GO ASIA TRAIL 
On October 24, 2015, I went trail running in Pingxi, Taiwan.
This event was organized as an alternative to the cancelled ULTRA Taiwan trail running race. The event could not be held due to a landslide on the surrounding trails caused by a typhoon.
Although it was not a race, I was able to do a trail run for the first time in a foreign country, which I had longed for ＼(^o^)／ Including sightseeing before and after the race, it was a very fulfilling trip to Taiwan. It was a very fulfilling trip to Taiwan, including the sightseeing before and after the race. I was able to interact with runners from overseas for a short time, and it was truly a happy time.
ULTRA Taiwan is a trail race (100km, 50km, 25km) scheduled to be held in October 2015 in the Pingxi area of Taiwan. The organizer was Asia Sport Connection of Hong Kong, which is also the organizer of TransLantau. The legendary trail race was planned to be held the following year, but the local authorities in Taiwan did not give permission, so the race was put on hold.
Trip Outline
- Thursday, October 22: After work, I flew directly to Kansai International Airport for a 21:00 flight on TransAsia Airways to Taoyuan, Taiwan. We then headed to a hostel in Taipei City. This is where we will start our activities.
- October 23 (Fri): Sightseeing in Taipei City (TAIPEI 101, the Memorial Hall of the Central Government, visiting outdoor stores, wandering around Shilin Night Market, etc.)
- Saturday, October 24: Trail run in the Pingxi area of New Taipei. In the evening, dinner at a restaurant in Taipei City with Japanese people who met at the trail event.
- October 25 (Sun): Morning breakfast at Fuhang Tofu, sightseeing in MaoKong, return Japan.
It was my first time to visit Taiwan, but it was a very nice place. The food is delicious and inexpensive. It takes only 3 hours from Osaka, and the flight cost 26,000 yen (round trip with in-flight meal), which is cheaper than going to Tokyo＼(^o^)／.
I will write a separate article on food reports and outdoor store tours in Taiwan, so stay tuned. This time, I will introduce the trail run.
What is Pingxi like?
The Pingxi area is located about 1 hour and 30 minutes by Taiwan Railways from Taipei main station. This area is famous as a tourist destination. It is a place where you can enjoy the scenery of good old Taiwan. As shown in the photo above, it is famous for its lanterns.
Dahua, the starting point of this tour, is also famous for its many waterfalls and power spots. The most famous is the "Sufficient Waterfall," also known as the Niagara Falls of Taiwan. For more information, please see the following link.
Overview of ULTRA Taiwan's trekking events
Up to the start...
Meet at Dahua train station at 8:00 am. About 1.5 hours from Taipei station on the Taiwan Railway at 6:30 am. Not knowing how to buy tickets, we couldn't take the cheap regular train we wanted to take, so we ended up paying express fare and took the express. With the help of a Hong Kong person I met at Taipei Station who was also participating in the event, I made my way to the site... At the transfer station on the way (Ruifang Station), this is what I saw.
When we arrived at Dahua station, many runners had already gathered. About 100 people. Most of them were Chinese from Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc., but there were also Westerners and Southeast Asians. There were three Japanese, including myself.
I recognized one of them by his equipment, including the Answer4 Focus Ultra and Finetrack arm warmers. I thought, "Only a Japanese person would have this kind of equipment," so I called out to him, and he turned out to be Japanese.
Salomon is very popular among people from overseas. As expected of Kilian Power. The next most popular brand was THE NORTH FACE. Some of them were wearing Asics shoes. I think montrail is very popular in Japan, but to my surprise, there was only one other Japanese person there. ALTRA, which is very popular in Ashiyagawa, had only me and Answer4. Was there one HOKA?
Then we started running!
The rules are that there are 12km, 30km, and 40km points from the start point, and you can drop out wherever you want. 12km and 30km points are at the same place (Monkey Town station), and 40km point is at the start point (Dahua station).
At first, I thought about doing the 30km, but it was raining unfortunately, so I decided to return at 12km to see how the trail conditions were.
Then, I heard that the organizer was running ahead of me and asked me to run with a "white powder (lime?)" as a landmark. I was told to run with the "white powder (lime?)" as a landmark. He said, "When it gets wet, it blooms (turns pink).
The course was quite fun!
Although the course was only 12 km long, it was quite contented and very enjoyable.
Climbing up streams is a given. The course layout was advective enough to cross suspension bridges, climb on zails, and cross the river with your feet about knee-deep in the water. The cumulative elevation was not much, but it was a lot of fun.
Also, as I had expected, the trails were quite muddy due to the rain, and it was a real slop fest. I fell quite a bit (T_T). I didn't expect this to happen in Taiwan.
Also, there were two big waterfalls, which were amazing. The negative ions in the air were quite soothing. I was so excited that I took the following pictures.
The rest of the scenery was like something you would see in a Chinese or Hong Kong movie....... Incidentally, the mountains are very similar to those in Japan because of the proximity of Japan and the island nation. Trees are lush and thick, not too different from Japan.
We ended up at the 12 km point!
Due to poor trail conditions, we ended up dropping out at the 12km mark. If it had been sunny and the conditions were good, we had planned to run until 30km...but it was a very fun 12km, really. Also, it was my first time on the trails since recovering from my hip injury, so I think it was even more enjoyable.
Also, the 12km point, Monkey Town Station, is famous for its many cats. There are many cats on Mt. Rokko, but for trail runners who like cats, this is a good place to visit.
Also, I'll put up a map of the route we ran.
After running the Pingxi Trail in Taiwan
This was my first trail in a foreign country, but I enjoyed it very much. Taiwan is very close to Japan. From Kansai, it is closer than going deep into the mountains of Nagano or Gunma prefectures. Although the course was only 12 km long, it was very interesting. Personally, I hope to explore more of Taiwan in the future.
Unlike in Japan, there are no vending machines or convenience stores in the neighborhood, so you need to bring adequate equipment and food. There is also the language barrier, but I think it would be good to enjoy the experience, including the risk of language barriers.
Also, if I had more time, I personally wish I could have had more opportunities to interact with trail runners from overseas. Maybe we could have dinner together after the race. That is my only regret. I made friends with a Taiwanese who could speak Japanese, but we got separated on the way and I could not get his contact information. But I will be back next year and will also go to Hong Kong in March, so I will carry those things over to the next time... (10/31 update: I found a Taiwanese guy on Facebook who I befriended there).
As a trophy, I got a mountain map of the Taipei area (in Chinese, of course) at a bookstore in Taipei City. I'm going to look at the mountain map I bought, study it carefully, and use it as a reference for the next time I visit Taiwan again.
And run more Asia!
Also, I personally think that more Japanese trail runners should go play in foreign mountains. Especially Asia. We tend to focus on the home of trail running in Europe and North America.
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, China, and Southeast Asia are all close to Japan, and with LCCs available, it is possible to go there cheaply! And if you have a chance, come with me ＼(^o^)／＼(^o^)／!
So, it was a fun time.
Thanks a lot , Taiwan.