The Endurance Asia Podcast

Previewing the 11th edition of the Hong Kong 4 Trails Ultra Challenge with Andre Blumberg.Here’s the class of 2022:Kimmy Leung Hong Kiu 梁康翹Virginie GoethalsTanya BennettJoannie Ho Chung Yee ("Jcy") 何頌沂Angie Cheng Wai Yee 鄭慧儀 Chamelia SuhraCheung Man Yee 張敏怡Samantha Chan Man Ha 陳文霞Tony Tong Hei Chun 唐煕晉Thomas Lam Shing Yip 林成業Elliot FroidevauxRichard KimberJoseph Yeung Chi Shing 楊志成Wong Ho Chung 黃浩聰Mayank VaidRowell CamposFollow live on the day www.hk4tuc.live and on Instagram. www.instagram.com/hk4tucHosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

This episode we catch up with Philippe Daniel and Jean-Henri Haniquaut following their 200km RTI Round The Island in Singapore.The challenge went viral in Singapore, getting over 340k views on this Facebook Post. We catch up with Phil And Jean to discuss:Their background in ultra running, All the crazy challenges they have taken on this past year from 45 Marathons, to Everesting in stairwellsThe RTI route, how they planned the challnegeHow it went on the day and the how they pulled through Their support crewThe Charity they were raising funds forHosted by Ric Stockfis and Scott Pugh who also catch up after to discuss all the races and challenges that have been going on in the past few weeks and a challenge they are also drumming up for Singapore in July.

The second part of the recap of the 10th Edition Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge. 298km, 14,500M elevation and cut offs of 60 hours to finish and 72 hours to ‘Survive’. We are joined in Part 2 by Jacky Leung, a finisher from 2020 who came back for the reunion year and shocked the world with a feat of human endurance that seemed beyond possible.We are also joined by Andre (40m), who gives his behind the scenes perspective on how this historic event played out. Some incredible stories from a momentous weekend.Once again we recommend looking at the Dotwatch replay at https://live.dottrack.asia/21hk4tuc/ to relive the challenge on the map as Jacky tells the story of Breaking50.Photo Cred Vincent Chan “Compose The Story” and Viola and AlanHosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

The first of a two part recap of the 10th Edition Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge. 298km, 14,500M elevation and cut offs of 60 hours to finish and 72 hours to ‘Survive’. Previous runners were invited back to take on this mammoth challenge, some with the audacious goal to Break 50.We are joined in Part 1 by Salomon Wettstein who laid out his strategy in the preview show on how he planned to break 50, and Virginie Goethals, who came back after surviving in 2020 with a goal to break 60.Recommend looking at the Dotwatch replay at https://live.dottrack.asia/21hk4tuc/ to relive the challenge on the map as Virginie and Salomon tell the story of suffering and survival / finishing.Look out for Part 2 with record breaking Jacky Leung and Challenge Director Andre BlumbergHosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

Previewing the 10th Edition of Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge with the race Director and 3 competitors:Andre Blumberg, Godfather of Hong Kong Ultra Running. We had him on the podcast 2 years ago to talk about his personal story as an endurance athlete and again now to talk about the 10th edition of an event he came up with and has been directing.(30m) Stone Tsang, one of the most successful Asia trail runners and previous finisher of a time of 54hrs comes back to see if he can truly break 50! Check out his full interview with Ryan Blair..(44m) Sarah Pemberton returns for the 4th time to take on HK4TUC having “survived” in 2020 following missing cut offs in 2018/19. Will she finish in 2021?(1hr3m) Salomon Wettstein, the Lantau resident who has been in sparkling form this past year smashing fastest times on LT70 route and Everesting Lantau Peak is also back to better his time of 56 hours. Will he be able to break50Follow the live event on Instagram at www.hk4tuc.com to witness these and so many other ultra running legends come back to take on this epic challenge.

Founder of Hells 500 and the ever-more popular Everesting challenge, Andy Van Bergen talks us through the evolution of his brilliant idea.

Kris Van de Velde is the brains behind the Asia Trail Master series of races, which has exploded in popularity in the last few years. A former competitive cyclist, Kris also organises mass participation cycling and skiing events in China.

In the second instalment of our 2020 awards, we discuss, debate and decide who should be crowned Athlete of the Year (both Female and Male) as well as Fundraiser of the Year.Female Athlete of the YearSo many people excelled themselves in 2020, and our final three came down to:Nikki Han - in 2019 Nikki became the first female finisher of the Hong Kong 4 Trails Ultra Challenge, but she didn’t rest on her laurels in 2020, completing an Everesting on foot as part of the ATG Vertical Challenge, as well as completing the newly-inaugurated “9 Buffaloes” course - the TransLantau 100km course (with 5000m elevation) and the Lantau70 course (3500m elevation), back to back. Read a route report from Will Hayward here.Veronika Vadovicova. Not content with a second place finish at the HK100 early in the year, Veronika went on to set FKTs on the Lantau 70 course and the reverse HK Trail. More than that though, she found time to launch Asia Trail Girls (ATG), which has quickly become the region’s leading forum to spotlight and inspire female trail running. Among other things, they organised The Asia Trail Girls Vertical Challenge, which saw teams across the region racking up as much elevation as possible (and the top all-female team climbing over 53,000m) Listen to our recent episode where we talk all about ATG with Veronika here.Xiang Fuzhou, who won the 2020 HK100 in a blisteringly fast 11:28:59Male Athlete of the YearWong Ho-Chung, who pulled off both the HK360 challenge (360km around Hong Kong in 36 hours) and the MacLehose Trail FKT (for which he won FKT of the Year in our first awards episode)Mayank Vaid, who completed the first ever Everestman challenge (swimming the height of Everest followed by an Everesting on bike and an Everesting on Foot) and then went on to complete the HK360Xtreme, which saw him swim 45k around Hong Kong Island, followed by a 215k bike ride and a 100k run. Read more about the Everestman here.Stephen Redfern, who not only finished the HK4TUC in 54:56, but completed a 360k ultra in his garage (listen to the previous episode to hear all about this), set a bunch of FKTs at home in Australia, came second at the Adelaide 12 Hour Race and finished 10th at the iconic Coast 2 Kosci Ultramarathon.Fundraiser of the YearSo many people took the opportunity to raise money for causes close to their hearts in 2020, but three in particular stood out:UFit’s Singapore to Santa Challenge, which set out to inspire people to collectively run, cycle or swim the 9,859km to the North Pole, and ended up with participants covering an astonishing 53,095km, raising over SG$18,000 for YMCA of Singapore.Mayank Vaid’s HK360Xtreme, for which he raised HK$385,000 for InspiringHK Sports Foundation and Outward Bound Hong Kong. See him mid-swim here.Nia Cooper, who completed her Grand Slam of Hong Kong ultrarunning (Oxfam Trailwalker, North Face 100, HK100 and the TransLantau in four consecutive months) and in doing so raised over HK$105,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity, in honour of her husband (and HK trail community legend) Nic TinworthThanks as always to former podcast guest Mark Agnew of the SCMP for the consistently great coverage of many of these endeavours - it’s his articles we’ve mostly linked to above.Hosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

Highlights from a crazy, unprecedented year which saw athletes getting creative, setting (and crushing) new personal challenges and raising lots of money in the process

Veronika Vadovicova is one of Asia's top trail runners and founder of the inspiring Asia Trail Girls platform

Ash Dykes is a true modern day adventurer, and holder of 3 x World Records: the first person to walk across Mongolia solo and unsupported, first to walk the length of Madagascar and - most recently - the first to walk the full 4000 mile length of the Yangtze, now the subject of a Nat Geo documentary

Catching up with the last three standing at the Dead ***ing Last Backyard Ultra, as well as RDs Meagan and Jeri

We are joined by the Queen of Asia ultra running Jeri Chua who is race director the “Dead F**king Last” Backyard Ultra in Singapore as well as 5 of the 15 competitors:Alex AngNed PhilipsWinnieKK LimNatalie DouWe are also joined by the Japanese Ultra Running legend Tomokazu Ihara-San who will be running the Tokyo edition of the World Champs to discuss what he’s been up to lately and give his predictions for the 10 runners competing in Japan.

Lynn Paterson, aka Red, is the first person to kayak the around the circumference of New Zealand in a single expedition.

Maire Nic Amhlaoibh is not only a trained physiotherapist, she also knows a bit about running, making her perfectly positioned to advise and treat endurance athletes to compete at their best, injury free. Having held an Irish record for 3km steeplechase, she has been practicing physiotherapy in Singapore for the past 7 years and is often seen on podiums of races up to the 21km mark. This is a great episode to find out how you can both prevent and cure running injuries.

Nathan has a 25 year track record of being at the very top of the Adventure Endurance world from olympic level mountain biking to competing around the world in Adventure Racing as the leader of Team Seagate / Avaya, dominating the sport for the past 20 years.

Mark Agnew is the Outdoor and Extreme Sports Editor at the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong. Mark has attempted to row the Atlantic on two occasions and is incredibly frank and honest about how those experiences impacted him. Not to be dissuaded, he’ll be part of the 2021 crew attempting to become the first in history to row the Northwest Passage, the 2000 mile route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It’s set to be an incredible undertaking on a truly fabled route, only made even vaguely possible because of global warming. The expedition will in part be a fact-finding endeavour to explore the truth of what’s occurring with the climate in the Arctic region.

Hoong Wei is not your average weekend warrior. In fact he runs everyday, with a half marathon for breakfast, minimum, 4am start, every single day of the week! But that has not always been the case. Having started running less than 10 years ago and recently turning 40, Hoong Wei has become one of the top ultra long distance runners in Singapore, holding the furthest distance in a 24hr format run. Hoong Wei is a genuine gentleman, with a will and desire that is hidden from the outside world by his modest and humble nature, and exposed through his incredible endurance feats. Enjoy this discussion with a hidden endurance gem, on his path to shine bright on the ultra endurance scene.

David Lloyd is Director of Sport for Topas Travel, Race Director for the Vietnam Trail Series and co-founder of cycle tour company Velo Vietnam.

At a time when everyone could do with some positivity in their life, we are delighted to share the story of Veronique Bourbeau. Vero is a true shining light of positivity in what is a tough time for many. She is in the middle of planning a Guinness World Record to become the first women to run the entire continent of Africa to raise money for YUNUS, a social businesses that provide employment, education, healthcare, clean water and clean energy to millions of people in East Africa.

Mayank Vaid has been on an incredible journey over the past 2 years. From being inspired by a story of David Gething setting a world record running 7marathons in 7 continents in 7 days, meeting him at his kids school drop off, to running the Pyongyang marathon with David, before racing the Enduroman Arch to Arc with him in tandem. What happens next is beyond belief. Hear Mayank’s story as he sets his own world record before conceiving and excecuting the plan to be the worlds first ‘Everestman’, a challenge combing a 9k swim before Everesting on a bike AND on foot, back to back.

Will Hayward has become the unofficial mascot of the Backyard Ultra. From winning the Hong Kong edition of the race in April 2019, he went on to compete in the Big's "World Champs" in Tennessee, being the last to DNF behind winner Maggie Guterl, clocking an amazing 59 hours and 246 miles. His latest challenge was the Quarantine Backyard Ultra. You can find Will at: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/will.hayward.750 Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/15568697

With the world in lockdown, Scott and Ric chat about what this means for training and racing, including the recent Quarantine Backyard Ultra. Then we check in with the founder of Singapore's homegrown triathlon, cycling and running apparel brand, Purpose.

PS Sim is one of the most accomplished Singaporean mountaineers having completed 6 of the 7 highest Summits across the worlds 7 continents. She shares her story of not even reaching Everest Base Camp in year 2000 to Summit the highest peak in the world 20 years later.

Jessie Montague is a Pro Spartan Athlete based out of Singapore. We discuss her rapid transformation from zero to pro in a short 2 year period.

Andy Dubois is the founder of Mile 27 a coaching company that advises a lot of the very top ultra runners in Asia Pacific inc Jeri Chua, Alessandro Sherpa, John Ellis, Ryan Whelan, Ryan Blair and North Face Adventure Team.We talk to Andy about how he picks his clients, how he gets to understand their ‘Why’ before he agrees to work with them.He talks about his philosophy on coaching. Who needs a coach? Who doesn’t?How many Athletes he has on his books? The success stories he’s most proud of.What he recommends to runners who can’t afford a coach. Thoughts on nutrition. Strength and conditioning. As a trained PT Andy discusses his philosophy both as an injury prevention and increase of speed and technique. Quick fire questions: Favourite book on Endurance sports Best kit you've bought under $100 Proudest moment personal / physical / professionalAny last bits of advice, recommendations for endurance Athletes wanting to reach their stretch goals Podcast hosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

The Hong Kong 4 Trails Ultra Challenge is a 298km ultra across Hong Kong’s 4 long trails with an accumulative elevation of 14,500m. Taking place over Chinese New Year, athletes race the clock to starting at 9am on the first day of CNY to finish before 9pm and #Breaking60 hours.The 2020 edition was the most competitive yet with a total of 7 finishers under 60 hours and 5 survivors under 72 hours out of the 33 competitors. Our host Scott Pugh who also took on the challenge this year retiring after after 38 hours and 200km with bad ITB pain, got to the finish line at the Green Post box in Mui Wo to interview the finishers:1- Nugo Yamanath Limbu (Nepal):54hours 26mins 2- Stephen Redfern (Australia) : 54hours 46mins 3-Abimanyu Shunmugam (Singapore): 56hours 06mins 4- Takashi Doi (Japan): 56hours 25mins 5- Law Kai Pong (Hong Kong) 58hours 11mins 6- Jacky Leung (Hong Kong) 58hours 31mins (interview not recorded)7- Hyun Chang Chung (Argentina/Korea) 59hours 46minsWe also talk with the event founder and director Andre Blumberg. For more info on the HK4TUC:Facebook Youtube Instagram Podcast hosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

William Cheang (or Adventure III) is an ultrarunner and accomplished photographer, who regularly shoots for the Asia Trail Master series.

This week Scott and Ric catch up to discuss the Everesting Bukit Timah challenge for the charity Free to Run. Scott is then joined by the Executive Director of the charity, Taylor Smith, to discuss all the fantastic work Free To Run do to help and empower women and girls in Afghanistan and Iraq through outdoor activities and building their physical, social and emotional well being.

JP Alipio is the Race Director for the Cordillera Mountain Ultra trail running event and the Cordillera Challenge and Cordillera Epic mountain bike races in the Philippines. He is also the founder of the Cordillera Conservation Trust.

In our interview with Alessandro, we talk about:Alessandro’s background in mountain biking in Italy and how he grew up racing competitively before falling out of love with the sport.How he moved to Asia and got into trail running through doing hash runs in MalaysiaHow he became aware of the Asia Trail Master seriesHis favourite places to race around Asia and whyTimes he’s been deep in the Pain Cave and how he got himself outAlessandro’s philosophy on DNFing and living to race another day. For example in Chiang Mai when he pulled from the 230km and still got up to race a trail marathon the next day in 3hr 20m!How he plans his major challengesHow he thinks about pacing for Ultras. Clue, he doesn’t follow the John Ellis strategy of start slow finish fast…Thoughts on Nutrition leading up to a challenge and duringThoughts around Strength and Conditioning, mobility, massage, stretchingWhat his recovery routine looks likeManaging / avoiding injuriesQuick fire Q's:What makes him emotionalMost inspirational personBest kit you've bought under $100Proudest moment personal / physical / professionalProfessionalBalancing business career / family and friends : relationshipTalks about his business SherpaEndurance Athletes on being successful professionalsWhich sponsors he represents in ultra running. How he got them on boardClosing remarks: advice for anyone thinking wanting to compete at the top of ultra running fieldFind Alessandro Sherpa on:Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/alessandrosherpaInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/alessandrosherpa

This week on the Endurance Asia Podcast we’re joined by the winners of the Unofficial Oxfam Trailwalker, Gone Running Joint Dynamics:Veronika VadovicovaRyan WhelanJohn EllisThey tell us a bit about themselves. Where they’re from, back ground in endurance sport and how they got into trail runningJohn talks about winning OTW last year, with Jeff Campbell, Brian McFlynn and Michael Skobierski. They said then that the plan was to pull together a mixed team for 2019.Talk about pulling the team together.What the race strategy was going in.What their reaction was to the event being cancelledHow the race strategy changed once they decided to race the unofficial trailwalker.What role each of them played in the team.Team or solo? Which do they prefer.John being renound for his pacing. What’s it like being paced by John Ellis?Talk about moments where they were in the pain cave?Quick fire Q's:What makes you emotionalMost inspirational bookBest kit you've bought under $100Proudest moment personal / physical / professionalAdvice to racers wanting to get to the podium..To Donate to Everesting for Free to Run https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/everstingfreetorunPodcast hosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.

Arseny Chernov is the founder of Food Buddy an endurance nutrition coaching company and has a diploma of nutrition science as well as being an ironman athlete and tech professional.Engage with Foodbuddy on https://instagram.com/foodbuddy or https://fb.me/foodbuddyMentioned the following:• Estimated Energy Requirement Calculator: http://bit.ly/foodbuddy-eer• Conrad P. Earnest, Jeff Rothschild, Christopher R. Harnish & Alireza Naderi (2019) Metabolic adaptations to endurance training and nutrition strategies influencing performance, Research in Sports Medicine, 27:2, 134-146, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2018.1544134• Rothschild JA, Bishop DJ, Effects of Dietary Supplements on Adaptations to Endurance Training, Sports Med. 2019 Sep 17, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01185-8• Supplement for 100+ km/week joints running load: http://bit.ly/foodbuddy-geladrink• Inspiring Book: Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus https://amzn.to/34fuqUs• Inspiring Book: iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious https://amzn.to/2JC1n5v• Inspiring Book: 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower https://amzn.to/2NtNLKJ• Best sub-100$ thing: coaching by Merle Talviste, https://www.swimsmoothsingapore.com/squad• Best sub-100$ thing: Injini 2.0 Toe-socks https://amzn.to/2L4FyuY , Drymax socks: https://amzn.to/2QjXAiKTell us about your background in nutrition and history in endurance sports. What came first?Went from ~110 kg 80 kg myself. 10h 39min in Ironman Cairns (140.6), 29h 18min in PYT166 100-miler with 8000 meters elevation. Got a lab coat - did a Specialist Diploma in Nutrition Science at NYP Singapore, on top of my Master Degree in technology. I launched my own app for iOS called FoodBuddy, sunsetting it now unfortunately.My wife Lily’s fully recovered from the neck disc tear through nutrition and well-being planned. Now runs duathlons.Foodbuddy is all about coaching 1x1, enterprise workshops (most impactful format), also present in Regional Committees (RC-s) in Singapore as I’m a People’s Association Trainer.Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2018 official nutrition coach, run workshops, Facebook live-s.My mentors: Andre Blumberg, Matt Fitzgerald. Coached in “kampung spirit” of Integrated Riding Racing Team (IRRT) - takes a village to ride fast! Kudos to Merle Talviste (Swim Smooth coaching Singapore)Tell us about your philosophy on nutritionNutritional choices (what to take) is NOT diet (sum of intake). Let’s get terms right. Most important aspect is Hunger vs. Appetite. Figure your Estimated Energy Requirement: http://bit.ly/foodbuddy-eer Set yourself up for the reality around you. Then get bored! How I pre-select to fight appetite. Recipes. Patterns.VICE uploaded “Mac & Cheese for 17 years” - “I’ve tried celery. I threw that shit out instantly” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1TWvXwgKr0 .Crazy case of some nervosa, definitely not anorexia nervosa though.Anyways, it’s ABCD - no single right answer! Nutritional Needs Assessment uncovers it:● Anthropometric (i.e. BMI %%-s, fat loss progress, )● Biochemical (nutrient deficiencies, cholesterol level, OGTT for Diabetes)● Clinical (skin state, etc.)● Dietary (ecological / social status, certain food restrictions due to religion, food log, habits)As to athletes… aspiring vs. amateur, let’s be real.● Eliud Kipchoge - Maurten hydrogel 2018, 2019. By the way there’s a study that it’s not really working as it’s supposed to?.. Well, it works for Eliud anyways.● Chris Froome - haribo gummy candies in Giro D’Italia 2018 while losing 1 kg over 5 days.So did Peter Sagan.For us, ex-hunters with 10,000-s of years of experience, - everything edible is great in moderation.There are lots of diets that endurance athletes follow from Vegan, to Paleo to HCLF to Full Keto. What do you believe is the ideal diet for endurance sportsSuccessful event is a factor of preparation, mental health, in-race nutrition, luck (i.e. weather). Successful result is equivalent to “high performance”. High performance usually means lower mass.There’s a new movie about vegan diet that throws in a bunch of claims by the way:● “Roman gladiators didn’t eat meat” - that’s an anecdote from archaeologist, Andrew Curry, in Archaelogoly Magazine 2008: Karl Grossschmidt of Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (MedUni Vienna). Gladiators, it seems, were fat. Consuming a lot of simple carbohydrates, such as barley, and legumes, like beans, was designed for survival in the arena. Packing in the carbs also packed on the pounds. "Gladiators needed subcutaneous fat," Grossschmidt explains. "A fat cushion protects you from cut wounds and shields nerves and blood vessels in a fight." Not only would a lean gladiator have been dead meat, he would have made for a bad show. Surface wounds "look more spectacular," says Grossschmidt. "If I get wounded but just in the fatty layer, I can fight on," he adds. "It doesn't hurt much, and it looks great for the spectators."

Alan Grant is founder of Specialized Mavericks Cycling team in Singapore. Having being on the podium of 100's of races across Asia. Grant shares the story of the team and his own cycling challenges.

Japanese ultrarunner Tomo-San is on a mission to complete 100 Miles, 100 Times

Coached is a Singapore lab specialising in sports performance, testing and coaching

Bern Dornom is an Aussie adventure racer and all round bad-ass endurance athlete.

Founder and Director of the North Face Adventure Team, HK-based Ryan Blair has some crazy adventures to share.

Nic Tinworth, Michael Ormiston and Steven Carr are the race directors and keen runners behind Hong Kong's RaceBase, a team of passionate and experienced trailrunners, united by a shared love for discovering and traveling to races and events all over the world

Thaddeus Lawrence is a Singaporean endurance athlete and performance coach.

Andre Blumberg is an accomplished ultra runner, who has completed both the US and German Grand Slams of ultrarunning. He is the founder of the Hong Kong 4 Trails Ultra Challenge.

Maggie Cvetcovic is a pro Spartan racer based in Hong Kong.

Abi Shunmugam is an ultrarunner who recently became the first Singaporean to complete the Dragon's Back Race.

Séb Bertrand is a Chiang-Mai based trail runner and guide. He spent a year connecting more than 350km of forgotten trails between the northern Thai city and Chiang Rai.

Jeri Chua is synonymous with ultrarunning in Asia. In this interview we go back to her triathlon roots, find out how she went from fashion photography to owning a running store, and talk about the importance of community. We also hear more about her experiences at UTMB and Tor des Geants, as well as plans for the upcoming Triple Crown of 200s.

In this interview with the Singapore-based Kiwi explorer, we find out all about the Home to Home challenge, as Grant endeavours to become the first person to travel from Singapore to New Zealand under human power.

Charming, humble and yet somehow also the man behind the 100 Miles 100 Times project, Tomo-san sat down with us to talk about his finish at the 2019 Hong Kong 4 Trails Ultra Challenge, how he approaches training and recovery, what it’s like to run 100 miles on a treadmill (!) and why he has unfinished business at the Barkley Marathons. [This episode was recorded just prior to Tomo’s 2019 Barkley attempt.

A short welcome from our Founder and Co-Host