Time for China

While the more vertiginous parts of the US and Europe have historically led the way in developing trail running culture, interest in the sport has accelerated in Asia over the last decade, with events now held in almost every country in the region. Thanks to its varied terrains and spectacular scenery, the Chinese Mainland has quickly gained ground as an event host, with races taking place from Yunnan to Sichuan. What’s more, Chinese athletes are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

“We’re seeing such rapid development in Asia,” says Ng. “Countries like Nepal have always been strong, but China has come into it with such speed. The talent there is just phenomenal. At this year’s race, nine of the top 10 men and five of the women were Chinese.”

Blair adds: “The sport has been transformed in mainland China from basically nothing 10 years ago to hundreds of races all over, and many professional Chinese athletes.”

China’s top female trail runner Xiang Fuzhao has competed all over the world, racking up not only wins in the women’s races, but outright victories everywhere from Gran Canaria to New Zealand. At the 165km Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji in April, she battled sleep deprivation and cripplingly cold conditions to defend her 2019 title, finishing more than 70 minutes ahead of the runner-up. The 31-year-old describes the growth of the sport in her homeland over the last decade. “When I started trail running, it was still a small-scale sport in Asia. Many people asked, ‘Do you sleep during the race?’, ‘How is it possible to run so far in one day?’” she says. “But now, more and more people know about this sport, and there are races in China every weekend.