Ultratrail runner Zhao Jiaju sets Tor des Géants record in Italy — ECNS
Chinese ultratrail runner Zhao Jiaju won the 330-kilometer Tor des Géants race in Italy’s Aosta Valley, completing the distance in 65 hours, 55 minutes and 22 seconds. According to ECNS, the athlete was the first to finish in Courmayeur and set a new course record, surpassing the previous achievement by 13 minutes.
Zhao became the first representative of Asia to win Tor des Géants. During his debut at the competition a year earlier, he withdrew at approximately the 200-kilometer mark due to exhaustion.
One of the most difficult mountain courses
Tor des Géants takes place in Italy’s Aosta Valley and is among the most difficult ultratrails. The distance is 330 kilometers, with total elevation gain reaching about 24,000 meters. The route passes through 25 high-mountain passes, some of which are located at altitudes above 3,000 meters.
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Participants are given up to 150 hours to complete the course. Runners plan their own rest and sleep during the race.
How the race unfolded
Zhao led the competition for most of the distance, reducing stops at aid stations and limiting himself to short periods of sleep. Near the 200-kilometer mark, he briefly ceded the lead to Switzerland’s Jonathan Schindler, but regained first place on a nighttime section of the route and subsequently increased his advantage.
Zhao was born in 1995 in China’s Guizhou Province. He began with road marathons and switched to trail running in 2017. The athlete later won Chinese and international ultratrails and also became the only Chinese runner to win the Spartan Super and Spartan Beast competitions.
