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January 27, 2018, was a very special day for Qi Min and Yao Miao. In the Vibram Hong Kong 100km Ultra Trail Race, they won the men's and women's championships respectively, both breaking the event records.

It is worth mentioning that Qi Min and Yao Miao are a couple, and this was their first time participating in the Hong Kong 100. Winning as a couple has extraordinary significance for them. After the race, many in the running community congratulated the champion couple, with some even calling them the 'Speedy Couple'.

Qi Min and Yao Miao have the same goal in trail running but different experiences. What are their stories? How did they embark on the trail running path and eventually win the Hong Kong 100 in 2018?

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This couple became famous in one race at the Hong Kong 100

This year's Hong Kong 100 had a total of 2003 participants, including 1535 men and 468 women.Compared to previous years, this year's Hong Kong 100 did not have super strong competitors like Zhuang Zhu, but rather a mixed battle of various elites. Top domestic runners such as Yu Lei, Liang Jing, Qi Min, Deng Guomin, Yang Jiagen, Yu Yunhui, Zeng Xiaoqiang, Ji Zhengquan, and Di Jun all participated in this year's Hong Kong 100.

After the race started, Qi Min was in the lead until near the CP5 segment when Liang Jing overtook him. The two arrived at CP5 almost simultaneously and began a tug-of-war. However, Liang Jing gradually expanded his lead, and by around 66KM, he was 8 minutes ahead of Qi Min, with a segment time 2 minutes faster than Zhuang Zhu's 2016 record.

After nearly 10 hours of racing, the first-time participant Qi Min won the championship with a time of 9 hours, 28 minutes, and 36 seconds, breaking the event record.Qi Min's victory had a certain dramatic element.BecauseChina's ultramarathon record holder—Liang Jing, reached the finish line one second earlier than Qi Min, with a time of 9 hours, 28 minutes, and 35 seconds.

However, Liang Jing was disqualified for receiving supplies at a non-supply point, violating the race rules. Qi Min said after the race, 'Today I was second, I lost, but somehow I became first. But I indeed lost by one second.'

The women's elite group of this year's Hong Kong 100 was predicted to be highly competitive. Participants included 2017 UTWT Women's Champion Andrea Huser from Switzerland, last year's third-place finisher Marie McNaughton from New Zealand, 2015 UTMB Women's Champion Nathaile Mauclair from France, and 2017 UTMB Women's fourth-place finisher Kaoru Niwa from Japan.

However, surprisingly, the 2017 China Mountain Marathon Series Champion—1996-born Yao Miao, led the race and maintained her lead to win the women's championship with a time of 10 hours, 40 minutes, and 52 seconds, breaking the event record.

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From running out of the mountains to running back into the mountains

In 1988, Qi Min was born in the high-altitude mountainous area of Yunnan. As a child, he often followed his father into the mountains to pick mountain goods to sell in the city, spending the whole day there. Therefore, Qi Min had a good foundation for running mountain roads from a young age.

Because of frequent mountain trips, Qi Min developed exceptional athletic abilities. When he graduated from elementary school, he was selected by a track and field coach from Hubei Province and began training from the most basic projects, which lasted for 11 years.

However, Qi Min did not suffer any injuries during these 11 years, thanks to his mentor Ji Chengwen. It was the scientific training methods of his teacher that allowed Qi Min to grow quickly. It was also this 11-year foundation that led to Qi Min's victory in the Hong Kong 100.

Growing up in the track and field team, Qi Min could only make a living by running, and his goal in participating in competitions was to win more prize money. The first time he participated in a trail run was because he would get travel expenses for completing the race, so he decided to join. It was from this race that Qi Min began his trail running journey.

In 2017, Qi Min participated in several high-quality races and finished all of them as the champion, demonstrating his high competitive level.Qi Min once said that trail running is a kind of return for him. He was originally a child who grew up in the mountains, and trail running brought him back to the mountains.

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She didn't love running but became a trail running expert

Born in 1996, Yao Miao's family was not well-off. When she was in school, she had to walk three kilometers from home to school every day, making multiple trips back and forth. This foundation gave Yao Miao good physical fitness from a young age. In her third year of middle school, she was selected by a sports school and began her running career.

When she first entered the sports school, Yao Miao did not like running. Her hobby was painting, but due to her family's financial situation, she had to give up her hobby.During her time at the sports school, Yao Miao's training was not very rigorous, and her results were not outstanding. She just followed the training day by day.

In 2014, Yao Miao won third place in the Haikou Marathon, earning a prize of 5000 yuan. However, after deducting taxes and giving a portion to her coach, she was left with very little. This marathon made her realize that running could make money.

After two years of decline, in 2016, her senior brother Guan Yousheng encouraged her to pick up running again and train with him. They trained continuously every day, rain or shine, with a minimum daily training volume of 50 kilometers. With the increase in running volume and intensity, Yao Miao's performance improved significantly in 2017.

In 2017, Yao Miao repeatedly won first place in various major events.

On May 6, 2017, she won the 50km group championship in the Xtrail Wulong 100km Ultra Trail Race with a time of 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 54 seconds.

On June 18, 2017, she won the 42km championship in the second stop of the China Mountain Marathon Series with a time of 3 hours, 12 minutes, and 47 seconds.

On September 18, 2017, she won the 50km championship in the Jinsha Asia Mountain Speed Challenge with a time of 5 hours, 17 minutes, and 32 seconds.

On November 24, 2017, she won the 100km championship in the Guizhou Huan Leigong Mountain race, successfully defending her title.

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With similar backgrounds, the same purpose in running, and similar goals, both Qi Min and Yao Miao saw significant improvements in their performance in 2017. Now that they are a couple, have they set their sights on the UTMB? We look forward to them bringing us more surprises.

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