Race Preview: HK100 Who Will Win in 2025?
Posted on January 14 2025
Are you ready for HK100?
The 15th edition of Hong Kong 100 kicks off the 2025 season of the Gran Canaria World Trail Majors, an alliance of 12 of the world’s most emblematic trail races. The HK100 is one of the most challenging and prestigious ultra trail races in the world, attracting top athletes from around the globe. There will be 4 days of racing on Hong Kong’s most beautiful trails, as well as the Asia Pacific Trail Running Expo which runs from 15 to 17 January.
As we look ahead to the 2025 edition of the race, who are the top contenders to watch out for?
Here is our comprehensive guide to this week’s biggest trail race in Hong Kong!
Race Schedule:
- The Third (33km, 1460m elevation) - 8am on Thursday 16 January (500 Runners)
- The Half (55.8km, 2010m) - 8am on Friday 17 January (500 Runners)
- The Full (101.8km, 5300m) - 8am on Saturday 18 January (1800 Runners)
Hong Kong 100’s 4th event is the Grand Sam. This involves doing The Third, The Half and Hong Kong 100 on consecutive days! The name “Grand Sam” refers to Sam Tam, the first runner to sign up for the Grand Slam when it was initially announced (and because one of the Race Directors thinks “Sam” sounds like “saam” (“三”) which is Cantonese for “3”).
Where? – The races start in Pak Tam Chung PHAB Site on the Sai Kung Peninsula.
Who? – Trail Runners around the world with total more than > 2800 participants from 60 countries.
So, who should we be looking out for in each of the races?
John Ellis, an All Year finisher for 14 consecutive years, along with Richard Kimber, commentary team for HK100, have graciously shared their predictions on the potential winner of HK100 2025!
Hong Kong 100 – Men
There are 4 former winners of HK 100 all vying to reclaim the crown. Reigning champion, Meng Guangfu (ITRA 920), and course record holder and twice winner, You Peiquan (ITRA 881), will be competing again this year. In 2024 Meng clinched the win over You on Tai Mo Shan, the course’s final climb, after an epic race between 2 athletes at the top of their game. Yan Longfei (ITRA 825), who set a course record when he won in 2015 and Shen Jiasheng (ITRA 913), who won in 2019. Unfortunately, Asia Pacific Trail Running Champion Qi Min (ITRA 860), the 2018 champion, is unwell so won’t be competing this year.
The field is as deep as Asian trail racing has ever seen and other names to look out for include Italy’s ALTRA Athlete Dani Jung (ITRA 883), who was runner-up in 2017, and Romania’s Raul Butaci (ITRA 892) the reigning champion of Transgrancanaria. Japan’s Kazufumi Ose (ITRA 804) was runner-up at the Shinetsu and Philippines’ John Ray “Stingray” Onifa (ITRA 862), who came 7th last year, is returning too - Onifa ALSO recently won the Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships 40km. Deng Guomin (ITRA 873) and Qin Guidu (ITRA 897) were ranked 3rd and 4th in the World Trail Majors 2024 and will both be looking to improve on that this year, starting with top finishes at HK100. Nepal’s Sange Sherpa (ITRA 832) and Romania’s Ionel Christian Manole (ITRA 889), 2 other members of the 2024 World Trail Majors’ top 10, will have similar ambitions.
Also look out for strong performances from Hong Kong legend Wong Ho Chung (ITRA 802), and three of the newly crowned Oxfam Trailwalker record holders, Jeff Campbell (ITRA 793), Lodewijk Vriens (ITRA 780) and Alex Neyrinck (ITRA 752).
Hong Kong 100 – Women
Last year’s women’s podium is returning: winner Chen Lin (ITRA 764), runner-up Ying Li (ITRA 717), 3rd place Wu Yuanyuan (ITRA 738) and 5th placed Deng Ronghua (ITRA 715) will each take the start line hoping to claim honours again. There is huge anticipation too for Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha (ITRA 792) and Vietnam’s Hau Ha Thi (ITRA 768), ranked 3rd and 5th in Asia respectively - they will be running against one another for the first time! At HK 100 they will be running against each other for the first time ever. In 2023, Li Anna (ITRA 724), took 2nd place and is back again this year to compete.
Other names to look out for include Japan’s Yukari Seimiya (ITRA 720), Spain’s Silvia Puigarnau (ITRA 720) and Sandra Sevillano (ITRA 701), China’s Chi Lingjie (ITRA 737) and Tang Jingyan (ITRA 731), Australia’s Kellie Angel (ITRA 704) all look like good podium prospects. Watch out too for Slovakia’s Veronika Leng (ITRA 726), who was 2nd in 2020 and is returning strong to racing after recently becoming a mum.
THE GRAND SAM
The Grand Sam (192km, 3 day stage race) – Women
France’s Claire Bannwarth (ITRA 720), the Queen of ultra-long endurance challenges, is taking on the Grand Sam. Bannwarth’s last visit to Hong Kong was in 2020 when she finished in the top 10 of Hong Kong 100.
Bannwarth will be up against some other highly talented endurance racers, including Xie Wenfei (ITRA 696), the reigning Grand Sam champion, and Zheng Junyue (ITRA 618), who was 3rd last year and who finished in the top 10 of the World trail majors rankings.
The Grand Sam (192km, 3 day stage race) - Men
Liang Disi (ITRA 808) won the Grand Sam in 2023 and came 2nd last year. This year he is back again and it will take a truly amazing performance to finish ahead of him on Saturday evening.
He’ll face strong international competition from France’s Alexandre Boucheix (ITRA 826), who routinely completes over 10,000km of running a year, so will not fear the Grand Sam distance. Additionally, two of the strongest runners in Hong Kong, 298km Four Trails finishers Salomon Wettstein (ITRA 758) and Ryan Whelan (ITRA 765).
France’s Luca Papi (ITRA 764) is another runner who prefers races that are extra long. In 2017 he finished Hong Kong 100 in around 13 hours and when he heard that there was a much longer challenge available he was keen to try the Grand Sam.
With the Grand Sam field expanding from 10 runners in 2023 to 114 runners last year and 190 this year, the phrase that springs to mind is “more miles, more smiles”.
ALL YEAR FINISHERS
The 7 Runners Who Have Completed All 14 Editions of HK100
Hats off to the 7 runners who have completed all 13 editions of Hong Kong 100. They are: Reuben Cheang (Singapore); John Ellis (Australia); Ivan Kwan Yat Fai (Hong Kong); Joe Lee (Hong Kong); Seow Kong Ng (Malaysia); Jeremy Ritcey (Canada); and Law Chor Kin (Hong Kong). They will all be at the startline again on Saturday, except Reuben who is doing The Third instead this year for medical reasons.
Last but not least...our Gone Running/Joint Dynamics Team has an amazingly strong set of stars in this years event.
Will Hayward, Nikki Han and Chang , fast becoming movie stars after their success in THE FOUR TRAILS will be available for autographs at the finish!!
Trailwalker champs Jeff Campbell, Lodewijk Vriens, and Alex Neyrinck we expect will do very well. The ever talkative Chamelia Suhra, will be punching well above her height!. Ryan Whelen will be Grand Samming it, John Ellis will be keeping up his unbroken record.
Who could forget about Cheung Man Yee (ITRA 693), Hong Kong’s local hero who ran away from the field to claim a popular win in 2023...just watch her fly!
New boy on the block Arnaud Mauduit, silent but deadly, and old kid on the block Dennis Theodosis will complete one of the most capable teams we have every entered.
Whoever you are cheering for, be sure to tune in to the groundbreaking international live-stream of the race that begins at 0745HKT (GMT +8hrs). Tune into the stream here: www.youtube.com/@JanetandSteveHK100/streams
Watch HK100 2024 Highlights:
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