This Friday, the Ultra-Trail Australia (UTA) by UTMB will kick off. As the largest and most influential trail race in Oceania, it features six categories: 100 miles, 100 kilometers, 50 kilometers, 22 kilometers, 11 kilometers, and 1 kilometer (kids). In the 50 km category, China’s Yao Miao will compete; her biggest rival is last year’s UTMB champion, New Zealand’s Ruth Croft. Their UTMB indices are 822 and 823, respectively — very close. This will be their first direct showdown, so who will take the title? Yao Miao has focused mainly on shorter distances in recent years; last year she won the 50 km title at 阿兰谷 by UTMB and the OCC title. Ruth Croft won the 60 km category at the Ninghai Trail Challenge last year and took the Tarawera by UTMB 100 km crown in February this year. 跑野大爆炸 and 越野看台 will livestream the race — stay tuned. 50 km start time: May 16, 03:05. In the men’s 100 km, China’s Qin Guidu will be a strong contender for the title. 100 km start time: May 16, 03:00. In the 100-mile elite entry list, China’s Chen Lin is included (bib number 2) and is also the second-ranked female by UTMB index in that category. In the 22 km category, China’s Luo Qiong is also on the elite start list. #YaoMiao #RuthCroft #UTMB #UltraTrailAustralia #trailrunning #跑野大爆炸