The Uni-President Sun Moon Lake Triathlon gets under way today starting with a sprint distance event consisting of a 750m swim, 20km cycle and a 10km run. There will also be a relay race event featuring the likes of the sight-impaired Standard Chartered team and a celebrity team featuring stars from the TV series Secret Garden II (我的秘密花園) and Daughter of the Sun (太陽的女兒).
But the real action begins tomorrow, when New Zealander Craig Johns attempts to defend his title in the Olympic distance race consisting of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run.
Standing in his way will be Taiwan's Tom Wei (魏振展), who defeated Johns the last time the two competed in the Hualien Cup on May 19.
Johns will have his work cut out because he is forgoing his normal two-week rest period between races, having finished second in a triathlon in Bali just seven days ago.
But Johns is no stranger to challenges: A keen participant in sports as varied as swimming, field hockey and rugby, he was diagnosed with atrial fibulation at age 15 and told to avoid exerting himself. He followed that advice for just four months before returning to action and went on to qualify for the New Zealand junior triathlon team within a year.
He attended the world championships as an elite junior at age 18 before further heart problems resulted in him being fitted with a pacemaker at age 20.
For a while that meant focusing on coaching and a sports science career, and three years ago Johns came to Taiwan to work as a swimming coach at Taipei American School.
It was then that a friend encouraged Johns to buy a bicycle "because golf was too expensive," which led to him returning to competitive triathlons.
Although an Olympic distance triathlon would be more than enough for most people, Johns says he prefers the longer Ironman events, which consist of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run.
Apart from the more immediate challenge posed by Wei, the biggest thing standing in the way of further success for Johns is a hereditary hip problem diagnosed recently that might force him to undergo a hip replacement operation within a few years.
In the meantime, the New Zealander takes a daily dose of painkillers carefully vetted by the New Zealand Rugby Union medical staff to ensure he doesn't fall foul of the anti-doping regulations.
In addition, Johns relies on an osteopath in Taipei who is working on ways to slow the degeneration of the athlete's hip, thereby prolonging his competitive career.
But with osteoarthritis, osteoperosis, bone spurs and cysts all taking their toll, it seems likely that Johns might not have too many triathlons left in him.
He said he's already finishing the running sections of triathlons about four or five minutes slower than before.
Looking ahead then, he plans to focus on cycling and other sports where less weight is placed on the hip.
Having already overcome so many challenges, it would be natural for Johns to allow himself some self-pity.
But he's aware that there is always someone worse off. He said he trained in the US with a double amputee who still finishes half-marathons.
With inspiration like that, Johns said that he's just happy to be able to do something he loves.
"I just enjoy every day, enjoy still being alive [despite suffering heart problems]. Obstacles get in your way, but you find a way around them," he said.
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