Already a strong ultrarunner in China, Yangchun Lu made herself known to the broader ultrarunning world with her win at the 2019 Vibram Hong Kong 100k. In our first interview with her, Yangchun talks about where she’s from, when she started running, what advice she got for this race, and what she enjoyed most about it.
Be sure to read our results article for the full race story.
Yangchun Lu, 2019 Vibram Hong Kong 100k Champion, Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Yangchun Lu after her win at the 2019 Vibram Hong Kong 100k. Congratulations on your victory!
Yangchun Lu: Thank you. I appreciate it.
iRunFar: You ran a strong race from start to finish. How did you run such a great race?
Lu: This is my first 100k race, so I was quite unsure. I just ran according to my pace and ended up doing very well.
iRunFar: That’s such an amazing accomplishment to not have run 100k before, but to be able to be so consistent throughout.
Lu: Thank you.
iRunFar: What is your history with running? How long have you been a runner?
Lu: I started running races with a 20k in 2013. In 2015, I started running 50k races since then.
iRunFar: Do you enjoy the longer distances? What do you enjoy about the longer races?
Lu: I feel maybe I’m more suitable for 50k.
iRunFar: You found the 100k distance difficult?
Lu: It’s quite challenging. The major climbs are in the second half and I found that really tough. I had to control the pace really well.
iRunFar: Where do you live? Where do you train?
Lu: I’m from Yunnan. The altitude is 1,800 meters.
iRunFar: At this race today there was a lot of success from Yunnan.
Lu: Probably they have an advantage with training at high altitude but racing at not such a high altitude. Maybe there’s an advantage.
iRunFar: Do you have any plans to race in Europe or in the United States?
Lu: I’m not ready to race overseas, but I want to train more to improve. Then maybe I’ll feel comfortable to go abroad and race 50k or maybe 100k.
iRunFar: Do you have any other races in China or Hong Kong that you will focus on this year?
Lu: I haven’t planned yet.
iRunFar: Maybe just enjoy this moment and this victory?
Lu: Yes.
iRunFar: Was there a favorite part of the race or a favorite time or memory from the race today?
Lu: The beginning running by the sea… running on the beach and what you see… I really appreciated the support and everything that was offered today. Each checkpoint, everything is ready, and you just go and grab things and go. I really appreciated this kind of teamwork.
iRunFar: One thing I really noticed at checkpoints is when you arrived, you took your time to eat a lot and drink a lot at each checkpoint. Was that part of your plan and strategy?
Lu: I actually got wisdom from Miao Yao yesterday. I was not comfortable for my very first 100k, but Miao said I should eat and get enough nutrition at checkpoints and take my time. We’re good friends.
iRunFar: Congratulations and thank you!
Lu: Thank you!
