Jen Segger's first trip to Asia didn't include a walk on the Great Wall of China, shopping in Tokyo or sun tanning on the beaches in Thailand.
No, Segger travelled to Hong Kong for her first trip to the Far East to compete in the Vibram 100 kilometres Trail Race on Feb. 18.
The Vibram 100 course starts in Pak Tam Chung on the Sai Kung Peninsula and covers some of the most beautiful scenery in Hong Kong, including remote and unspoiled beaches, ancient forests, nature trails, reservoirs and steep hills.
It features a cumulative elevation gain of more than 4,500 metres and the cut-off time to complete the race is 32 hours. Segger said the start line was filled with hundreds of fans and photographers and added that the course was a joy to run.
"The race course itself was magnificently laid out," she said. "Before coming to Hong Kong, I had no clue that trails existed over there. I'm extremely impressed to the say the least."
The first part of the race took runners around the High Island reservoir, filled with pavement and tar trails. Segger battled Hong Kong runner Claire Price for first place early in the race. Price eventually pulled ahead by two to three minutes at the 50-kilometre mark. About 20 km later, another Hong Kong local Nora Senn managed to pass both Segger and Price.
But perhaps the most memorable moment for Segger was the monkeys. Around the 80 km mark, hundreds of monkeys littered the course and one monkey in particular tried to snag Segger's energy bar.
"I had thought that maybe we'd see a few here and there but there were literally hundreds of them," she said of the creatures. "All were totally calm with humans and as a car drove by, I could see why. The driver threw out a handful of food and it attracted about 100 monkeys instantly. One got a little too close to me as I had an energy bar in my hand that he obviously wanted. I had to laugh as I had been warned about the greedy little monkeys."
Segger did lose time on Price and Senn because of her lingering issues with her left Achilles' tendon. Still, she managed to complete the course in 13:01, good for third place among all females.
"Although I am disappointed with my overall performance, there are few things that I need to keep in mind," she said. "It was the first race of the year after six weeks of training. I felt as ready as I could be for a February race and I learned a lot about where I need to focus my training on moving forward. With Ireland 100 km just around the corner, I will have to work even harder."
For more information on Segger, visit www.challengebychoice.ca.
