Course records tumble in Hong Kong as the Budha sisters complete a unique double

Hong Kong’s most competitive trail race, the Anta Guanjun Hong Kong 100, celebrated its 15th anniversary over the weekend in record-breaking fashion.

And the headlines were made by Nepal’s Budha sisters – Sunmaya and Ram Maya.

Ram Maya shattered the course record in the Hong Kong 100 ‘The Half’ before her older sister repeated the feat in the 100.

Here’s how it all played out…

Ram Maya bursts onto international scene

‘The Half’ (56km, 2010m of elevation) was held in Sai Kung Country Park and the first in the newly-fomed Gran Canaria World Trail Majors Short Series, which features 12 of the world’s most famous trail races.

In the women’s race, Ram Maya Budha led from the start to finish in five hours and 34 minutes which was a jaw-dropping 24 minutes faster than the previous record held by China’s Zhou Ruifang.

It was Ram Maya’s overseas racing debut and, with her sister translating, she said afterwards that she was surprised to win and is keen to race much more internationally if possible.

Given the performance that wish looks sure to become a reality.

Japan’s Yuro Yoshizumi, the highest-ranked trail runner in Japan and the fourth highest in Asia, was runner up in 5:58, with China’s Yang Yan third in 6:13.

The men’s race was a close-fought battle between the top short-distance trail runners in Japan and China, with China gradually gaining the upper hand to win all three medals through Yang Jianjian in four hours 36 minutes, Zhang Sheng (4:39) and Luo Canhua (4:43). In fourth place was Japan’s Yamato Yoshino.

Sister act

In the Hong Kong 100 (103km, 5300m), Sunmaya Budha, Slovakia’s Veronika Leng and Vietnam’s Hau Ha Thi traded the lead in the women’s race for 56km before Budha found something special to open a gap and increase it all the way to the finish line.

Her finish time of 11 hours and 11 minutes took 17 minutes off Xinag Fuzhao’s course record set in 2020 (although slight changes to the event route in the interim resulted in a slightly quicker course).

Slovakian Hong Kong resident Leng was second in 11:25 and Hau Ha Thi was third in 12:09.

Defending champion Meng Guangfu emerged from a group of eight who ran close together for 36km to win and set a course record of nine hours and 43 minutes in a Chinese one-two-three in the men’s race.

Qin Guidu finished just eight minutes behind and Deng Guomin, in his eighth appearance at the Hong Kong 100, took third in 10:07.