Action Asia challengers take on Taiwan's Taoyuan County

Sunday morning, 240 entrants in the Action Asia Challenge Taiwan will set off from an undisclosed site in the mountains around Fuhsing (復興) in Taoyuan County (桃園縣) to run, swim, kayak and climb in a 45km race.

This will be the first time that Taiwan has played host to a fully-fledged regional adventure race, and the response has astonished organizers.

Participating in the event will be 40 local teams and 20 teams drawn from the region, primarily Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. There will also be a number of celebrity teams, including one led by Taipei's intrepid Mayor Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九).

While some local teams will be adventure racing for the first time, others gained some experience in the mini Eco-Challenge event of 1997/8.

The relative lack of experience could hurt local teams who are unfamiliar with adventure racing, said Patty Lee of Team BMW from Hong Kong. "[Regardless of your skill level] you are always a little slower if you haven't done it before."

Hsia Kuang-yu (夏光宇) of Taiwan Exploration (台灣探險隊) -- a celebrity team from the television show of the same name -- said they experienced some confusion during the Hong Kong AAC in December 2000 during a transition between the running and swimming leg.

"We weren't sure what we were supposed to do, but then we saw everyone jumping into the water just as they were, shoes and all, so we just followed suit," Hsia said. Better prepared this time, the team is hoping to finish the course.

For those who plan to finish the course, physical fitness is an important criteria and at least one athlete, Christina Lee from Singapore, who lost all hearing aged six, will be proving that such a disability is no barrier in this difficult competition.

"Disabled people with a strong love of sport or adventure have no problem [communicating]," Lee said. She hoped that more people with disabilities would participate in such events.

While many teams are participating simply for the fun of it, many others see the AAC as a stepping stone to events such as the Eco-Challenge or the Raid Gauloises.

Steven Corbin, 39, of Team Fear (Far Eastern Adventure Racers) from Hong Kong, has taken part in the last four AAC competitions and said it was one of the best organized events of its type.

A keen athlete, Corbin and his teammates are now looking for sponsorship to participate at a regional and international level.

For the Chinese Taipei Road Running Association (中華民國路跑協會), which is the local partner for the event, it is the first time they will have dealt with such diverse disciplines as kayaking and rappelling.

Teams will race through six checkpoints, two of which will be cutoff points, according to Mark Dolan, a course consultant. "If teams don't make it to these points by a certain time they are disqualified," he said.

Sweep teams will follow up over the course to ensure that nobody is left behind in the rugged terrain through which the race passes.

The fastest racers are expected to finish around 1pm, Dolan said, while the slowest teams that are able to make the cutoffs are likely to take around seven hours.

Though it will not be possible for spectators to watch the whole race due to logistical difficulties, activities at the finish line have been arranged to entertain spectators waiting for teams to finish.

Performances, displays and food stalls will be set up at the Jieshou Primary School (介壽國小) in Fuhsing, where the race finishes. These will focus on the local Atayal Aboriginal culture, with exhibitions of traditional crafts, food and dances.