Mainland China’s Dong Li finished second at the 2015 Vibram Hong Kong 100k . After going out aggressively early and leading for a significant part of the race, she was passed by the eventual winner Wyan Chow. In this interview, Dong talks about her background with sports, where she was mentally during the race, and where we might see her race again.
For more on what happened at this year’s race, read our article on the 2015 Hong Kong 100k.
[Thanks for George Liu of Vibram for assisting with translation!]
[Click here if you can’t see the video above.]
Dong Li Post-2015 Vibram Hong Kong 100k Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Dong Li after her second-place finish at the 2015 Vibram Hong Kong 100k. Congratulations.
Dong Li: Thank you.
iRunFar: Was it a surprise to finish so well?
Li: I feel it was a pity that I couldn’t get the champion.
iRunFar: You went out very aggressively and very fast at the start. Was that your plan?
Li: Yes. I feel this time I wasn’t really following a plan. I ran too fast at the beginning. When the girl passed me I was already a bit exhausted and unable to catch up.
iRunFar: So maybe you were excited being in the lead and got carried away?
Li: Yes, maybe because in the beginning when I ran fast, I didn’t really feel tired. I didn’t realize that.
iRunFar: Have you run other races this long before?
Li: Before, I attended Yishan, the mainland 100k race. My time was 12 hours.
iRunFar: Did you feel you performed as well this weekend as at that race?
Li: I feel last time was better as I was champion.
iRunFar: What was the biggest challenge or the hardest part yesterday?
Li: I feel the most challenging part was after CP 7 when it’s late and I lost my appetite. I wasn’t able to eat anything. I was also tired, exhausted. I needed to get over all these stairs and mountains. It was difficult for me.
iRunFar: Are you able to train in the mountains?
Li: I’m still in school, so generally I don’t have the opportunity to train in the mountains very often, but I have the opportunity to run in the mountains in different races.
iRunFar: Do you hope to run more races internationally?
Li: Yes, I will hope to train well and hope to be able to run UTMB and finish the race someday.
iRunFar: Good luck.
Li: Thank you.
iRunFar: What is your background or history with endurance sports?
Li: Before university, I trained in track and athletic games like 800, 100, 1500. When I got to university, I started to attend three days outdoor competitions like 200k and obstacles and bicycles.
iRunFar: Adventure races?
Li: Yeah, adventure races. Then I started to get longer and longer distances. Then I had the opportunity to try the 100k that I mentioned before.
iRunFar: Now you enjoy the long trail running events?
Li: I think so.
iRunFar: Do you enjoy training for them?
Li: Not really do I enjoy the training. It’s boring. I prefer to use the race as training.
iRunFar: Congratulations on a strong run this weekend.
Li: Thank you.
iRunFar: Thank you for translating, George.
George Liu: You’re welcome.
