The Golden Trail World Series stays in Asia following the season’s opening in Japan last weekend, moving to highlands of the western sector of Sichuan for Saturday’s race (27 April).
Altitude and plenty of it is the name of the game at the 22km Four Sisters Mountain Trail, in the Sichuan Province of China, with the race starting at a lung-searing 3250 metres above sea level and climbing still higher from that point, taking in cloud forests, alpine vegetation and likely snow in the higher reaches.
Athletes who have not acclimatised are likely to find the race, which includes several sections in excess of 4000m and a high point of 4150m, tough going although those who have prepared will be looking to bag some early season series points ahead of the return to Europe next month.
Sichuan is in the south west of China, a province that contains a stretch of Asia’s longest river, the Yangtze, is home of giant pandas, and offers high altitude adventure in mountains over 7000m in height.
Once again African athletes are jostling for top positions and series points with Kenyan Patrick Kipngeno out to make it two out of two following his convincing win on the highly technical Kobe Trail in Japan, and Moroccan speedster, Elhousine Elazzaoui, hoping to move up the podium after his third position last week following a hard fall during the race.
One of last year’s leading GTWS athlete, Philemon Kiriago, also from Kenya, was forced out of last week’s race with a sprained ankle, but appears to have recovered sufficiently to take his place on the start line tomorrow.
GTWS media manager, Mickael Mussard, caught up with Kipngeno ahead of this weekend’s race and asked him how he was feeling after his first ever GTWS win and whether this was an indication that he could win any race in the series.
“I had already achieved good results on the Series last year (he placed second to Kiriago at Sierra Zinal in Switzerland and to Remi Bonnet at Pikes Peak in the USA and third in the grand final in Italy) but it’s true that I hadn’t yet achieved a victory.
“But that’s done now! I’m very happy, especially since it was the first of the season.
“But I do not think I can say I can win any race. I think it was a perfect day for me in Japan. But there are a lot of good athletes competing in the GTWS this year and everyone can has a chance to win.”
Mussard suggested that many people had thought the Kobe Trail in Japan was too technical for Kipngeno who would not be able to win. How would he respond to those who doubted him?
“It’s true that this race was very technical,” Kipngeno admitted. “But in life you should never say that something is impossible! It’s true that I am very strong on uphills and perhaps a little less comfortable on descents, especially when they are technical.
“But I didn’t change anything in my training this winter and I didn’t add more downhill training. But I felt carried away in this race, like it was my day and nothing could take the victory away from me!”
When asked about his goal for the year, Kipngeno pointed to the long season ahead and his hopes to earn more points at Sunday’s race.
“The race this weekend suits me more on paper but I’m a little concerned about altitude. We are used to training at altitude in Kenya, but not as high as this! I am aiming for the podium and if things go very well, I could finish on the top step!”
Maude Mathys overhauled African Trail Runner of the Year, Kenyan Joyce Njeru, in the third of the four laps of the race in Japan last weekend to earn a welcome comeback victory ahead of Spanish athlete, Sara Alonso, but could find the Kenyan, who placed fourth in Japan, harder to hold off in the women’s contest in the more runnable Chinese race.
World Mountain Running champion, Grayson Murphy of the USA and Spanish athlete, Sara Alonso, are also likely to be in the mix at the business end of the race tomorrow.
