It was wet, it was windy, it was wild. Skyrunning is not just about racing on mountains, but also about the elements Mother Nature provides. On the fourth leg of the Skyrunner® World Series in Hong Kong, Sunday, for some, the experience was tougher than expected.

Stars shone however. Young bloods Rémi Bonnet and Yngvild Kaspersen rose above the elements and the fiercely strong competition to take the win in record time. New to skyrunning competition, both Salomon runners, Bonnet from Switzerland and Kaspersen from Norway, are scaling the heights and the podiums of the sport.  

Like sky celebrity Emelie Forsberg who flew to stardom in the breadth of a season back in 2012, these two 20 year-olds lead the way for the next generation of skyrunners.

Taking on a new course in the skyrunning calendar, in a new environment and different climatic conditions, the Lantau 2 Peaks represented a serious challenge to even the most experienced skyrunners. Among the 1,000 runners at the start line, the deeply stacked field had converged here to score points in the Series’ semi final.

Rémi Bonnet set the pace and, in the face of the elements and tough competition, never looked back, closing the 3-hour estimated finish time in a mere 2h1407”, ten minutes ahead of Manuel Merillas, 2nd. Ranking leader Tadei Pivk was third and Salomon team manager Greg Vollet, just short of a podium place, 4th. Aritz Egea was fifth.

Similarly, Yngvild Kaspersen held the women’s lead and closed in just 2h42’04” in 17th position overall. Laura Orguè’s second position 7 minutes later guaranteed her the new Series' ranking leadership, while Maite Maiora, Elisa Desco and Stevie Kremer completed the top five positions.

Certainly the course, 23 km long with 3,975m vertical ascent and descent, represented a different challenge from most skyrunning races, with stretches of irregular stone stairs rendered slippery by the lashing rain, the difficulty compounded by gale force winds thanks to the effects of Typhoon Mujigae. Despite the adverse conditions, 919 runners finished the race within the time limit.
 
Heading towards the Skyrunner® World Series’ finals in Limone sul Garda, Italy on October 17 where the champions will be crowned, the title is wide open for both the men’s and women’s categories.

Once more, Alpina Watches, Official Watch of the 2015 Skyrunner® World Series and European Championships, awarded the Alpina Smart Time Prize which went to Yngvild Kaspersen and Rémi Bonnet. On this occasion, they were not only the first runners to reach the summit of Lantau Peak at 934m altitude, the highest point of the race and the island, but both, just 20 years old, received an additional bonus due to their age. Each was awarded an Alpina luxury Horological Smartwatch, the first of its kind on the market.

Join us on Facebook and twitter for news and updates as we head for the Series VK and Sky finals at Limone sul Garda, Italy on October 16 &17.

Sky Series ranking provisional results (after Lantau 2 Peaks & US Continental Championships)
Men
1. Tadei Pivk (ITA) Crazy Idea - 366 points
2. Manuel Merillas (ESP) Mammut/Compressport – 332 points
3. Tom Owens (GBR) Salomon- 268 points
3. Ionut Zinca (ROU) Valetudo – 268 points
5. Aritz Egea (ESP)E MF  - 252 points

Women
1. Laura Orguè (ESP) Salomon - 364 points
2. Elisa Desco (ITA) SCOTT Sports/Compressport – 350 points
3. Maite Maiora (ESP) La Sportiva – 322 points
4. Megan Kimmel (USA) Asics – 300 points
5. Stevie Kremer (USA) Salomon – 254 points

Race results
Men
1. Rémi Bonnet (SUI) Salomon: 2:14:07
2. Manuel Merillas(ESP) Mammut/Compressport:  2:24:29
3. Tadei Pivk (ITA) Crazy Idea: 2:26:39
4. Gregory Vollet (FRA) Salomon: 2:26:59
5. Aritz Egea (ESP) ESP: 2:27:24

Women
1. Yngvild Kaspersen (NOR) Salomon: 2:42:04
2. Laura Orgue (ESP) Salomon: 2:49:58
3. Maite Maiora (ESP) La Sportiva: 2:51:19
4. Elisa Desco  (ITA) SCOTT Sports: 2:55:52
5. Stevie Kremer USA) Salomon: 3:00:15

Race results