In very cold Hong Kong weather, China’s Yan Long Fei took second at the 2016 Vibram Hong Kong 100k. In the following interview, Yan talks about how battling with winner François D’haene pushed him to a better performance, how forgetting his warm clothing in a midway aid station may have inhibited his performance in the bad weather, and what race he’ll be at next.
For more information on how the race played out, check out our results article.
[Editor’s Note: We apologize for the extremely difficult audio in this interview. Sometimes situations dictate that a bad setup is better than no interview at all. Thanks for your understanding!]
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Yan Long Fei Post-2016 Vibram Hong Kong 100k Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Yan Long Fei after his second-place finish at the 2016 Vibram Hong Kong 100k. Congratulations.
Yan Long Fei: Thank you.
iRunFar: You ran faster than last year, yes?
Long Fei: Yes, I ran faster than this year because the champion ran very fast.
iRunFar: Having the competition helped you run fast?
Long Fei: Yes.
iRunFar: You are very fast on the roads. Did you push hard early to use your strengths?
Long Fei: Actually, I know the roads, but the mountains are the answer. Actually, it’s good just to keep your pace and not go very hard.
iRunFar: Late in the race, what happened? What went wrong? You were in the lead. You had some problems?
Long Fei: At Checkpoint 5, I left clothes. I got very cold afterwards. The low temperatures were a very serious problem and may be what affected my performance.
iRunFar: So you left your clothes and that made you too cold. Are you happy with your race?
Long Fei: Yes, I’m satisfied with my performance and with my new record.
iRunFar: Do you feel like you’re getting stronger with ultramarathons?
Long Fei: Yes, I felt very fast during the race, but during the last year I trained more about technical, the mountains, and climbing. This helped me a lot.
iRunFar: What other races do you have planned for this year?
Long Fei: Next race is in March in Spain at Transgrancanaria.
iRunFar: Transgrancanaria.
Long Fei: Last year, I quit during the race, so I want to finish.
iRunFar: After Transgrancanaria, what races?
Long Fei: Around eight or nine national ultramarathons that may all be less than 100k. And try to work on more pace.
iRunFar: Congratulations. I look forward to seeing you on many more races this year.
Long Fei: Thank you.
