GO ASIA TRAIL 
On September 29, 2018, I participated in the XTERRA TAIWAN trail running race in Ken Ting, the southernmost tip of Taiwan, which I briefly reported on my Facebook page, but I hope to be able to tell you more about it on my blog.
XTERRA is the collective name for a series of races that operate as an "off-road version of triathlon" held around the world. The main events are swim/MTB/trail run triathlons, but there is also a category just for trail runs. This year's XTERRA TAIWAN will be a trail run on September 29 and a triathlon on September 30.
How to get to Kenting
Kaohsiung International Airport is convenient for access to Kenting. There are direct flights from Kansai International Airport via Peach, and we saw a couple of people competing in the triathlon division of XTERRA TAIWAN at Kansai International Airport. (I saw them checking in their MTBs at the airport check-in counter.)
And there is a direct express bus service from Kaohsiung International Airport.
- The distance is about 100 km.
- Travel time is about 2 hours and 30 minutes
- One-way fare is 300 Taiwan dollars (about 1100 yen)
There is no restroom break on the way. Also, there are no restroom facilities on the bus, so please use the restroom at the airport beforehand. Taiwanese buses have free Wi-Fi and USB sockets so you can recharge your batteries (some buses may not have them). SIM cards are sold at Kaohsiung International Airport, so if you have a SIM-free phone, you can also buy a SIM card here.
Registration (player registration)
You can register at Kenting Youth Activity Center from 13:00 to 20:00 on 9/28. The signboard is written in Japanese, but the staff does not speak Japanese. They speak Chinese or English.
XTERRA sign on a Chinese building. Very cool!
There is a sign at the event site with the athletes and their number numbers, so check your number there and then pick up your bib, awards, etc. from the staff.
At the venue, there were booths of manufacturers, which are common at marathons. Most of them were triathlon brands, so I did not understand them well. If it was treerunning, Decathlon (迪卡儂, Taiwanese name) had a booth.
Decathlon is a major French sporting goods store that does not carry national brands such as Nike and Adidas, but only their own private brands. Decathlon is a sportswear store, but it does not carry national brands such as Nike and Adidas. There is a small store in Osaka, Japan, but there are about 10 stores in Taiwan, mainly in major cities. For details, I will write a separate article as I visited the Deacathlon Kaohsiung Fengshan store on another day.
The participation prize is like this. You can get many.
- Buff (kalenji)
- Massage ball (kalenji)
- Salon pass (Hisamitsu)
- Sweat wipes (kenji)
- BCAA (exercise master)
- Body soap
- Energy bar
Race day
The free shuttle bus from the Kending Youth Activity Center will take you to the starting point of the race, "Liufu Mountain Villa. Since it is located 2.5 km from the site, there were a few people running to the venue here and there. However, the bus I took stalled several times and seemed to be in bad shape, so I was dropped off halfway and walked about 500 meters to the venue (laugh).
You can also register at the Rokufuku Villa until 8:30 in the morning. You can also leave your change of clothes and other luggage at the starting point. An opening ceremony was held at 8:30 a.m., with folk dances performed by local youths.
Just before the start of the event, the MC asked in English, "Is there anyone from outside of Taiwan or Hong Kong? I replied in English, "Russia! A Russian in front of me shouted, "Russia! I raised my hand and shouted "Japan" in a loud voice. Everyone was so excited and welcomed me with open arms. As for the 21km, I was the only Japanese. 10km had a Japanese name written on it, but I did not meet him at the venue.
Now, on 9/29 at 09:00 (Taiwan time), the 21km will start. Details of the race will continue in the second part.