Nepal's Athletes Triumph in Hong Kong's North Face Races 2023

John Ray Onifa from the Philippines and Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha emerged victorious in the challenging 100km races at the North Face 100 event in Hong Kong. Onifa completed the course in an impressive 11 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds, over two hours ahead of the second-placed Guillaume Perrot of France. Budha secured the women’s title in 14:40:00, with local star Cheung Man-yee, the winner of this year’s Hong Kong 100, finishing as the second woman in 14:59:02.

This year's event introduced a new 16km race, alongside the traditional 100km and 50km distances. The 100km race started at 10 pm on Friday, deviating from the usual daytime start, accommodating more participants, attracting 1,800 runners compared to the previous 1,200. The new 16km distance provided less experienced racers with an off-road experience.

The challenging 100km course included an ascent of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak, and traversed harsh, rolling terrain through nine sections, starting and ending in Tai Mei Tuk, in the northeast of the New Territories.

“The late start allowed us to accommodate more participants, with the races attracting 1,800 runners, up from the previous 1,200,” event organizers said.

“This new 16km distance provided less experienced racers with an off-road experience and a chance to sample the TNF 100 Ultra Trail Challenge.”

Hong Kong’s Angie Yan Chi-yee secured the third spot in the women’s 100km field, with Nepal’s Arjun Rai Kulung finishing third in the men’s race.

Rex Lo of Hong Kong won the inaugural male 16km race in 01:21:51, with compatriot Katherine Lim claiming the women’s prize in 01:53:19.

The 50km category saw local runner Stone Tsang Siu-keung finish first in 05:44:58, and Hongkonger Harmony Lam Cho-yu take the women’s honors in 06:29:36.