Hau Ha Thi was the big star at UTMB’s Amazean Jungle Thailand. The Vietnamese athlete of Mude Running Team didn’t only win the rained out and muddy women’s Betong100 race (5.860m+), but also finished second overall. She needed just 33 minutes more than Disi Liang (China), who won the men’s race.

The victory on the longest distance at the Amazean Jungle, the Betong140 (148 kilometres, with 8.460m+) was for Gediminas Grinius (Lithuania) in the men’s race and Man Yee Cheung (Hong Kong) in the women’s race. Man Yee Cheung also showed that there isn’t a lot of difference between the top of the men and top of the women field, by finishing fourth overall.

No running possible

Sangé Sherpa (Nepal, Kailas), who won the race last year, took the lead at the start, with Grinius (Team Vibram) close on his heels. Just before the Ten-Thousand Flower Garden, the forth checkpoint, at 44 kilometres into the race, Grinius, who last year won the Betong100, overtook Sherpa and ran away from him. At the finish line Grinius’ lead was more than four hours; 24:23:36 versus 28:26:41.

At the finish line, Grinius was totally shattered: “Today we couldn’t even run for the first fifty kilometres. We had to be very cautious because of the mud conditions, and wet leaves due to the rain. My legs were destroyed. It was out of this world. I’ve never done such a tough race. Only after the first fifty kilometres the race became much more runnable and I managed to increase my distance from Sangé.”

Behind Grinius Sangé and Michal Lesniak (28:40:31) was from the start on in third place. The Polish athlete never formed a serious threat for Sherpa, yet he never had to fear Man Yee Cheung, who finished 1 hour and 45 minutes behind him.

Easy win Man Yee Cheung

With her time of 30:25:13 Man Yee Cheung was almost 5,5 hours faster than the number two, the Italian Francesca Canepa (35:51:51), who finished 6th overall. Third place was for Nutcha Phalee (Thailand, Kailas) in 40:14:52. Good for 12th overall.

During the race Canepa never thought about winning, only about surviving: “I feel sick and exhausted. This was the hardest race I have ever done in my whole life. All parts of the race were so difficult. I even had to ask for medical assistance. It’s always a challenge when you go so far away from home, you never know what conditions you can find yourself in. So I am actually very proud of finishing in second place and not giving up.”

More DNF than finishers

An achievement in itself, because of the 81 starters at the Betong140, only 32 made it to the finish, due to the bad conditions. 49 runners dropped-out. At the Betong100 also more runners didn’t make it to the finish than did. Of the 184 starters, 105 didn’t finish, meaning that only 79 made it.

Desi Liang was the fastest at the Betong100. He ran the 106 kilometres (5.860m+) in 15 hours, 39 minutes and 9 seconds. Behind him Hau Ha Thi, the number 4 of the UTMB CCC of last year, slowly worked her way up from fourth to second place overall (16:12:30). The second place in the women’s race was for Hang Le (Vietnam, Tailwind), who could just hold off Siok Har Lim (Malaysia, Kailas). Le finished in 22:41:37, good for seventh overall. Siok Har Lim finished in 22:42:01, 8th overall.

The second place in the men’s race was for Yutaro Yokouchi (Japan, Asics) in 16:51:12. Nhon Do (Vietnam, Kilomet) finished third in 18:44:08.

All results of Amazean Jungle Thailand