Thailand by UTMB: China runners dominate Chiang Mai challenge as Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha stuns field by finishing third overall in 110km race
- With a lack of races at home and in the region, Zhao Jiajiu and Xiang Fuzhao took full advantage to win the men’s and women’s races respectively
- Manager has big plans for Budha after she finishes just four seconds behind the second-placed male runner in the 110km race
Chinese runners Zhao Jiajiu and Xiang Fuzhao may feel 21 days of quarantine is worth the sacrifice after dominant performances on Sunday in the Thailand by UTMB race over the country’s highest peak – Doi Inthanon in the northern province of Chiang Mai.
With no opportunities to compete at home, Zhao and Xiang headed off to the “Roof of Thailand” for the 168km race that takes runners past stunning landscapes.
The pair were in front from the starting gun and at 40km, Xiang, the reigning Hong Kong 100 champion, was already an hour ahead of the second-placed women’s runner Kimino Miyazaki, of Japan. With 30 kilometres left, Xiang was fourth overall – behind three elite men.
Zhao took the win in the men’s event in 21 hours 56 minutes. Xiang won the women’s race in 26 hours, one minute – ahead of Miyazaki and another Japanese runner Kaori Niwa. The Chinese duo must quarantine for 21 days when they return to China as part of the country’s strict Covid-19 rules.
“China’s trail running community suffered terribly since the pandemic and the awful accident in April,” Michel Poletti, co-found of UTMB, told the Post. “I hope that the fantastic wins of Xiang Fuzhao and Zhao Jiaju announce the rebirth of trail running in China in 2022.”
The Thailand race offers a rare opportunity for the region’s top runners to compete in an international event. Many races in Asia have been put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions. In addition, April’s Gansu tragedy in which several runners died has resulted in China suspending all trail and mountain running events.
Second in the men’s section was Filipino Hong Kong resident Ray “Stingray” Onifa, of the Asia Pacific Adventure team. He was 40 minutes behind Zhao and, living in Hong Kong, also faces 21 days of quarantine on his return to the city.
“I tried my best for myself, my team and my country. I pushed hard, but second is good for me today,” Onifa told the Post. Nepal’s Sange Sherpa was third behind Onifa.
Young Nepali runner Sunmaya Budha turned in a stunning performance in the 110km race, missing out on second place overall by four seconds.
Leading Thai trail runner Jay Kiangchaipaiphana – under pressure to deliver a win on home soil – held off attacks from France’s Cedric Golea before finally losing him on the final climb to win in 14 hours, 22 minutes.
Jay represents Hong Kong’s Asia Pacific Adventure team while Golea was fortunate to hold on to second place with Budha closing in on him on the long downhill to the finish.
As a teenager, Budha escaped an arranged marriage to become a mountain runner. Her dream of becoming a professional athlete was realised when she was signed up by the The North Face Adventure Team this year.
Team manager Ryan Blair said he planned to take Budha to the “next level” with professional coaching and support.
Undeterred by the recent emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the Sports Authority of Thailand went ahead with the race and welcomed international runners from 25 countries.
Sabrina Dumont, co-director of UTMB Asia, said foreign runners were subjected to strict entry requirements.
“All foreigners must apply for Thailand Pass before entering the country and need to provide proof of vaccination, insurance certificate that covers Covid-19 for at least US$50,000 and a negative Covid test done 72 hours before the flight,” she said. “Once they land, a van takes them to a Covid test location. They are requested to stay in their hotel room until they get negative results.
“The race start was done in several waves, participants had to wear masks at the start, they have to carry alcohol gel and a mask is provided at each check point,” added Dumont.
Next year, Thailand by UTMB will be part of UTMB World Series – a global circuit of trail races that culminate in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), held in September in Chamonix, France, where the series winner is crowned.
