[Editor’s Note: This article was written by guest writer and runner, Deki Fourcin.]
The 2025 Hong Kong 100k set off at 8 a.m. local time on Saturday, January 18, from Pak Tam Chung on the east side of Hong Kong. Race conditions were ideal, with clear blue skies and cool temperatures for the season, and supporters were out in their masses to encourage the runners. Sunmaya Budha of Nepal ran an outstanding race to claim victory, while Guang-Fu Meng of China stormed across the finish line in first place for the second year running. Both runners broke their respective course records in the fastest edition of the race to date.
The Hong Kong 100k is the grand finale of the three-day event, stretching over 103 kilometers (64 miles) with more than 4,500 meters (14,800 feet) of elevation gain. Although the first half of the race is by no means flat, the majority of the elevation gain is concentrated in the second half, which leads through more mountainous terrain, peppered with technical climbs and descents. The course culminates at the summit of Hong Kong’s highest peak, Tai Mo Shan, before a steep downhill to the finish in the Rotary Club Park to the west of the city.
The event marks the first of 12 races in the 2025 World Trail Majors series, launched in 2024.
The elite line-up promised a race to remember, featuring both returning champions and ambitious first-timers alike. In the women’s field, four of last year’s top five were back, including all three podium finishers, with Lin Chen (China) hoping for a repeat of last year’s win. Mann Yee Cheung (Hong Kong), winner of the 2023 edition, was also present, as was Veronika Leng (Slovakia), the runner-up from 2020. However, Sunmaya Budha dominated the race, gradually increasing her lead through the mountains from 78k to cross the finish line in 11:11:47, knocking 27 minutes off the previous course record.
In the men’s race, six of the 2024 edition’s top 10 finishers were back, including the runner-up, Pei-Quan You (China), two-time winner (2020 and 2023) and previous course record holder. Guang-Fu Meng broke away from the pack at the halfway point, flying up the climbs to finish in 9:43:10, 17 minutes ahead of Pei-Quan You’s 2020 record.
The start of the 2025 Hong Kong 100k. All photos: World Trail Majors
2025 Hong Kong 100k Women’s Race
A leading pack was established early on, with Veronika Leng (Slovakia) pushing the pace past the reservoirs toward the East Dam support point at 12 kilometers into the race, and on toward the beach sections. Leng held onto her lead through the second checkpoint at 22k, followed closely by Hậu Hà (Vietnam) and Sunmaya Budha (Nepal). Checkpoint 3 at 34k saw the three women pass through together in the lead, breaking away from Jing-Yan Tang (China) in fourth.
Budha and Leng passed through the fourth checkpoint, at 43k, together, slightly ahead of Hà in third, and 15 minutes clear of Tang in fourth. They continued to increase their lead through the 57k checkpoint, and by 70k, the pair had opened a gap of 23 minutes ahead of Hà in third. Tang held onto fourth place, 37 minutes behind the lead.
By the Beacon Hill checkpoint at 78k, Budha had started to pull away, leading Leng by two minutes. She continued to break away, storming through the Shing Mun checkpoint at 86k and onto the last three climbs. The sun began to set as Budha arrived at Lead Mine Pass, the last checkpoint of the race, eight minutes ahead of Leng.
Powering up over the summit of Tai Mo Shan and into the final descent, Sunmaya Budha flew across the finish line in 11:11:47, a new course record. Veronika Leng followed in 11:25:22, also under the previous course record, to take second, and Hậu Hà rounded off the podium in 12:09:37.
Jing-Yan Tang finished fourth in 12:19:20 and Ling-Jie Chi of China was the fifth woman in 12:31:47.
Sunmaya Budha (left) on her way to winning the 2025 Hong Kong 100k.
2025 Hong Kong 100k Women’s Results
- Sunmaya Budha (Nepal) – 11:11:47
- Veronika Leng (Slovakia) – 11:25:22
- Hậu Hà (Vietnam) – 12:09:37
- Jing-Yan Tang (China) – 12:19:20
- Ling-Jie Chi (China) – 12:31:47
- Nirmala Rai (Nepal) – 13:06:38
- Ting Ma (China) – 13:10:02
- Anna Li (China) – 13:15:23
- Man Yee Cheung (Hong Kong) – 13:20:06
- Fei-Fei Yang (China) – 13:27:54
Veronika Leng (left) on her way to taking second at the 2025 Hong Kong 100k.
2025 Hong Kong 100k Men’s Race
The men’s race kicked off fast and strong, with a large group of runners sticking closely together. Passages across the beaches to the checkpoint at 22k did little to separate the pack, with the top nine runners all passing through within a minute of each other. Notably present, however, were defending champion Guang-Fu Meng (China), Guo-Min Deng (China), the fifth-place finisher in 2024, and John Ray Onifa (Philippines).
It wasn’t until the fourth checkpoint at 43k that the lead group began to break up, with Meng and Onifa neck and neck, chased closely by Hui Bai (China) and followed by Deng and Jia-Sheng Shen (China) a further two minutes behind. Meng and Onifa continued to lead together, slightly extending their advance over Deng and Shen by the halfway point. Bai dropped off the leading group at this point, passing through halfway in 30th place before dropping from the race.
Meng used the beginning of the mountainous section to his advantage, building up a five-minute lead over Onifa into the sixth checkpoint at 57k, and continued to push the pace to the next checkpoint at 70k, passing through with 14 hours 16 minutes on the clock. Shen followed seven minutes behind, pursued three minutes later by Gui-Du Qin (China), who was steadily making his way up the ranks. Deng followed in fourth place, while Onifa, struggling to stick with the leaders on the climbs, dropped down to sixth place.
By the final checkpoint, 93k into the race, and with just the final ascent to the peak of Tai Mo Shan and descent to the finish remaining, it seemed that everything could still be at play. Meng held the lead, nine minutes ahead of Qin in second place, and Deng was still looking strong in third. Ionel Cristian Manole (Romania), who had now been running steadily in the middle of the top 10 for a long part of the race, had moved past Shen into fourth place, 13 minutes away from a podium place.
But Guang-Fu Meng stormed through the climb and down to the finish, securing his second consecutive win and a new course record of 9:43:10. Gui-Du Qin followed in 9:51:11, also under the previous course record in second place, and Guo-Min Deng completed the podium in 10:07:52.
Ionel Christian Manole hung on to fourth in 10:16:58, while Jia-Sheng Shen took fifth in 10:29:52.
Guang-Fu Meng, about to cross the line as the 2025 Hong Kong 100k champion.
2025 Hong Kong 100k Men’s Results
- Guang-Fu Meng (China) – 9:43:10
- Gui-Du Qin (China) – 9:51:11
- Guo-Min Deng (China) – 10:07:52
- Ionel Cristian Manole (Romania) – 10:16:58
- Jia-Sheng Shen (China) – 10:29:52
- John Ray Onifa (Philippines) – 10:36:07
- Man Kumar Roka Magar (Nepal) – 10:58:04
- Kao Zhou (China) – 11:00:22
- Lodewijk Vriens (The Netherlands) – 11:05:09
- Jie Zhang (China) – 11:06:54
Gui-Du Qin, the 2025 Hong Kong 100k second man.
