Having organized five international adventure races in Taiwan that were filmed by National Geographic and ESPN Star Sports for regional TV coverage, Action Asia Events’ next venture is the 2010 Salomon Suunto X Trail race on June 5 in Maokong (貓空) in Taipei’s Wenshan District (文山區). Prize money of more than US$15,000 is up for grabs.
The Action Asia Events team has set up two trail courses, one designed for novice runners and hikers, the other for experienced trail runners. Both start and finish at Zhinan Temple (指南宮) in Maokong. The easier of the two is an 8km course, comprising a single-track trail and a short 500m hiking section, which runners can finish in one to two hours, depending on their fitness level.
For more experienced runners, the 16km course features single-track trails with some mountain sections — including 678m Ergeshan (二格山) and 530m Houshan (猴山) — that offer stunning views. The winner is expected to finish in less than 90 minutes, and the course’s average finishing time is two to three hours.
In a telephone interview, Michael Maddess, race director and course designer for Action Asia Events, said that few people were aware of Taiwan’s excellent environment for trail running.
“People think that Hong Kong has a great environment just because there are plenty of races held there,” Maddess said. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite ... Taiwan has massive potential to develop trail running.”
Road running is already popular in Taiwan, Maddess said, but unfamiliarity with the country’s mountain trails keeps runners from taking greater advantage of them.
Taiwan has outstanding distance runners competing regionally, Maddess said. “Some are now visiting Hong Kong to race, and placing very highly,” he added.
“Many serious road racers will train on mountain trails for a whole variety of reasons,” Maddess said, citing avoidance of urban air pollution as a major factor.
As of this week, Action Asia Events has already received 35 applications from Hong Kong competitors, including Jeremy Ritcey, one of the special administrative region’s top distance runners.
Maddess said he hopes the June 5 race will introduce more Taiwanese to the joys of mountain trails, show runners in the region what the country has to offer and promote the growth of annual races in Taiwan that appeal to runners across Asia, and perhaps even draw competitors from the European circuit.
More details about the race can be found at www.actionasiaevents.com in both English and Chinese. The registration fee is NT$800, and there are 600 places.
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