(ECNS) -- Chinese ultra-trail runner Zhao Jiaju won the 330-kilometer Tor des Géants in Italy on Wednesday, finishing in 65 hours, 55 minutes and 22 seconds to set a new course record.
Zhao crossed the finish line in Courmayeur first, beating the previous record by 13 minutes and becoming the first Asian runner to win the race. The result marked a dramatic turnaround from his debut last year, when he withdrew at around the 200 kilometer mark due to exhaustion.
Held in Italy’s Aosta Valley, the Tor des Géants is one of the world’s toughest ultra-trail races. The 330-kilometer course features about 24,000 meters of elevation gain, nearly three times the height of Mount Everest, and 25 high-altitude passes, some above 3,000 meters. Runners have up to 150 hours to finish, managing their own rest and sleep along the way.
Zhao led for much of the race from the start by limiting his time at aid stations and relying on short periods of sleep. He briefly lost the lead to Swiss runner Jonathan Schindler at around the 200-kilometer mark before regaining it during a night section and gradually extending his advantage.
Born in Guizhou Province in 1995, Zhao left school in his early teens and once studied martial arts at Wudang Mountain before financial constraints forced him to give up. He later worked in a restaurant and then as a delivery rider in Wuhan, turning the physically demanding job into training. He began with road marathons before switching to trail running in 2017.
Over the years, Zhao has won numerous domestic and international ultra-trail races, becoming the only Chinese runner to win both the Spartan Super and Spartan Beast races.
Sponsorships eventually transformed him from a self-trained amateur into a contracted elite athlete.
Despite his growing profile, Zhao has said that his motivation extends beyond competition. He hopes to encourage more people to take up outdoor sports and draw strength from the perseverance required in trail running.
(By Helen Mo & intern Liu Shuangjing)
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