‘exceptional,’ or the path to downfall again?

Time will tell. As for now, Vlad is happy. “I believe you should do what you love. Money doesn’t drive me. Traveling, racing, training, and eating well make me happy. And being happy drives me. It may not be the same in 10 or 15 years’ time… but I have so many goals in the meantime, I think it’s going to take me a while until I’m bored.”

Those goals include running more road marathons and a one hundred miler in 2015 — possibly the Ultra Trail Mount Fuji. There’s plenty of room to learn and grow.

“My body hasn’t grown up being a runner’s body. But I’m starting to feel like a runner — before that I just felt like a person who runs.”

And when Vlad finally feels like a runner, who knows the heights he’ll scale.

PROFILE

Want to Train like Vlad?

Vlad at 2014 Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail. Photo: Lao Yao If so, you need time and imagination.

Vlad’s training week is divided up into gym sessions, running sessions, yoga sessions, and recovery and/ or balance work to keep him fit, conditioned, as well as feeling rejuvenated.

“Gym sessions will be half on different cardio machines (bike, stair machine, elliptical runner, rowing, etc.) while the other half of the session will be a body weight workout on my abs and legs,” he explains. “I will use light weights as well once every few weeks — high reps and low weights.”

For balance workouts, Vlad will practice isometric and balance poses, meanwhile recovery work is a combination of foam rolling, trigger point releasing, and stretching.

Vlad’s typical training week: Monday

5.5h 2h gym 30min yoga 2h light trail run 1h recovery work

Tuesday

5.5h 2h stair session 1h yoga 1h gym 30min balance work 1h recovery work

Wednesday

5-6h 3h gym 30min yoga light 20km run on a technical trail with not much elevation 30min recovery work

Thursday

7h sets of hill repeats for 2-3h 1h yoga 2h gym 1h recovery work

Friday

3h 1h gym 1h yoga 1h run, speed work or tempo (if not racing on the weekend)

Saturday

4h 2-3h trail run with 1500-2000m of gain 1h recovery work

Sunday

3h 20min 3h gym session light 20min barefooted run

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TRAINING

S.M.A.R.T. Running Goals Jeri Chua uses goals to help her push past discomfort and reach targets that she feels are beyond her abilities. Photo: John Campbell her mental strategy to get through ultra marathons.

Jeri says: “Having goals that are clear and tangible make them easier to relate to, and psychologically I would feel like there’s a better chance of achieving my ambitions. Short-term goals help break down the journey so I don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture.”

Try it: Set the goal to run a specific distance. Perhaps, a personal record run — a distance longer than you have ever run before.

M.easurable To truly get the bliss that comes with accomplishing a goal you need to set goals that are measurable. If you make your running goals measurable Photo: it will be clear when the goal is Wang Bo. accomplished. It is great to say, ‘I will run more,’ or, ‘I will run faster’ — but such goals are impossible to measure.

S.M.A.R.T. Running Goals

Start the Trail Running Season Right

By Clint Cherepa

T

rail runners love growth. The sensation of knowing that today you will run further than you did yesterday. The euphoria that comes after running a personal best and the anticipation of running an unknown trail or route propel you to reach new levels.

We never become masters of our trade, but we always have the option of getting better. Trail runners — rookies and veterans — grow when they set goals.

And, now is the time to set trail running goals for the upcoming season.

Using the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting system will help you reach your goals.

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S.pecific Setting specific goals is

crucial to success. A vague goal leads to uncompleted goals and will not motivate you to push towards your target.

Jeri Chua, from Hong Kong, has competed in many trail ultra-events.

She was the first place female in the 2012 The North Face 100km trail race in Singapore, and has placed first more than once at the Sabah Ultra Trail 60km trail race in Malaysia. She uses goals to help her push past discomfort and reach targets that she feels are beyond her abilities. They are a key part of

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Jess Mullen is no stranger to setting goals and reaching them. Besides completing the 135mi Badwater Ultramarathon and the 116mi Pacific Rim One Day Run, both in the USA, Jess has to date completed over 120 marathons and ultras.

Jess feels her goals keep her focused and motivated. They have helped her improve times and give her programming that is useful to evaluate and make changes based on her outcomes.

When it comes to measurable goals, Jess says: “How else can you judge or evaluate your progress and attainment of

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

S.M.A.R.T. Running Goals idealistic, then it will defeat the purpose of the goal.”

The lesson is that we should set goals that are built for us, goals that we can attain.

Try it: For your next trail race set a goal with three levels. For example, place in the top 10 or win; beat your time from last year; or, finish the race.

R.elevant Why is your goal important to you?

Karl Meltzer, the winningest 100mi runner on earth. that goal? This helps keep it objective versus subjective.”

Try it: Increase your weekly average mileage by 15% from last year. Or, run in more trail races this year than the previous.

A.ttainable Karl Meltzer is the winningest 100mi runner on earth. He holds the record with 35 wins and 55 ultra marathon wins. He sets his goals close to an event and feels they give him focus and a reason to race.

It is critical to keep your goals alive by setting goals that will keep the fire inside you burning. When you first set your goal, it is a spark — turn that spark into a fire by choosing goals that are relevant to you, goals that mean something.

Most runners would agree with Karl: “Don’t set them for anyone but yourself, and be realistic. Set ones that satisfy you personally.”

Whatever your goal is, make it matter to you.

“Some people adopt the goals of others blindly without thinking about if that’s what they really want,” says Jeri.

TRAINING

faster or longer, or run something epic?

T.imely Deadlines, nobody likes them, but they exist for a reason. A fixed deadline for your trail running goal will motivate you and add a sense of urgency to your focus. A great way to set a timely goal is signing up for a race. This will help you focus your energy and help you prioritise your running to meet this timeline.

Jess suggests: “If it’s too far out, it is easy to lose interest. It’s OK to have longterm goals but I like to break them up into smaller short-term goals because it’s more motivating.”

Keep in mind Jeri’s advice: “Be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid to dream. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks — your goals, no matter how big or small, are yours alone to achieve. That feeling of accomplishment is second to none, and from experience, it’ll be a stepping-stone to greater things.”

Set some S.M.A.R.T goals today. It is good to set goals throughout the running season and keep growing as a runner and athlete.

Clint is currently in Nicaragua engaged in volunteer work, writing, and ultra training. He plans on returning to the USA this summer to crew and pace his little sister in her first 50mi trail ultra..

Try it: Decide what you really want.

Do you want to have a leaner body, run

I asked Karl why goals should be attainable. In responding, he emphasised the importance of setting “ones that are realistic. If we have goals too far out of reach, it’s unfair to put ourselves in the position for failure.”

Missed goals can be discouraging. It is better to set a smaller, more attainable goal than a crazy big goal that is a sure miss. Still, it is great to push our trail running to the limits.

Jeri adds: “There’s nothing wrong with lofty ambitions, and in sport I believe that we can set our sights higher than we deem is within our abilities. That pushes us to strive harder and higher.

However, if our goals are set beyond attainment, such as to be impossible or

Jess Mullen has to date completed over 120 marathons and ultras. Photo: Ultra Sports Live.TV

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GEAR

Assortment of Gear Tested

I

Gear Tested

n preparation for warmer times, we have reviewed various running shorts and short-sleeved shirts. In addition, we have included several all-season products for your consideration.

By Team Asia Trail

Salomon S-LAB Exo Tank salomon.com/hk | HKD 1,100 Those who do not adhere to the no-shirt running group but still want to be among the minimalists, this extremely lightweight shirt is for you. Well ventilated with perforations in the front and back and mesh on the sides — you won’t feel it on your fast runs.

The North Face Tee-Shirt GTD thenorthface.com | HKD 350 If your shirt is soaking wet at the end of your runs, you’ll be amazed when you try this one out. Even on a 3h run in high humidity this shirt stays dry and keeps you dry — and staying dry means you’re not carrying around all that sweat as useless weight.

Salomon S-LAB Sense Shorts salomon.com/hk | HKD 1,100 You can really see the research involved in these super lightweight shorts by Salomon. Thanks to their tight fit, the best thing about them is their large and very stable pockets around the waist. Passed our test: A mobile phone placed in the front pocket won’t move! It is a great minimalist piece of material, but it comes at a price.

WAA Ultra Rain Pants & Jacket waa-ultra.com | USD 238 (jacket), USD 163 (pants) Specially designed for ultra events that require mandatory gear, such as the UTMB, this compressible and lightweight (only 120g for the pants and 180g for the jacket) rain set is the best you can probably get in terms of volume/weight while protecting you against bad weather with a waterproof membrane tested by our reviewers.

Notably, you can take the pants on/off while wearing your shoes. Both the pants and the jacket have a convertible pocket to compress and pack rapidly while on the move. WAA products could be more colourful though.

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The North Face Better Than Naked Split Shorts thenorthface.com | HKD 490 These shorts offer good breathability with their side mesh panels and quickdrying fabric. The soft internal fabric adds to the comfort. The back zipper pocket is large and convenient but the two mesh pockets aren’t very useful as they aren’t tight enough to keep gels or other accessories still.

Assortment of Gear Tested

CEP Ultralight Shirt Short Sleeve cepsports.com | HKD 480 This extremely light and comfortable shirt with a tight fit will keep you cool and dry no matter how much you sweat. Tested in humid conditions, the shirt remained surprisingly dry with an impressive moisture management. This is a great technical shirt for races.

GEAR

CEP Run Shorts 2.0 cepsports.com | HKD 980 These compression shorts with high quality fabric of different densities limit muscle vibrations where needed. Adding to the comfort are no-chafe seams and a quick-drying fabric.

While offering real compression with a good fit and a zipped pocket the fabric can be a bit thick for really hot environments.

Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless Earbuds jabra.com | HKD 1,700 These Bluetooth earphones deliver not only an excellent sound but also an accurate built-in heart rate monitor. Jabra claims the buds are your all-in-one training solution, and we have to admit that we were conquered with the pulse measure being detected in our left ear. Even the free companion app (available for the Android and iOS) has been well developed with great tools and a simple design. The buds could replace your GPS heart rate watch, but that is considering you will run with your phone connected and for no more than 4h (despite the claimed 5h battery life). It is for sure a superb and minimalist geek device if you can afford it.

COMPRESSPORT Trail Tank compressport.com | HKD 720 Reviewer confesses to not have experienced, nor benefitted from, the micro-muscular massage provided by the silicone printing during his runs, however, the tank top certainly is featherlight, ultracomfortable with the seamless construction, and has excellent wicking properties, albeit not tested on a roasting hot day. Also, the special fibres ensure that a long lasting wear does not lead to nasty odours.

COMPRESSPORT Trail Running Shorts compressport.com | HKD 920 These are lightweight running shorts that breathe very well, a good choice for runners who prefer some compression. The high waist and the silicone grip do seem to encourage the wearer to run tall. There is a mesh pocket in the small back into which you can fit some gels. However, since the shorts are knee-length, the plastic reflective logo goes right into the back of your knee, which can be solved by rolling it up. Also, the reviewer does not feel like she benefited from the little silicone circles claimed to be the massaging fibre.

Hoka Evo Race 17L Hydration Backpack hokaoneone.com | HKD 1,580 At first sight and without much research, the Hoka looks just like another ordinary bag. But this lightweight backpack in fact has a great fit, with lots of space thanks to its 17L capacity and several very convenient pockets with magnets on the shoulder straps. This bag is particularly good for ultras, letting you carry bladder or front bottles. Just make sure to keep it dry after each run so the magnets can last in a hot and humid environment.

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RACE DIRECTORY

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Assortment of Gear Tested Garmin Forerunner 920XT garmin.com | HKD 3,599 (without heart rate monitor) This light (61g) triathlon watch would appeal to most ultra distance runners with its average battery life of up to 24h in training mode (40h in UltraTrac) and its geeky features such as a VO2 max estimator, race predictor, recovery advisor, and cadence counter. The 920XT also allows you to follow a course — a breadcrumb style trail.

However, it does not allow manual zoom-in; when you stop running, the watch will zoom out and does not show the details (e.g., rivers, roads) to help you find out where to go.

Runivore Chia on a Date Superfood Bar runivore.com | HKD 25 The Taiwanese brand packed 193 kcal into this little 50g bar. This natural and great tasting bar is made with dried dates, oats, chia seeds, almonds, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, raisins, coconut, and salt. It contains protein, antioxidants, dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. This reviewer, however, finds it a bit too chewy to consume on the move during an ultra. She recommends having it as breakfast, during a longish checkpoint stop, or using it for shorter runs. Runivore also sells chia seeds in packets.

GEAR

AMO Transformer & AMO Typhoon amosunglasses.com | USD 218 (Transformer), USD 168 (Typhoon) AMO is a welcome new brand from Hong Kong founded in 2013 by dedicated ultra runners. One great thing about these sunglasses is their interchangeable high-quality lenses.

The reviewers found them comfortable to wear and a good fit with no need for adjustment on technical trail runs.

We recommend getting the extra photochromic lenses so you can wear them all the time, even in low-light conditions. The lightweight frame, whose arms you can change to match the lenses, may look a bit stiff though.

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ASK THE COACH

How to Finish an Intense Race Strong

By Olivier Baillet

Y

ou’ve probably seen it many times, and maybe have experienced it yourself: strong runners capable of starting off fast, staying with the leaders for half of the race, but fading when the going gets really tough, sometimes so badly that they end up with a placing that is much worse than their intrinsic fitness.

The truth is, these runners usually lack muscular endurance.

As Joe Friel writes in The Triathlete’s Training Bible: “Muscular Endurance is the ability of the muscles to maintain a relatively high force load for a prolonged time. It is a combination of Force and Endurance abilities.” Visibly, muscular endurance results from the adaptation of

the muscles to resist fatigue and tolerate lactate that slowly accumulates at high intensity. As such, it is a critical ability for successful trail running races.

Workouts improving muscular endurance are not extremely taxing in themselves, they are like ‘controlled’ time trialing and are very effective in boosting both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, and pose little risk of overtraining.

Muscular endurance should begin in the early training season with sustained efforts of several minutes in Z3 (moderately hard, 80-87% of lactate threshold). Later, but still in the base period, more work should be done in Z4

(hard, 88-99%) and slightly beyond.

Closer to the race, work intervals should progressively lengthen to 20’, 30’, or 40’ as the recovery intervals remain relatively short, at 1/3 to 1/4 of the work intervals.

Example Muscular Endurance Workouts Base Period: Tempo Run • •

Warm up.

Run in Z1 (very easy, below 40%), Z2 (easy, 40-79%), and Z3 (moderate, 80-87%) for an extended time without recovery. Start with 10’

Bed Sunuwar, the winner of the 27km category at the North Face Kathmandu Ultra Trail, pushing hard on the home stretch.

Photo: Anuj Adhikary

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ASK THE COACH RACE NEWS

Stronger runners capable of starting off fast…but fading

when the going gets really tough…these runners usually lack muscular

endurance.

•

to 15’ and build to 30’, 45’, or more, by adding 5’ every week.

May be done 2-3 times a week.

Early Pre-Competitive Period: Cruise Intervals • •

•

Warm up.

Run 3 to 5 intervals of 6’ to 12’ durations. In each interval, progressively build to Z4 (hard, 88-99%) and slightly beyond. If training with a heart rate monitor (which we recommend, especially for these kinds of workouts), work intervals start as soon as you begin running hard, not when Z4 is reached. Indeed, it takes several minutes for the heart rate to accurately reflect the intensity of an effort.

Recover for 1/3 or 1/4 of the work intervals, i.e. for 2’ to 3’ after each work interval, by jogging easy.

Later Pre-Competitive Period: Threshold Run • •

Warm up thoroughly.

Run 15’ to 30’ nonstop in Z4 and beyond.

François D’Haene led the race right from the start.

Photo: Claus Rolff •

Do not attempt threshold runs before completing at least 4 cruise interval workouts.

As you can see, there are several types of muscular endurance workouts, depending on the phase of training you are in. They are typically the type of workouts that many runners overlook. They are not long, not really hard, but make part of the foundation that will help you to be competitive… and your body will remember it in the second half of an intense race.

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 three times, as well as the UTMB where he finished 75th overall.

Muscular Endurance Zone

Perceived Exertion

Borg

Friel

LTHR %

Z1

Very easy

6-8

Recovery

below 40%

Z4

Hard

15

Sub-threshold

88-99%

Z2 Z3 Z5a

Z5b Z5c

Easy

Moderately hard Hard

Very hard

Very very hard

8-11

12-14 16

17-18 19-20

Extensive endurance

Intensive endurance / Tempo Threshold

Anaerobic endurance Power

40-79% 80-87%

100-104% 105-149% 159%

Borg scale: A perceived exertion scale, from 1 to 20.

Friel: Joe Friel is the triathlon coach that I follow most, author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible.

LTHR %: Percentage of lactate threshold; these percentages depend on the coach and the sport involved (cycling is different from running). It is a continuum, so it is by construction slightly approximative.

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ASK THE COACH

Nutrition in Ultras

By Andy DuBois

W

hat should I eat during an ultra?

It’s a question I must be asked more than any other, and with good reason. Since gastric upset is one of the most common reasons for a DNF (Did Not Finish), or below par performance, it’s worth spending the time developing a nutrition plan that works for you.

Putting together a nutrition strategy that will cover all eventualities that may occur during a race requires us to consider a few basics, as well as demands a lot of experimentation.

The basics boil down to you needing approximately 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour. If you intake too much, it can delay gastric emptying, which means the energy will stay in your stomach instead of transferring to your muscles. If you

have too little, you will slow down, as your body will increasingly rely on stored body fat for energy. Your training, size, and speed will all affect how much energy you’ll need within this range.

From there it’s up to the individual to discover what their stomachs can handle and what delivers enough fuel to sustain the hours of running necessary to finish the race.

For shorter races gels are the go-to source of energy but during longer races many find them unpalatable.

The next option to try is a powder you can mix into a drink like Hammer Perpetuem, Tailwind, or Endura. Some people tolerate these better than gels but many still can’t tolerate 6h+ on gels and sports drinks alone.

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Common foods that runners use include muesli bars, dried fruit, jelly lollies, boiled potatoes, sandwiches, nuts, pretzels, and rice pudding, but there are no wrongs or rights and your decision will be largely dependant on your taste buds as well as what sits well in your stomach while you are running. Aim for foods low in fibre, protein, and fat, as they will absorb quicker.

sweet savoury

A combination of and foods often helps avoid your taste buds and stomach rebelling from hours of sweet tasting gels and sports drinks.

For most a combination of gels, sports drinks, and real food works best. What kind of real food you should intake is a very individual matter and is where the experimentation begins. You are looking for food that is easily digestible, doesn’t sit in your stomach, keeps your taste buds happy, and supplies you with a regular stream of energy. Other considerations are how easily you can chew and swallow a food while running, and finally how transportable it is.

Nutrition à la Hong Kong - Cup Noodles.

Photo: Francis Tang

another reason you’ll need to experiment during your training to work out what quantity of food you need per hour.

Gels and sports drinks have an advantage in that you know exactly how many carbohydrates you are consuming, whereas real food often doesn’t come with an itemized nutrition label. This is

Use your long training runs to try a number of different foods to see what works best for you, but remember that what your stomach can happily digest in a 4h training run may not go down well 12h into an ultra. Having a few alternatives to fall back on if your stomach doesn’t like one particular food can save your race.

A combination of sweet and savoury foods often helps avoid your taste buds and stomach rebelling from hours of sweet tasting gels and sports drinks.

Knowing how to troubleshoot your stomach while you are on the go can result in the difference between a finish and a DNF.

If your stomach is feeling full or nauseous and you are feeling low in energy then adding more food to an already full stomach is only going to delay gastric emptying further. You will need to slow the pace right down — usually to a walk. A lower intensity allows more blood to flow to the stomach, which helps in digesting your food. Once your stomach has settled you can resume running, being careful not to overload the stomach again. Sometimes consuming a salty beverage, such as soup, can help settle the stomach — it’s no coincidence that many ultras provide soups at major aid stations!

If your thoughts are consumed with food then your blood sugar levels are most likely low and you need to get some food into you as soon as possible. This is a far easier problem to rectify than if your stomach is full. This is a good reason to err on the side of too little carbohydrates per hour rather than too many. It is easy to consume more calories than it is to wait for your stomach to absorb an excess amount of them. Once you get sensitive to the signals of your body, you can correct any arising problems quickly.

Adapting your fuelling strategy throughout the race to ensure a happy stomach means your muscles will receive a steady stream of energy. Listen to the feedback your stomach gives you and act to resolve problems before they affect your race.

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).

Pockets packed with goodies.

Photo: Claus Rolff

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BODY MECHANICS

Remember to Swing Your Arms

By Doug Tahirali

It is without question that proper training of arms is particularly important for trail runners. Photo: Daniel Chung

‘A

llan Wells’ is the correct answer to the trivia question ‘Who was the last Caucasian to win Olympic gold?’ He is also an interesting study of the use of arms in running! Notably, Allan was coached by his wife Margot, an avid believer that increasing arm swing will increase leg speed. To this end, much of Wells’ upper body training was done on the boxing speed bag! — just watch his ‘Allan Wells Speed Bag’ videos on YouTube.

However unorthodox, Margot has used her speed bag techniques to train many international athletes, including rugby players Paul Sackey, James Haskell, Tom Voyce, and Danny Cipriani.

Running has two general types of arm swing: 1) for sprinting or uphill, when you want to help rapidly propel yourself forward without worry of energy outlay; 2) an arm swing more for distance running wherein your swing is passive and relax, costing you the least amount of energy. Since trail running is so physically costly, every movement increases energy expenditure. Thereby, a third trail

running swing can be said to involve arms which, aside from being used similarly as they are in other types of running, also serve to balance your body.

During your next run, try to drop your arms while running — you should eventually notice an increase in your leg work. Play around with your arms’ positions. Generally swinging your arms beside you just ‘feels’ right and most efficient. As you return to regular arm swing you may notice easier cadence and flow and a little lift to the knees as your legs counter your arm swing.

There is some research supporting a ‘neuro-coupling’ between arm and leg motion, perhaps evolutionary residue from our time as quadrupeds. In fact, most biomechanical evaluations believe arm swing reduces the energy output by helping counterbalance the body, aiding in forward propulsion and promoting a higher knee lift — try for yourself how unintuitive it feels to walk while preventing your arms from swinging reciprocally. Unsurprisingly, force plate

studies have shown athletes can generate more force with their legs when also engaging the opposite arm.

Many newspapers and health magazines around the world covered a University of Colorado-Boulder study

by Rodger Kram and Chris Arellano. The news stories generally try to point out that not only is arm swing while running good for balance and forward drive, but this study shows that it is more energy efficient and could let you run longer!

What the study really showed was that natural arm swing was 3% more efficient than arms held loosely behind your back, 9% more efficient than with arms across your chest, and 13% more efficient than with hands linked on top of your head.

Arellano concluded, “Normal arms swing is energetically a much cheaper way to counteract the motion of the legs, than using the muscles of the torso.”

Across the literature, it is thought that keeping the elbows from crossing forward in front of your hips will help prevent excessive heel strike. Danny

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Remember to Swing Your Arms Dreyer of Chi Running comments in his blog that swinging the arms too far forward can cause over-striding and increased heel strike, thus decreasing efficiency and increasing injury potential.

This cross-body arm swing rotates the

Wang Zi Chen, one of the top runners of 2015 Vibram Hong Kong Ultra Trail, spreading his arms to balance his body as he negotiates the hills of Hong Kong.

Photos: Daniel Chung (top) and Claus Rolff (bottom)

torso, which, besides increasing chances of hip and other leg injuries, consumes extra energy while giving no mechanical advantage to propulsion.

Adding to the growing evidence that building your arms is highly worthwhile is the presence of an Indian study consisting of 50, 3,000m runners, who underwent a three month shoulder and arm conditioning programme in conjunction with regular training. The extra arm-training group showed increased performance, being able to slim 5-20s per mile.

BODY MECHANICS

grown up running barefoot, so that effectively most are able to maintain a forefoot strike and therefore a more ideal biomechanics than Western athletes. In comparing US to Ethiopian runners the article highlighted four main differences: eye gaze, foot strike,

Most biomechanical evaluations believe reduces the energy output by helping

swing

arm

counterbalance

the body, aiding in forward propulsion and promoting a higher knee lift.

Conventional guidelines suggest that you avoid arm deviation across the body.

Considering Newton’s laws, it becomes evident that one should be active in the back swing, thus getting the equal-opposite reaction giving you forward propulsion.

The next oft-ignored guideline is to stay relaxed and resist the urge to lift your shoulders. Any extra muscle tension equals less energy. Once tight, this resultantly decreases many things, including stride length.

To train the arms for running is not difficult or time consuming.

Push-ups and chair dips are great for arm strength, and a weighted ball, dumbbells, or kettlebells are also useful. Rotator cuff strength is key for any athlete and can be mastered via YouTube and a TheraBand. One need not get a boxing speed bag installed at home but simply try standing and doing 30s of arm swings as fast as possible. To work on the loose hands try running while holding a potato chip—don’t break it!

Adding a little counterbalance to conventional wisdom is an article by Bretta Riches, entitled “Why Top US Distance Runners Don’t Win.” The author argues Ethiopian runners’ superiority involves them having had

and two differences involving arms!

Riches notes: 1) in contrast to US runners whose torso rotation and shoulder movement is restricted, Ethiopians suppress their arm swing while increasing their shoulder and torso rotation; 2) Ethiopian runners carry their arms higher, on the front upper torso, while US competitors rest their wrists closer to the hips, alongside the torso. Thought-provokingly the author questions, “Could it be that conventional biomechanics were formulated to counter, or compliment the biomechanical impairments brought on by the conventional running shoe?”

Everything considered, it is without question that proper training of arms is particularly important for trail runners.

Doug has been a physiotherapist for 26 years and currently practices at Jardine House Sports and Spinal Clinic (www. physiohk.com). This column aims to explain how body parts work and how you can care for and fix them.

55

FIRST STEPS

How to Stay Injury Free

By Joshua Steimle

W

hen I started running it was hard enough just to get out the door and get my legs moving. The idea of researching running and becoming an expert on the subject was overwhelming.

But as time went on, I became more interested in the science of running as well as related disciplines like nutrition, general health, and injury prevention. It’s this last topic that we’ll focus on in this instalment of First Steps. Here are five simple tips anyone can remember that will help you prevent injuries — not to mention improve performance.

1. Take it easy: When I first started running in 2007, I went from zero running to running a mile, then two, then four — all within one week. Those distances didn’t seem like a big deal to me, but after increasing distances that fast, I woke up one morning, swung my legs over the edge of the bed, stood up, and fell down. My knees didn’t hurt much — they just didn’t work. I had been increasing my distances too fast. When we increase any aspect of running, our muscles, ligaments, and tendons don’t all progress at the same rate. Pushing too hard, too fast, can cause imbalances that lead to injury. I often say to listen to your body and trust it to tell you what you’re capable of, but this is one instance where knowledge can trump intuition.

There is no hard and fast rule for increasing running distance as a beginner. Some people say you shouldn’t increase your distance more than 10% from one week to the next, but if you’re just starting out that’s probably still too much. Running 1-2mi per run, three times per week, for the first month, is probably a better guideline. After that, increase your distances slowly.

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

FIRST STEPS

2. Keep your ankles strong: I recently rolled my left ankle twice within three weeks.

This was a new experience for me. The first time I assumed I had bought bad shoes. The second time I rolled my ankle, running in different shoes, I realised it wasn’t the shoes: it was weak ankles. I started researching braces, but quickly learned braces weren’t the long-term answer. The only real solution was to strengthen my ankles. You can search YouTube for ankle-strengthening exercises for runners and find many that might be helpful to you. I do three exercises that have made a big difference for me.

i. Stand with the forepad of your foot on a step, holding onto something to keep yourself steady. Lift your body up and down on your toes, stretching out your calf as you go down, and going all the way up on your tiptoes. ii. Stand on one bare foot, with your hands at your side, and stay balanced for a few minutes. Switch to the other foot. Once your ankles are strong, you should be able to do this with your eyes closed without losing your balance. iii. Sit down with your feet flat on the floor and close together. Lift your toes and move them as far to the sides as possible and then put them down. Lift them and bring them back to the centre. Do this 40 times for each rep.

In all these cases I would do three reps of each, at least three times per week, but preferably daily. For me, I just try to do them whenever I’m thinking about it. I might do the first exercise at the beginning or end of a run when I find stairs next to a handrail I can hold onto to steady myself; the second while I’m talking to my wife; and the last while I’m sitting working at my computer or at dinner, although the latter can lead to odd looks.

3. Focus: Many of the trails I run on are technical with lots of rocks — which are oftentimes wet and slippery — tree roots, small stairs, leaves and plants that obscure the ground, and sharp twists and bends. I’ve

had some near misses because I was looking at the nice view or was engrossed in the audiobook I was listening to and not paying close attention to the ground. When you are running, make sure your mind is sharp and you’re keeping an eye on your steps. If you see something interesting that you want to look at, just stop.

4. Get the right shoes: In my experience you’re more likely to roll and twist your ankle or knee if those joints are weak than when you get the wrong shoes — still, getting the right shoes definitely helps. I love how the extra padding in my Hokas is easier on my knees, but they slant slightly outward and the high cushion makes me feel unstable. I’ve taken to running with them on less technical terrain, and especially on longer runs that may have cement paths. For more technical terrain I prefer a pair of Altras with minimal cushioning, which make me feel lower to the ground and more stable. But since your feet are different than mine, you’ll have to find out what works for you, and that might mean going through a few pairs before you find what works best.

5. Strengthen your upper body: Many runners don’t pay attention to what’s above their waist. You should. A stronger upper body and core will help prevent hip, knee, and even ankle injuries. You can get a stronger upper body with some simple exercises like push-ups, planks, crunches, chin-ups, and some basic yoga. Doing these for 15-20min per day, three days per week, can make a huge difference compared to doing nothing at all. If you have access to weights then deadlifts and squats are also quite helpful.

There are many other factors that will help you prevent injuries such as warming-up, good running form, and proper recovery. As you progress in your running, learning these techniques at your own comfortable pace will help you become an expert. Your body will thank you.

Joshua is the CEO of MWI (mwi.hk), a digital marketing agency, and a writer for various business publications including Forbes and Entrepreneur. He lives and runs in Hong Kong. You can contact him @donloper or josh@mwi.hk.

Nicole Lau, one of the top females at the 2015 Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race, running injury free on the trails. Photo: Sun Chan

57

NUTRITION

Liquid Energy for Trail Runners

Liquid Energy for Trail Runners

By Katia Kucher

P

owder-based sports energy drinks have increased in popularity over the last two years. Ultra trail running is booming; the limits in distance and intensity keep getting pushed. Just look at all the new ultra races in Hong Kong.

Without doubt, the extreme nature of ultra running poses physiological and psychological challenges. As a sport, it not only involves distance and endurance, but also requires its participants having to be somewhat self-sufficient during training and racing. As such, powderbased energy drinks are very practical.

Ultra runners have to be able to sustain a constant high rate of energy for long periods of time while preventing injury, muscle soreness, and fatigue.

During such prolonged distances and intensity outputs, nutrition and hydration has a direct impact on running performance. Having the right nutrition and hydration will make the difference between finishing the race or not.

Carbohydrates are the main fuel for the muscles and the brain. However, due to the body’s limited capacity to store glycogen, it can only sustain running for 60-90min without affecting performance. The carbohydrate amount required for optimal ultra running performance varies according to the running intensity, duration, weather conditions, as well as one’s individual level of fitness, age, gender, and even food and fluid tolerance. While training for ultra endurance running, the body will gradually adapt to spare muscle glycogen and carbohydrates, and it will instead gradually start using fat energy reserves as its prime energy source while running.

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

Preparing your body with the proper nutrition should be part of every ultra runner’s training plan. A typical daily nutrition plan should include whole grains, complex carbohydrates, root vegetables (such as sweet potatoes, squash, yams), fruits and vegetables (lots of leafy greens), and protein that contains all the essential amino acids (lean meats, oily fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, soya).

Because the body will use fat energy sources, it is important to include healthy fats in one’s daily diet (such as salmon, avocado, coconut oil, flax seeds, etc.).

Preparing your body with the

proper nutrition should be part of every ultra runner’s training plan.

Having a proper diet will provide you with all the essential healthy nutrients so that the condition of your body will be deficiency-free during the race. A properly balanced diet will set you up for an optimal performance.

Liquid energy drinks are being used more and more for training and racing. The quality and variety of the offered drinks makes it easy to find the right product for each individual. Some products contain only carbohydrates and electrolytes, while others contain low amounts of protein and good fats. Liquid energy tends to be a lot easier to digest compared to gels and solid foods. Some runners however experience no issues while eating solid foods throughout the duration of an entire race, while others have better results alternating between

both solids and gels. When running ultra marathons, you have to make sure you provide your body with enough carbohydrates to maintain the proper levels of glycogen. The recommended intake for endurance running is between 1-1.5g per each kilogram of body weight per hour. There are several reasons why liquid energy drinks are now so popular:

1. Energy: Powder-based energy drinks provide all the essential energy fuel without causing digestive problems.

2. Practicality: Especially when

runners have to be self-sufficient while training or when support during certain races is limited.

3. Fatigue: Often when dealing with endurance running, once fatigue sets in, your body will switch to sustaining the primary organs like the heart, lungs, and muscles. The result is that the stomach receives less incoming blood flow, and as such its functioning tends to slow down, making it more difficult to intake and digest solid food.

The ideal nutrition plan for running an ultra marathon is to test all your nutrition while training. Take time to develop a plan of action for race day that includes fuelling details for the pre-race, race, and post-race periods. Ideally, alternating between liquid energy drinks and some easy to digest food will create the optimal nutrition plan to ensure peak performance.

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.

Liquid Energy for Trail Runners

NUTRITION

UCAN Sports Drink Mix

TAIL WIND

HAMMER PERPETUEM CAFFE LATTE

HAMMER HEED

Carbohydrate source: Superstartch. Contains added electrolytes, no added sugar, and is gluten free.

Carbohydrate source: Dextrose, sucrose. Contains all natural and organic ingredients.

Carbohydrate source: Maltodextrin, Energy Smart.

Contains no artificial color, flavors, and sweeteners.

Carbohydrate source: Maltodextrin, xylitol. No artificial color, flavors, sweeteners.

1 Scoop (27g) 80 calories 170mg sodium 105mg potassium 21g carbohydrate 70% Vitamin C

1 Scoop (27g) 100 calories 303mg sodium 88mg potassium 25g carbohydrate 26mg calcium 14mg magnesium

1 Scoop (35g) 135 calories 110mg sodium 27g carbohydrate 4% calcium 3.5g sugars 3.5g protein 2.25g fat 7.5% iron 2.25g fat 7.5% iron

1 Scoop (29g) 100 calories 40mg sodium 25mg potassium 51mg calcium 26g magnesium 339% vitamin B6 27mcg chromium 60mg chloride 27mcg chromium 60mg chloride

P3

CYTOMAX

GU BREW WITH LIGHT CARBOHYDRATES

ACCELERADE

Carbohydrate source: Maltodextrin, fructose.

Carbohydrate source: Maltodextrin, fructose, dextrose, alpha L- polylactate.

Naturally flavored with Stevia.

Carbohydrate source: Maltodextrin, fructose.

Carbohydrate source: Sucrose, trehalose, fructose, maltodextrin.

1 Scoop (50g) 391 calories 150mg sodium 30g carbohydrates 15% sugars 11g protein 4g fat amino acids

1 Scoop (25g) 90 calories 120mg sodium 60mg potassium 22g carbohydrates 6mg calcium 14mg magnesium 12g sugars 60mg vitamin C 50mcg chromium 250mg amino acids

1 Serving (19g) 70 calories 250mg sodium 30mg potassium 18g carbohydrates 9g sugars

1 Scoop 120 calories 190mg sodium 65mg potassium 21g carbohydrate 30% magnesium 20g sugars 5g protein 1g fat 100% vitamin C 100% vitamin E

59

GEEK RUNNER

Take Your Running to a New Level

By Clint Cherepa

“V Bowerman

ictory is in having done your best. If you’ve done your best, you’ve won.” Coach Bill

Elites, Olympians, and collegiate runners have them, and so can you. Coaches are becoming more and more prevalent in the world of amateur and elite trail running.

Trail runners everywhere are finding that being coached gives their training more focus, builds their confidence, and keeps their training fresh. When choosing a running coach, where does one even start?

Do You Need a Coach?

Coach Andy DuBois specialises in ultra coaching, and has been coaching runners and triathletes for nearly 20 years. When asked who should consider a running coach he answered, “anyone who wants to improve their running, from elites to the back of the pack.”

Coaches are the perfect choice for trail runners who are trying to bring their running and racing to the next level. Trail runners often find themselves at training plateaus. Coaches have experience helping runners break through these plateaus and reach new goals.

Andy feels a good coach can give better structure, reduce injuries, improve performance, and increase the runner’s enjoyment of running.

Personalised Training One of the best parts about having a coach is the one-on-one personalised training. This can be done even when your coach does not live nearby. The Internet has made it possible for trail runners to

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

be coached by someone across the world.

Andy coaches trail runners from around the world.

Still, try to find a coach who specialises in your race type. Andy shares this great advice: “No one can be an expert at everything. If you want to run a 5km, then find someone who trains 5km and 10km runners. If you want to run a trail ultra, find someone who specialises in trail ultras.”

What to ask: change their training from person to person or do they have a generic plan?

Mentor and Cheerleader “The athlete should feel a personal connection with the coach and trust their expertise and best intentions. A good coach must be a good role model and an inspiration, someone you look up to and want to make proud,” says Olya Korzh, an elite ultra runner who notably was the first female finisher during the Dali 50km skyrunning race in Yunnan, China.

Good coaches will cheer you on and mentor you. Having a coach that is positive will affect your training. Some coaches will even try to be at your races to give you that extra pump.

What to ask: How involved will the coach be in your races? Will some of the training be face-to-face, whether via Internet or in person?

Goals “I have learned to plan ahead, set multiple long-term and short-term goals,” says Olya.

GEEK RUNNER

Newbie Nepalese Santosh Tamang learning warm-up techniques from experienced compatriot Aite Tamang at Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail. Photo: Alexis Berg

61

s n i w T d n a l s HK I ay 23rd M ORGANISED

B Y :

Shop J, Sea View Building Mui

Wo,

Lantau Island T: +852 5463 6060 Shop online: http://shop.lantaubasecamp.com Follow us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LantauBaseCamp

Lant au I s May land 16th

Get Coached

GEEK RUNNER

biomechanics?

Three Common Coaching Styles Every coach is as different as his or her own personality. Their coaching styles will vary, but their coaching approach can be categorised within three main styles: Relaxed: This is the least structured coaching style. Your coach will only get involved in your training when asked.

Cooperative: You as the runner will share in the decisions about your training. Your coach will outline a program and schedule based on your opinions and goals.

Coach Andy DuBois with Ben Duffus (2014 Skyrunning World Championship - 3rd place) at the 2013 The North Face 100 Australia. Photo: Cate DuBois

It is easy for a runner to drift aimlessly when their goals are not concrete or well thought out. A coach can not only help you set goals in stone, but also help you reach them. The right coach will be coaching other trail runners with similar goals as you.

Andy says: “If you are an elite training for a 100mi race then look for evidence that the coach has experience with elite runners at 100mi races. Similarly, if you are a mid-packer moving from road to trail marathons for the first time, look for evidence that the coach has experience with athletes of a similar ability to you making that change.”

What to ask: What are the goals of the other runners that they coach?

Consistency Have you ever fought with keeping your training consistent? If your training undulates like the trails you run, a coach can give you a steady helping hand. A valued coach is intently interested in all of your workouts, and will keep you aligned with a weekly plan.

Olya feels that after hiring a coach she has become more confident and clear about the purposes of each training session and rest period. She has also learned and tried different types of workouts and training techniques.

What to ask: Andy suggests asking if the coach writes weekly, biweekly, or monthly plans. He believes a weekly program is best, and allows the coach to better adapt to the athlete’s reaction to the training.

Injury When Olya first found a coach she was running overtrained and exhausted without even knowing it. Her legs were so overly tired and depleted that they would not listen to her. Olya’s coach explained to her the effects of muscle depletion.

Her coach also asked her to take a week off and start keeping a food diary while increasing calorie intake. Olya says, “I believe that had I not taken a break and adjusted my nutrition and training at that point, I could very likely have ended up seriously injured or ill.”

What to ask: Does the coach have any training in nutrition, physiology, and

Authoritarian: Mostly an elite type coaching. Your coach makes all the choices. You follow the structure completely.

What to ask: How much say will you have in your training? Is there a limit to the weekly correspondence?

Where to Look Finding the right coach can be a challenge. Andy says to talk to other trail runners about their coaches and the experience they have had with their coach. He also says that running forums can help when trying to learn about where to go to find a good coach.

Ask any coached trail runner if they suggest that you get a coach and they surely will share Olya’s sentiments: “Definitely, yes.”

However, Andy does admit that some trail runners rather experiment with their own training and learn what works best for them alone.

The decision to get coached is in your hands, but without a doubt, running coaches benefit our sport.

Clint is currently in Nicaragua engaged in volunteer work, writing, and ultra training. He plans on returning to the USA this summer to crew and pace his little sister in her first 50mi trail ultra.

63

RACE DIRECTORY

Where To Race In Asia DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

1-Mar

King of the Hills Marathon Series Sham Tseng

24km and 37km

Hong Kong

seyonasia.com

1-Mar

Gunung Nuang Ultra

10km loops 12 hours

Malaysia

nuangultra.myultrarunning.com

1-Mar 1-Mar

6 - 14 Mar 8-Mar 8-Mar 8-Mar

8 - 14 Mar

13 - 15 Mar 14 - 15 Mar 15-Mar 15-Mar 21-Mar 22-Mar 22-Mar 22-Mar 22-Mar 22-Mar 22-Mar

27 - 29 Mar 28-Mar

28 - 29 Mar 28 - 29 Mar 29-Mar

Operation Smile China Medical Mission

11km

Pilipinas Mountain Running Series 15km and 35km The Wild Elephant Trail

210km

Green Corridor Run

10.5km

Bonaqua Action Sprint Sai Kung AVOHK Reservoir Series Sahara Race

TransLantau

Corregidor International Marathon Pico de Loro 42

Kwoon Chung Golden Jubilee Lantau Walk 2015 West Kathmandu Valley Rim Race for Water

Hysan Healthy Hike & Run

Cordillera Mountain Marathon Sea To Summit

Mount Butler (Heritage) Race Jandabaik International Rainforest Run

Shangri-La Lijiang Ultra Marathon CEBU50 Trail Ultra Marathon Twilight Ultra Challenge

Four Lakes 100/Old Spanish Trail 50 To The Top of Hong Kong Challenge

13km 13km

250km

15km, 25km, 50km and 100km 21km and 42km 42km

13.5km 50km

15km and 30km

5km, 13km and 21km 11km and 42km 20km and 30km 15km

2km, 10km, 15km and 21km 60km and 100km 18km, 36km and 54km

5/10km loops in 16 hours 50km and 100km

2km, 10km and 30km

Hong Kong Philippines Sri Lanka

Hong Kong Hong Kong Singapore Jordan

Hong Kong

Philippines Philippines Hong Kong Nepal

Hong Kong Hong Kong

Philippines Hong Kong Hong Kong Malaysia China

Philippines Singapore

Philippines Hong Kong

operationsmile.org.hk

facebook.com/ AdrenalineMGResources global-limits.com

actionasiaevents.com avohk.org

greencorridorrun.com.sg

4deserts.com/sahararace translantau.com

facebook.com/CorregidorMarathon

conquertrailadventure.wordpress.com lantauwalk.sportsoho.com ultratrailkathmandu.com

raceforwater.adropoflife.org.hk actionasiaevents.com

cordilleraconservationtrust.ph/ cordillera-mountain-marathon-march xterace.com hkdrc.org

bravoarkansas.wix.com/ jandabaikrunning actionasiaevents.com cebu50.triblues.com

twilightultrachallenge.com

kotmtrailrun.com/fourlakes100 tothetop.hk

Sabah Adventure Challenge, Asia’s oldest established multi-day, multi-sport adventure race which will see 300 competitors compete over a 100-120 kilometer ultra trail run or multi sport race course on the 3rd-5th April 2015. Photo: Sabah Adventure Challenge

64

RACE DIRECTORY

DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

29-Mar

Kelicap Trail Run

10km and 15km

Malaysia

1 - 6 Apr

Nepal Ultra Trail Race

112km

Nepal

heyevent.com/ event/662616330522263/kelicaptrail-run

5-Apr

Stupa to Stupa Marathon

50km

Nepal

ultratrailkathmandu.com/buddhiststupa-stupa-marathon

10 - 27 Apr

Annapurna Mandala Trail XV

230km

Nepal

leschevaliersduvent.fr/annapurnamandala-trail

1 - 20 Apr 3 - 5 Apr

10 - 12 Apr 11-Apr 12-Apr

15 - 19 Apr 18 - 30 Apr 19-Apr

20 - 21 Apr 24-Apr 25-Apr 25-Apr

25 - 30 Apr 26-Apr

1 - 3 May 2-May

2 - 3 May

9 - 10 May 16-May

Le Trail des 3 Vallee

Sabah Adventure Challenge

Buffalo Stampede

Sagada Circuit Marathon Kemensah Krazy

Gobi Challenge Race Mustang Trail Race Hard As Nayls

The North Face 100 Philippines

Himalayan Running and Living XC Marathon Shangri-La Marathon

Salomon X-Trail Pilipinas

Sandakphu 70 Mile Himalayan Race

Harumanis Adventure Trail Run

XTERRA (triathlon and trail run) Energizer Night Race

Jeju International Ultramarathon Sai Kung 50 Mountain Marathon HK Stairmaster Series – Lantau Island

353km

Run: 100km or Multi-sport: 120km to 150km 26km, 41.4km and 75.5km 42km

Nepal

Malaysia

Australia Philippines

15km, 30km and 45km

Malaysia

100km

China

190km

Nepal

17km and 42km

50km and 100 km

5km, 10km, 21km and 42km 21km, 42km, 50km and 100km

Hong Kong

Philippines India

China

6km, 12km, 24km, and Philippines 32km (TBC) 112km

India

Swim, Bike, Run (5km - 21km)

Malaysia

10km

6km, 12km and 18km 80km

30km and 50km 20km

Malaysia Singapore

South Korea Hong Kong Hong Kong

xtechallenge.com

dawasherpa-races.com

sabahadventurechallenge.com

buffalostampede.com.au

frontrunnermagph.com/2015/01/03/ sagada-circuit-marathon kemensah.asiantrailexplorers.com xtechallenge.com

mustangtrailrace.com hardasnayls.com

thenorthface100.com.ph

runningandliving.com/our-runs/ himalayan-marathon shangri-la-marathon.com/raceinformation

pinoyfitness.com/2014/10/salomonx-trail-pilipinas-march-28-2015 thewindchasers.com

harumanistrailrun.com xterramy.com

Singaporenighttrail.com.sg eng.kumf.kr

xterace.com

events.lantaubasecamp.com

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

65

MARKETPLACE

RACE DIRECTORY

OVERLANDER ACTION X

www.actionxstore.com

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

LANTAU BASE CAMP

www.overlander.com.hk

Shop J, Sea View Building, Mui Wo, Lantau Island T: +852 5463 6060

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

www.lantaubasecamp.com

Mon-Fri: 8:30am-7:30pm Sat-Sun & PH: 8am-7:30pm Closed on Tuesday

Base Camp@CausewayBay

Causeway Bay

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

Base Camp@Mongkok

APA Outdoor Shop

eShop: www.apa.co/eshop

Free delivery in Hong Kong!

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

ROUND THE WORLD www.roundtheworld.hk

Shop A, 51 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 2745 6988 Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

Causeway Bay 1/F, 19 Leighton Road T: +852 2891 1855

www.gonerunning.hk

Mon-Thurs: 10:30am-9pm Fri-Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

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| ASIA TRAIL • MARCH / APRIL 2015

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 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

Mon-Thurs: 10am-9:00pm Fri-Sun: 9:30am-9pm

Central 1/F, 30-34 Cochrane Street T:+852 2851 0769

Packcity (Mongkok)

Shatin

GONE RUNNING ESCAPADE SPORTS

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

PASSION RUN

Mon-Sat: 11am-9:30pm Sun: 11am-9:00pm

2160 Rama4 Rd., Klongtoei Klongtoei Bangkok Thailand 10110

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