What kind of trail runner are you – the Euro Ace or the CrossFitter?

Trail runners come in many varieties, from the road runner trying out the mountains to the unknown Chinese runner who sets records then disappears just as fast

Or are you the CrossFitter, confused by the lack of mirrors but proud of the lack of T-shirt?

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Which runner are you? The Grizzled Veteran or the Euro Elite? Photo: UTMB

Published: 8:00am, 14 Apr 2021Updated: 8:00am, 14 Apr 2021

Trail runner is a human species regularly spotted by hikers in mountainous regions from Italy to Japan. To an untrained eye, trail runners may appear similar in behaviour and appearance, but to the initiated, they come in many varieties, each one shaped by a unique evolutionary path. Here is a brief guide to common trail runner types that you can observe at race start lines in Hong Kong.

Euro Ace

He soloed his first 4,000m peak in the Euro mountains as an embryo and skied professionally before he could digest solid food. Googling his name yields a long list of wins in races that read like labels on wine bottles (Le Super Trail Vertical du Lac du Mont de St Christophe), and videos of him playfully pushing his fellow skinny Euro Aces off razor-sharp mountain ridges.

At the race he maintains superior aloofness – he has come to win, and usually does.

Unknown Runner from Chinese Mainland

A runner appears from Mainland China, wins a race and disappears never to be heard from again. Photo: HK100

Born in a mountain village at 5,000m altitude, the Unknown Mainland Runner was sent, alone, to a sports boarding school before she spoke her first word, and has been training five times a day, every day, ever since. At the race, she runs the first half of the course faster than the Euro Ace, and smashes the female course record. She never comes back, but the following year her course record is beaten by the next Unknown Mainland Runner.

What kind of trail runner are you – the Euro Ace or the CrossFitter?

Trail runners come in many varieties, from the road runner trying out the mountains to the unknown Chinese runner who sets records then disappears just as fast Or are you the CrossFitter, confused by the lack of mirrors but proud of the lack of T-shirt?

Trail runners come in many varieties, from the road runner trying out the mountains to the unknown Chinese runner who sets records then disappears just as fast

Or are you the CrossFitter, confused by the lack of mirrors but proud of the lack of T-shirt?