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Wyan Chow and Team 2XU UFO broke the mixed team record. Photo: 2XU Hong Kong/Facebook

Trailblazer Wyan Chow becomes fastest woman in 100km Hong Kong race

Wyan Chow became the fastest woman to complete the Oxfam Trailwalker, finishing in 12 hours 52 minutes and 26 seconds as part of Team 2XU UFO.

Hong Kong policewoman Wyan Chow Pui-yan became the fastest woman to complete the Oxfam Trailwalker last night, finishing in 12 hours 52 minutes and 26 seconds as part of Team 2XU UFO.

Chow and teammates Tsang Chun-kit, Thomas Lam and S. K. Tang are now the beaming mixed team record-holders over the gruelling 100km course, beating the previous record by a little over 21 minutes to record a fourth place finish overall.

“I have great teammates and a great support team – this is the only reason why I made it,” said 37-year-old Chow.

Chow only got the call up to the team a week ago. She had originally planned to race with Team S15 HKUST MBAAA Speed Ladies – eventual female winners in 15 hours 54 minutes. But when Team UFO’s original female teammate, Leung Ying-suet, was forced to pull out over injury, they were on the scout for a strong woman to help claim the record.

“We always had the target of breaking the record, maybe by a few minutes. But when we passed the halfway mark and checked our status, we decided to try and break 13 hours,” Chow said.

The team were impressed with Chow’s blistering pace on the challenging trails. “Wyan is a strong girl. When we invited her to be our teammate, of course we had the confidence that she could finish within the target time and break the record, but we were amazed she could be that fast,” said teammate Lam.

The previous mixed team record of 13 hours 14 minutes, set by S38 Hoka One One – 2XU in 2011, included two local women, Jeanette Holmes-Thompson and Claire Price.

Team 2XU UFO strike samurai poses to gear up for the race. Photo: Wyan Chow

Although Chow enjoyed the experience, she admits it was tough, requiring an extravagant amount of self-confidence. She joked that she adopted samurai postures as she posed for photographs in order to psyche herself up before the race.

”I had a serious cough for a month [before Trailwalker] and just a week ago when I went for a jog I knew my body still hadn’t recovered,” Chow said.

“I had my doubts, but my teammates still trusted me. It wasn’t until I was at the race start yesterday morning that I knew we could do it. I felt that I was good and fit,” she said.

Chow was the first local woman home at the Vibram Hong Kong 100 earlier this year, in second place behind Italian Francesca Canepa. She also holds the Hong Kong record for powerlifting in the 47kg category.

Team Columbia S1 from Nepal won the overall race for the second successive year, finishing in 11 hours 56 minutes – just under an hour slower than last year.

“Because of lack of competition, we didn’t have any challenge, so we didn’t break last year’s record,” said team member Bhim Gurung.

Some 1,300 teams competed on the MacLehose Trail, hoping to raise HK$31 million for charity.

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