UTMB: Hong Kong’s Wong Ho-chung battles from 84th to 11th despite partial loss of vision

The Hong Kong firefighter finished the course in just under 24 hours, with a time of 23:17.40 after losing most of his vision halfway through

In 2019, the last time the UTMB was held, Wong came sixth, and now he will have to undergo 21 days of mandatory quarantine upon returning home

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Wong Ho-chung of Hong Kong finished 11th at the 2021 UTMB Mont Blanc. Photo: Mathis Dumas

Published: 9:31am, 31 Aug 2021Updated: 9:09pm, 31 Aug 2021

Hong Kong’s Wong Ho-chung had quite the race through the picturesque French Alps last weekend, however you can’t fault him if he doesn’t remember what the stunning backdropped looked like at points.

The city’s top trail runner, who is now on his way home to do 21 days of quarantine – Wong left for Europe before the snap restrictions came into place and was expecting just seven days – detailed what was an extraordinary race for him at this year’s 171km UTMB.

“I’m really happy with my result because at one point during the race on Grand Col Ferret I was really struggling with the cold and also had some problem with my eyes and it became difficult to see,” said Wong, who works as a Hong Kong firefighter but will be leaving the profession to focus on racing full-time.

Wong kicked off his race at 5pm on Friday evening local time in France, and about halfway through the race at 5am while he was summiting Col Ferret (the highest point of elevation in the race at 2,570 metres above sea level) his vision started to deteriorate.

“I suffered a lot going up and down the highest point on the racecourse and also started to lose my eyesight,” said the 34-year-old. “Luckily, I recovered enough after sunrise to keep fairly steady until the finish and just tried my best.”

Wong Ho-chung said he lost part of his eyesight halfway through the UTMB. Photo: Mathis Dumas UTMB

Wong finished the gruelling single-stage ultramarathon in a time of 23 hours, 17 minutes and 40 seconds to place 11th.

UTMB: Hong Kong’s Wong Ho-chung battles from 84th to 11th despite partial loss of vision

The Hong Kong firefighter finished the course in just under 24 hours, with a time of 23:17.40 after losing most of his vision halfway through In 2019, the last time the UTMB was held, Wong came sixth, and now he will have to undergo 21 days of mandatory quarantine upon returning home

The Hong Kong firefighter finished the course in just under 24 hours, with a time of 23:17.40 after losing most of his vision halfway through

In 2019, the last time the UTMB was held, Wong came sixth, and now he will have to undergo 21 days of mandatory quarantine upon returning home