At 10:00 AM Italian time on September 9, 2012 (4:00 PM Beijing time), the third edition of the "Tor des Géants" race kicked off. When Ziyu Wang, Gaoqing Han, Jianguo Yang, and Lei Yu appeared at the starting line carrying the Chinese national flag, they not only represented the Tecnica Trail Running Team (China Trail Running Team), but also China as a whole. After nearly a week of continuous day-and-night racing, except for Ziyu Wang who had to withdraw due to injury, the other three team members all completed the race within the stipulated time frame and achieved surprisingly good results. This marked the first time Chinese athletes participated in the "Tor des Géants." The champion was French athlete Oscar Perez (No. 552), who finished the race in 75 hours, 56 minutes, and 31 seconds, beating the previous course record by as much as 5 hours.
The "Tor des Géants" takes place in the northwestern Alpine region of Italy, passing through the four highest peaks in Italy: Mont Blanc (4,807 m), Monte Rosa (4,637 m), Cervino (4,478 m), and Gran Paradiso (4,061 m). The course spans 330 kilometers with a total elevation gain of 24,000 meters, crossing 25 mountain passes. The 150-hour cutoff time is part of what makes the "Tor des Géants" so challenging and captivating.
In the end, participant No. 800, Ziyu Wang, withdrew due to injury at the 100-kilometer mark. Participant No. 801, Gaoqing Han, finished in 137 hours, 47 minutes, and 11 seconds, placing 327th. Participant No. 802, Jianguo Yang, completed the race in 122 hours, 32 minutes, and 18 seconds, ranking 176th. Participant No. 803, Lei Yu, finished in 114 hours, 57 minutes, and 21 seconds, placing 116th (official website results). They have written a brand-new chapter for Chinese athletes conquering this famous 330-kilometer ultra-trail race, the "Tor des Géants."
(Note: The first 73 athletes completed the full 330-kilometer race. Later, due to heavy snowfall that left mountain paths covered with 20 cm of snow and roads icy, making further progress impossible, the organizing committee set the finish line at the 303-kilometer mark.)
