American Hong Kong 100 challenger on ‘shameful’ US government and mastering Chopin
Multiple major champion Dakota Jones set for city debut, will be OK ‘whether I win or screw up’ but wants success for platform to speak up
As he stripped back his training ahead of tackling the intimidating Anta Guanjun Hong Kong 100 on Saturday, Dakota Jones felt “fat and slow, and questioned whether every niggle was an injury”.
That physical and mental discomfort is common among athletes tapering before races, but Jones has learned to “let it go … it’s normal, I’m in shape and I’ve enough experience that I’m pretty chilled”.
Preparing for his Hong Kong debut, the American has claimed multiple major trail and ultra-running race victories, although a barren two years has left him “searching for the strength to be OK with racing poorly”.
Keen to retain the capacity for running trails in 30 years, Jones has pledged to “never race too hard to get a result”. “I have to separate my sense of fulfilment from the outcome,” he said.
Nonetheless, the 35-year-old, a self-taught piano player, is acutely aware that strong performances create a heightened profile and, consequently, a wider reach when he talks about the effects of climate change, or takes aim at a US government he calls a “shameful disgrace”.
Over recent days, President Donald Trump climbed down from threats to impose tariffs on European allies that had opposed America’s plan to take control of Greenland.