SANDI Menchi Abahan arrived at the finish line with flare despite finishing second in this year’s TheNorthFace100 in Hong Kong from December 10-11.
The Baguio born long-distance runner clocked a total of 17 hours, one minute, and 27 seconds behind the defending and 2016 TNF100-HK women’s champ Marie McNaughton from New Zealand.
McNaughton, who is now based in Hong Kong, completed the weekend race with a time of 15:37:58.
Despite a slow start, Abahan managed to pull away from TNF100 HK women’s third placer Yin Hung Tsang (17:48:19) of China halfway across Checkpoint No. 5 located at the eastern territories of Fanling.
“May naabutan ako [na ibang runner], although hindi ko alam na I was placing second hanggang makarating ako sa checkpoint saka nila sinabi sa akin,” Abahan said.
The 27-year-old athlete added she is pleased with her performance in spite of slowing down in the last eight kilometres of the footrace.
“Happy ako nanalo man ng place or hindi, masaya ako na I was able to finish the race,” said Abahan as she describe the race to be the toughest 100K trail running route in all of Hong Kong.
“Iba ang level ng competition ditto, sobrang layo dyan sa atin tapos ito yung pinaka mahirap na 100 km route na patakbo dito kaya masaya ako na nagawa ko sya,” she added.
McNaughton, Abahan, and Tsang share the limelight with the TNF100-HK men’s champions top billed by hometown competitor Siu Keung Tsang (14:07:07), followed by Australian John Ellis (14:28:10) and Tamas Karlowitz-Juhasz (14:30:29) from Hungary.
Abahan closes out the year with a big bang after winning the TNF100-Philippines women’s champion last May and coping a back-to-back podium finishes in two consecutive Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon in Malaysia for 2014 and 2016.
“Last event ko na po muna ito for this year, mag-rest and recover muna po ako,” Abahan closed.
Abahan is eyeing to defend her title for the third time in the upcoming 2017 edition of the Pilipinas Akyathlon in Itogon, Benguet on February. (PR)