Race Media

Tamang and Williams Rock Again at Bonaqua Action Sprint Repulse Bay

April 12, 2015 Hong Kong - Cloudy, but luckily it was not raining Sunday as heavy rain the night before in the gullies with over 300 participants entering the Bonaqua Action Sprint- Repulse Bay adventure race that kicked off at 9am.  Nepalese Santosh Tamang stole the show at the second leg of the Bonaqua Action Sprint series on the technically demanding Repulse Bay course Sunday, while Zein Williams grabbed the Women's title again with other ladies not to far behind her.

“Love the race. It is a relatively easy course to me despite the surface is extremely slippery today, but I like challenges like this. Since I can't swim well, almost 15 runners overpassed me at the very first bit of the race. I had to pay extra effort to surpass them after I finished the swimming part. I really hope these river rock scrambling events can continue”, said Nepalese runner Tamang from team HKNTRA, finishing first overall in 1 hour 19 minutes 56 seconds after also winning the opening Bonaqua Action Sprint in Sai Kung.

Next one crossing the finish line is local runner Jeremy Leung Chi Hang from the CMS Fireservices team, finishing in 1 hour 25 minutes 8 seconds. “Second time running the Bonaqua Action Sprint race in Repulse Bay, so I have an idea how the course looks like. It is quite different from the last time because the rain just stopped yesterday and the rocks and trails are all wet. Therefore the weather condition has made the race more technical and challenging. I also realised that Action Asia Events really put extra safety concern with more ropes tied along the river gully and many safety marshals guided runners throughout the race. These arrangements are greatly appreciated. Looking forward to the next race in Discovery Bay.”, said Leung.

The third place goes to Swiss runner Michael Allenspach from team Umbulu. Allenspach finished the race in 1 hour 25 minutes and 53 seconds. “Very tough and challenging. First time joining the action sprint race. My favourite part of the course would be crossing the river gully. I had the most fun there and wish it could be longer. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in the coming sprint race in Discovery Bay as I am going on a business trip and I know that there won’t be any sprint series again as the AFCD is banning running on the river gorge in all country parks which is sad.”, said Allenspach.

In the Women’s race all top 3 women finished in just over 7 minutes from each other with British Zein Williams of Raidlight grabbing the title.

“I’m glad that I got the second win in the series and finished it without injury. I was trying to break my personal record today but I fell four times when I hit the river gully so I realized I have to be less rushed. I knew there was no chance to beat my time of last year. As to AFCD’s decision, it's so disappointing that the action sprint series and more races are coming to an end due to the AFCD's decision. I really hope that we can change their mind. I think together we can work out a code of conduct and find out the real reason and then we can try and discuss about it and may have a chance to save our races. In my opinion, if some of Hong Kong’s most popular races are canceled because of the Hong Kong government, many of the outdoor enthusiasts will turn to Macau instead if they are looking for joining races in Asia.”, said Zein Williams who takes Women’s lead by grabbing her 2nd golden medal of the series today. Williams accomplished the task in 1 hour 37 minutes 54 seconds.

Next across the line in the Women’s race was Australian Stephanie Che, finishing in 1 hour 43 minutes 40 seconds. “It’s my first time doing the Repulse Bay sprint race. Trail was slippery, rocks are slippery. I think it’s a lot tougher than the Sai Kung one. I fell three times today, yet the weather is perfect for running and I really enjoyed exploring the nature side of Hong Kong through running and rock scrambling. I am so glad that I could catch up with the last sprint race at Repulse Bay. I really hope that there will be more adventure races in the future. The government should listen to our voice and encourage more people to adapt a healthy lifestyle. This is what they really should do.”, said Che who also made the podium in the first leg of the series in Sai Kung.

French designer Elsa Jeandedieu rounded the top 3 finishing in 1 hour 44 minutes 53 seconds. “The race was amazing. It was very wet and technical in some parts but I had fun. I'd rate 10 out of 10 in terms of the course difficulty. So I heard that the sprint race in Discovery Bay on 26th April will mark an end of the Bonaqua Action Sprint series as the AFCD will not allow the organizer to host sprint races again in country parks. This decision is very disappointing. I have signed the petition online already and wish I can do more to express my thought about how amazing it is running on trails and crossing the river gorge in Hong Kong and encourage others to do so. ”said Jeandedieu.

Adventure trail runners started the race with a 500 meter beach run followed by a 20 meter swim before running up the 430 meter Violet Hill from the backside through the single track trails and bush. Continued with the down steep technical trails, and almost 2 km of river rock scrambling in Tai Tam Country Park mixed in on the 2nd half of the course.

The series could not happen without the kind support of Bonaqua, Action X Store, OtterBox, Aquarius, Inov8, Skins, Salonpas, AroundDB, Pearl’s, Herbalgy, Ocean Potion, HKRI, OL&N, Socam, Rocktape, the Action Asia Foundation, and the kind government support from the Hong Kong Police Force, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The future of adventure racing and river rock scrambling in gorges remains uncertain in Hong Kong country parks as AFCD has used the excuses "safety and the environment" to not issue any future permits in country parks after adventure races going for 17 years (Action Asia Challenge) and the Action Sprint series going for 13 years, both with no safety problems unlike some road running events in Hong Kong where people have died in marathons which is strange why after a good safety record these great events that promote health are not allowed to continue. The idea of environment is absurd as cementing country park trails does far more damage than runners running in a river rock gorge. We do hope many can sign the petition and let AFCD know if you would like to continue these events in the future.

https://www.change.org/p/hk-agriculture-fisheries-conservation-department-allow-running-in-hk-s-rivers-and-gullies-%E5%90%91%E6%BC%81%E8%BE%B2%E8%87%AA%E7%84%B6%E8%AD%B7%E7%90%86%E7%BD%B2%E8%AB%8B%E9%A1%98-%E5%AE%B9%E8%A8%B1%E8%B7%91%E6%89%8B%E7%B9%BC%E7%BA%8C%E5%88%B0%E6%B2%B3%E6%B5%81%E5%8F%8A%E5%B3%BD%E8%B0%B7%E6%AF%94%E8%B3%BD

Event Name: Bonaqua Action Sprint Adventure Run- Repulse Bay
Date: April 12, 2015 (Sunday)
Start Time: 9 a.m.
Start Location: Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
Distance: 12 KM
Description:  Hiking & trail running options together with hiking thru river gorge and short 20m swim (can use life vest)

Bonaqua Action Sprint Adventure Run 2015

Overall Men Top 5
Ranking    Nationality      Name    Time
1    NEP    Santosh Tamang    01:19:56
2    HKG    Chi Hang, Jeremy Leung    01:25:08
3    SWZ    Michael Allenspach    01:25:53
4    FRA    Pierre-andre Ferriere    01:26:40
5    FRA    Baptiste Puyou    01:27:21

Overall Women Top 5

Ranking    Nationality      Name    Time
1    UK    Zein Williams    01:37:54
2    AUS    Stenphanie Che    01:43:40
3    FRA    Elsa Jeandedieu    01:44:53
4    HKG    Lai Han Dennex Lui    01:52:48
5    AUS    Kate Pallett    01:54:39

Full Repulse Bay Bonaqua Action Sprint 2015 results

https://www.racematix.com/site/#results:rac/AAE-Bonaqua-Action-Sprint-Repulse-Bay-2015:0:0:A:0:0:0

BONAQUA ACTION SPRINT SERIES

Race 1 – Mar 8 - 13 km - Sai Kung, N.T.

Race 2 – Apr 12, 2015 - 12 km – Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

Race 3 – Apr 26, 2015- 13 km – Discovery Bay, Hong Kong