Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-20
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Hong Kong has once again been selected by the International Skyrunning Federation to host the Asian Skyrunning Championships for the second straight year, and many elite trail runners have signed up to compete in the event in December.
Lantau, the verdant island situated in southwest Hong Kong, sets the stage for this year’s championships, which comprises of the MSIG Lantau VK (vertical kilometre) and the MSIG Lantau 50 (includes a 27km SkyRace and a 50km Ultra SkyMarathon). Tangled with technical trail and home to Lantau Peak (934 metres) and Sunset Peak (898m), the second and third highest peaks respectively in Hong Kong, Lantau Island will most definitely challenge even the highest calibre athletes.
France’s Caroline Chaverot, the reigning world Skyrunning champion and 2016 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB) winner, along with fellow countryman Ludovic Pommeret, the 2016 UTMB men’s winner, spearhead the international field. Chaverot, who will compete in the VK and Ultra SkyMarathon, will be racing in Asia for the first time. But Pommeret is no stranger to the region, having notched wins in Japan previously. [FULL STORY]