Once described by Runner’s World as “the best ultra runner you’ve never heard of” China’s Yao Miao was a bit of a sensation on the ultra scene at the end of the last decade. Then she vanished.
In 2018 she set a new women’s course record winning the Hong Kong 100k, then placed second at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and won the UTMB CCC (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix). Not bad for a 23-year-old who’d never raced outside of her home country before.
Then it starting going wrong, with various DNFs blighting her outings. In frustration, Yao Miao gave up on ultras and concentrated on road marathons. But by last year, the hunger for the trails had returned, and Wa/ondering details her return to ultra running, including 2023’s Sierre-Zinal and UTMB OCC. And it tries to get inside the mental processes fuelling that urge to return to, along with some stunning footage.
Director Kyle Oberman explains: “Yao Miao’s documentary of her 2023 journey to return to European trails and to find herself is finally out with English subtitles on my YouTube. Wa/ondering is a play on words, a combination of the spirit of wonder that embodies @yaomiao1’s mindset as she wanders (often running, that is) on both literal and figurative trails and mountains.
“I hope this film gives the watcher a better understanding of who Yao Miao is, or, was in that moment of time, and where she is going in the future. Dreaming of a day where all Chinese athletes speak English and all non-Chinese athletes speak Mandarin 😬 But for now, hopefully this translation will do.”
Yao Miao was due to run in the Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland this weekend (August 10) but sadly she’s had to pull out because of visa problems. She assures her fans that she’s fit and well so it seems like the recovery is continuing well.
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