We are continuing to post a selection of quality images of the past four Asia Trail Master series races in China, Indonesia and Kazakhstan on our dedicated channels like Pinterest, Instagram and facebook. Shots were taken by professional photographers within the Kuai Sports Promotions media network. 

Images are credited particularly to Studio Zag, Hong Kong (Dalian 100, Gede Pangrango Marathon), and Red Plus Studio, Shanghai (Tsaigu Tangsi Plus)

Asia Trail Master Pinterest board

Dalian 100 Endurance Trail (facebook)

Tsaigu Tangsi Plus (facebook)

Gede Pangrango Marathon (facebook)

Tengri Ultra Trail (coming soon)

The 1st edition of the Tengri Ultra Trail in Tamgaly Tas, approx 120km from Almaty in eastern Kazakhstan lived up to its pre-race hype. The 300 participants enjoyed a gorgeous day on the varied but tougher-than-expected course, and are already looking forward to more. Local hero George Shejko was the fastest man on the 55km distance in 5:37:15. A member of the national team of Kazakhstan in olympic (speed) walking, Shejko discovered the sport of trail running with this race as also for him it was a new experience. The women's race was won by Akmaral Meirman in 6:48:31. 

The whole event was a true outdoor experience as participants camped in tents along the clean Ili River at Tamgaly Tas, a place where one can also do rock climbing. The long distance race consisted of two laps of 27,5km featuring a variety of terrain, including pristine grassland, steep and bushy hills and an impressive but technical and rocky gorge.  It was the best possible introduction to trail running for local athletes. A select group of non-Kazakhs who had made their way to the event spoke of a lifetime experience. 

Men 55 km:
1.Shejko Georgiy 1989 05:37:15
2. Galimbekov Ilyas 1995 06:13:42
3. Denis Vlasov 1983 06:22:44
Women 55 km:
1.Meirman Akmaral 1983 06:48:31
2. Teich Elizabeth 1991 07:41:55
3.Mergenbaeva Diana 1988 09:03:55

The race is set to continue next year and registrations are likely to open already at the end of this year. 

The Asia Trail Master ranking has been updated with the results of the Tengri Ultra Trail. There are no major changes at the front as Xie Zhangrong (men) and Yuen Kit Shan (women) lead. George Shejko enters in 13th place and Akmaral Meirman in 11th. 

This weekend will see the first ever major trail running race in Kazakhstan take place along the Ili River Valley in Tamsgaly Tas, approximately 120km from Almaty in the east of the country. The Tengri Ultra Trail over 50km or 25km will be characterised by superb views and an endless horizon. Mixed with the green colours of the grasslands will be the bright red of the local flowers.

About 300 runners are expected to start the race from a campsite at te Ili River in the early morning of Sunday. Among them also a number of international runners from Hong Kong (supported by Air Astana and Action Asia magazine) and China, who will claim a sort of pioneering role as Kazakhstan is bound to become a popular destination for adventure lovers. Also because the local population is discovering the pleasures of outdoor activities, and cycling, skiing and running in particular.  The Tengri Ultra Trail also plays the adventure angle, as all participants are expected to camp and sleep in tents on Saturday night before the race. There is no wifi or mobile service neither in the area.  Security measures have been taken all along the trail, though, and the 50km and 25km participants will be looping in opposite directions. 

The winners of the 50km race, men and women, will score 450 points for the Asia Trail Master ranking. Podium placers this weekend will also receive prizes by ATMs partners Newline Sport and Simple Hydration. 

A report and main results will be published here on Monday, and a more comprehensive feature article on the event will be published in a summer edition of Action Asia magazine.

Now the Gede Pangrango Marathon has been concluded, we of course have an influx of Indonesian runners into the new Asia Trail Master ranking. Respective male and female winners last weekend, Jumradi and Mila Marlina enter the ranking in 15th and 12th position respectively. 

Updated ranking 5 May 2015 

Gede Pangrango is the shortest race on the calendar this year, which also means the fewest distance points were on offer. Indonesian runners are bound to be protagonists in this year's first edition of the Asia Trail Master series, as the country is hosting four races on our calendar. For the final championship ranking at the end of the year in December, only the best three points results count for each runner.  Also Chinese runners in theory do not need to travel abroad to score points, but there's many athletes all over Asia who are planning to do exactly that. 

Race 6 on our calendar follows next weekend. The Tengri Ultra Trail is a 50km and 25km race in the vast green countryside of Tamsgaly Tas, approx. 100km from Almaty in Kazakhstan. 

Photo by Studio Zag, Hong Kong

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The 1st Bussière Xi Shan Trail Challenge was held in Beijing's Haidian District last weekend, a Candidate Race for the 2016 Asia Trail Master series. Candidate races are races that have already applied for entry into our series next year, and pending evaluation of this year's edition, will indeed do so. Xiaozhao Zhao was at the scene last weekend and reports on an event struck by adverse weather conditions. 

Nearly 700 runners participated in the race which consisted of 4 categories: 88km, 42km, 21km and 10km. Among those runners, approximately 140 raced in the 88km (total ascent  4400m) while 160 in the 42km (total ascent 2300m) respectively. The time limitation for 88k is 24hrs, while the 42km is 12hrs.

The West Hills (= Xi Shan) of Beijing is affiliated to the huge Mount Taihang Shan, which embraces the west and the north of Beijing. The Yangtai Shan (1282m above sea level) of the West Hills is the highest point of Haidian District. There is also a large natural view scenery zone in the West Hills—the Phoenix Ridge. In the sunny days without smog, you can have a splendid view around here—steep cliffs, huge trees and Buddha temples from ancient areas, dense forests and winding trails.

The West Hills is not only famous for its natural beauty, but also for its unique story in the WWII. During the war time, the local guerrillas used this area as their supplying line and covert caches for the fight against Japanese intruders. Many heroes gave their ultimate sacrifice for the final victory in Sep, 1945. A French doctor named Jean Jérome Augustin Bussiere, who had a Master in Chinese and had lived in Beijing for nearly 30 years when the war broke out, stood together with the Chinese people and risked his life and career to smuggle medicine along the trails and footpath in the forest here to help the guerrillas and civilians. The command post of local guerrillas is not far from the Mansion of Bussiere in the West Hills. In 2014, Jinping XI, President of China, highly recommended Mr. Bussiere and his great courage and effort under in the 70 anniversary of China-France establishing diplomatic relations. The organizer of Bussiere Challenge Beijing Xishan Trail also hope to pay respect to Mr. Bussiere in their own way—by organizing a tough running event named after him. 

The 88km category started at 0800AM, 2nd, May while the 42km category started 10minutes later.

In 88km, we can see quite a few familiar faces in the trail running community of Mainland China, such as Zhijian DING, Changgui QIU, Fuyue LI and Shuwen CHEN.

Zhijian graduated from university 3 years ago and has kept running despite a lot of pressure at work. His specialty is coping with technical and steep downhills.

Changgui and Fuyue have something in common: 40+ years old, harsh childhood, dedication to training in their limited spare time and extraordinary toughness and peace of mind, which has made them extremely competitive in all the trail races they ran so far. They often score places on the podium of a trail race.

Shuwen is a finisher of 2013 Tour des Geants, but compared with the 3 abovementioned runners, he does not have unique skills. But he is very experienced in running at night.

In the female field, Runqing MAO, a teacher from a university in Tianjin attracted the most attention before the race. Mao is not only good at descending but also highly resistent to exhaustion. Compared to her results in races, her training is one of high efficiency-cost ratio.

All things went smoothly until top runners stormed to the entrance of a trail after a long ascent by stone stairs. The volunteers showed the wrong direction, and runners followed their instructions. Nearly 30 runners of 88km and 42km ran in the wrong direction until they realized how far they went—almost 3km. Despite this unfortunate incident, most runners considered the extra distance as a surprising bonus. It did not affect the outcome of the race neither. 

Zhijian led the race almost from the start to the end, while Changgui and Fuyue took up the 2nd and 3rd positions in turn. But Changui and Fuyue missed a sign a second time later on in the race. 

Around 5 or 6 o’clock, a downpour began and a strong wind began to blow. The organizer altered the course according to the weather forecast and their emergency back-up plan: a shortcut to lower the difficulty and total distance of 88km to 63km in consideration of the safety of runners and volunteers.

In the end, the rainstorm ensured no more than 20 runners finished the long distance race. By the time of 4 AM, all the runners had returned to the finish line safely, which was of course the most important thing. 

Top 3 male:

1 Zhijian DING-11:18
2 Fuyue LI-11:53
3 Changgui QIU-12:47

For top females, Runqing Mao lost her way several times and ranked 2nd, while a new face, Xuetao ”Bee Queen” Wu,  became the champion in her debut race over a +50km  distance. It took them about 5 hours to run alone in the rain and then the dark wild. Ultra trail running is the game for brave and tough girls.

Top 3 female:

1 Xuetao WU-14:05
2 Runqing MAO-15:28
3 Ning ZHAO-15:54

In the 42km, we also saw familiar elites like Kailun WEI (from Liaoning Province, the fastest Chinese with best rank in the Tour des Geants: 107hrs 25min, 59th overall), Duanyang BI(Marathon PR under 2hrs 45min) and Qiuyu MENG(finished Vibram HK100 within 14 hrs) plus Jingfeng LIU(F, Marathon PR under 3hrs 15min). For those who practiced along the course already a couple of times, experience was their secret to finish, or even prevail. 

There was an innovation in this race, which is also the first attempt in a trail running race in Mainland China. If a runner of 88km category wanted to switch to 42km category, he/she could do so at a special checkpoint under the supervision of organizer’s representative. 1 UTMB point was still available after switching, but of course there was no access to the podium of the 42km. The race director, Mr. Daqing WANG said that it is the TNF100HK gave him inspiration to set this rule in regulation.

Top 3 male:

1 Dunyang BI-04:54
2 Linhu LI-05:06
3 Jindong LI-05:23

Top 3 female:

1 Jing LIU-06:36
2 Yan SHI-06:58
3 Liping WANG-07:12

Father & Son

Maofu WANG is the son of Yan WANG and Jingli ZHANG. Wang is a devoted trail runner and photographer in his spare time along with his wife, Jingli. As a Tecnica-sponsored runner, Wang will run the 2015 Tour des Geants this autumn in Italy and he also finished several 100km in Mainland China and Hongkong with solid performances. In 2014, he completed the TNF100km Beijing (105km, total ascend 6900m) in dark night and in dense fog within 20hrs. In Bussiere Challenge, he ran the 21km with his little son all the way. ”This is a good opportunity to teach him the meaning of challenge and achievement, as well as enjoy and respect the nature. Of course, he is very happy all the time. He finished the 21km all by his own efforts because I told him if he relies on my strength, he will be disqualified by the organizer. And, I trust his determination and fitness.” Wang said. “At the first I am a little worried about them because I lost contact with them, perhaps due to the bad signal of mobile phone. But on seeing them back at the finish line so happy, I am really excited! I am so proud of my family. ”Jingli said. She was a volunteer in the timing group and photographing during the race and offered more than 12hrs service.

The race director also appointed Maofu, the youngest finisher of 21km to distribute medals to some 21km finisher behind him. Maofu enjoyed it as a game, he also set the record of the youngest volunteer.

Furthermore, a charity running group including 10 handicapped runners finished 10km and they will continue their adventure in Gobi desert in Gansu Province soon.

Regarding the many participants on the 21km and 10km, most of them were recreational hikers and it was their first try of trail running.

Despite the bad weather conditions for the long distance runners, the event brought a lot of smiles. The organiser has taken note of the technical issues faced by some of the runners and will solve these for next year's 2nd edition. 

This weekend's first Indonesian race of the 2015 Asia Trail Master series was won by local Indonesian runners Jumardi in the men's category and Mila Marlina in the women's. 26-year-old Jumradi had an advantage of almost 50 minutes over second-placed Wijanarko and crossed the line (picture below) in 9:48:08.

The 42km long marathon distance proved to be a real hard nut to crack for most of the participants. Climbing up the two peaks was always meant to be tough. No fewer than 4000m of elevation gain had to be conquered on "just" 42km. On the bonus side, runners enjoyed spectacular views of the national park. 

Quick podium results:

Men: 1. Jumradi (indonesia) 9:48:08; 2. Wijanarko (Indonesia) 10:35:32; 3. Gaspard Dessy (France) 10:54:17 
Women: 1. Marlina (Indonesia) 14:43:37 . No other women made the 16h cut off time

View on the top

This Saturday, 2 May, marks the first of four Asia Trail Master races in Indonesia on the calendar. The Gede Pangrango Marathon takes place in a beautiful national park in West Java, roughly 2,5 hours away from Jakarta, capital city of Indonesia. It is a race for mountain goats and nature lovers. The 42km distance covers no fewer than 4000 altitude metres and two big (volcanic) peaks, and is a points-scoring race for the Asia Trail Master ranking. Start and finish is in Cibodas. 

For non-domestic participants, please see a gentle reminder for the MANDATORY GEAR List, as published on the event organiser's social media pages. 

1. BIB (Running number)
2. Drinking Water 1.5 Liter
3. Food
4. Headlamps + extra batteries.
5. Emergency Survival Blanket (minimum 130cm x 200cm)
6. Whistle
7. Warm Outfits
8. First-Aid Kit

Participants also strongly advised to have Travel/Accident Insurance.

There will be shuttle bus to ferry runners on race day from a city location in Jakarta to the race venue inside the National Park.

For more information, please contact:
Contact: 081210000469 (Ary) atau 0817181187 (Rama)
Email: debrads.id@gmail.com

DEPARTURE
Location: In front of FX Sudirman (https://goo.gl/maps/wbuCW)
Date/Time:
Saturday, 2 May 2015 02:00 WIB (for 15K dan 21K)
Saturday, 2 May 2015 01:00 WIB (for 42K)

RETURN
Location: Race Central at Cibodas Botanical Garden
Date/Time:
Saturday, 2 May 2015 15:00 WIB (for 15K dan 21K)
Saturday, 2 May 2015 22:00 WIB (for 42K)

FEE:
IDR 150,000/pax (for 15K and 21K)
IDR 170,000/pax (for 42K)

Terms and Condition:
1. Available only to confirmed (paid, with BIB number) participants.
2. Fee is IDR 150,000/pax for 15K and 21K participants, IDR 170,000/pax for 42K participants.
3. You will be included in the passenger list only after we confirmed your payment.
4. Shuttle bus capacity is 48pax/bus for 15K and 21K, 15pax/bus for 42K.
5. You will be grouped based on total number of passengers.
6. Grouping will be based on paid passengers.
7. Minimum number for group departure is 38pax/group for 15K and 21K, 12pax/group for 42K.
8. If minimum number in 7) above not reached, the group's shuttle bus will be cancelled and all payments will be refunded.
9. Departure will be on 2 May 2015 02:00WIB for 15K and 21K, and 2 May 2015 01:00WIB for 42K.
10. Return trip will be on 2 May 2015 15:00WIB for 15K and 21K, and 2 May 2015 22:00WIB for 42K.
11. Snacks will be provided during the trip.
12. We take no responsibility on your belongings, please take care of your own stuffs.
13. No littering are allowed in the bus or out to the open street.
14. By registering for this shuttle bus service, you agree to the terms and condition.
15. Payment can be done by bank transfer to BCA 4761178886, Account holder's name is Diah Kirana Putri.
16. Send your registration information, with payment proof, to debrads.id@gmail.com. Please include:

• Name
• Race Category (15K, 21K or 42K)
• Bib Number (Check yours at http://www.gedepangrangomarathon.com/id/about-gpmarathon/entry-list)
• Contact Number
• Attachment of Payment Proof

NOTES:
Do not forget to upload a copy of you Photo ID for Park purposes

Following the two races in China, Tsaigu Tangsi Plus and Dalian 100, we have a new leader in the current Asia Trail Master ranking for men: Xie Zhangrong (picture left) managed to finish second in both long distance courses of the aforementioned events, and therefore does slightly better than race winner Yan Longfei, who opted for the shorter, and therefore less prestigious, 52km B-distance in Dalian. 

Runners finishing the longest A-distance race of an event not only receive more distance points (1 km = 1 point) , but also score more performance points (see the points table), as by default the best runners take part in the long rather than the short distance races. 

Yan Longfei is in training for one of his season's goals next month in Australia, hence his decision to run the 50km, which actually was 52km, in Dalian last weekend. The same applied for Dong Li, one of China's leading female runners. In the women's ATM ranking today, Yuen Kit Shan (Hong Kong) and Véronique Messina (France but based in Cambodia) remain on top. Dalian race winner Ma Yanxing (China) enters in 5th place, while Janet Ng, co organiser of the Vibram Hong Kong 100, completes the top 10. 

A lot of races are still to come this year, a lot of points to be won. And remember: at the end of the year, only the best three results for each runner will count. The 2015 Asia Trail Master champion will not only receive the honour, but also a cheque of USD 1.000. 

Race 5 will be the first of four in Indonesia this year: Gede Pangrango Marathon in West Java on 2 May. 

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Air Astana and Action Asia magazine provide Hong Kong runners with an exquisite opportunity to  travel to Kazakhstan and take part in the Tengri Ultra Trail, race 6 on the 2015 Asia Trail Master series' calendar. The new race, which takes place in Tamsgaly Tas - approximately 100km from Almaty in the Ili River valley - offers 50km and 25km options in fantastic surroundings.

As the local event organisers put it: "Tengri Ultra Trail is a race for people who love freedom and vast expanses of land, running up hills all along green fields, dodging through rocky canyons, and breathing pure prairie air."

Four lucky winners will fly round-trip to Kazakhstan from Hong Kong for the adventure of a lifetime. Winners will receive: 

1. Round-trip airfares from Hong Kong to Almaty sponsored by Air Astana
2. Free admission to 2015 Tengri Ultra Trail (50km / 25km at your own choice)
3. Ground transportation from Almaty City Centre to race venue at Tamgaly Tas and back (approx. 100km)
4. Camping at Tamgaly Tas on the night before the race 
5. Race tags, safety, beverages and snack, commemorative medal for Ultra and pennant for other categories, commemorative souvenir
6. Running shirt sponsored by Asia Trail Master Series

In order to win you need to answer 4 simple questions and then by briefly telling us 'what adventure in Asia' means to you. Take part in the context, which closes on 30 April, via this link on the Action Asia website. 

Not included in the package is hotel accommodation in Almaty, and food. 

Of course, even if you don't win the contest, or you are not based in Hong Kong, you can also still just register here for the race in Tamsgaly Tas until 1 May as well. Keep potential visa requirements in mind, subject to your nationality. There's several airlines flying to Almaty, and hotels can be booked via websites such as booking.com and expedia. There will be a bus leaving the city on Saturday afternoon to bring runners to the race venue along the Ili River. It is recommended to bring your own camping gear for the night. Busses return to the city after the race on Sunday late afternoon. 

We are happy to announce our latest partner of the 2015 Asia Trail Master series: Simple Hydration provides trail runners and runners in general some very practical drinking solutions in the form of nicely designed and very practical bottles. 

Designed for runners and anyone on the go is the slogan of Simple Hydration. And indeed, the bottles slide smoothly into your wasteband, pocket or race belt. And in fact, they fit perfectly into your hands as well. As they are so light, you hardly notice the bottle when you run. 

On the Simple Hydration website the benefits of the bottle are nicely explained in the homepage image. 

The Simple Hydration Water Bottle is a crowd-funded product. Initial funding came from other runners and individuals through Kickstarter, a platform that connects inventors with people who believe in their idea. Now it is there and also available in Asia. Runners can order one bottle here, or better, a set of 2 bottles at USD 20,- (HKD 155) per bottle. A set goes out at USD 38,-. (HKD 295). 

We will soon have the bottles available on the upcoming Asia Trail Master website's online shop. In the mean time, you can just order them by email at  kris@kuaisports.com or info@asiatrailmaster.com . They will be shipped as of 4 May. 

The Simple Hydration bottles will also be available for purchase at selected events on the Asia Trail Master series' circuit in 2015. 

Check the Simple Hydration flyer .

Read the press release on the Simple Hydration website 

Last weekend race 4 in the 2015 Asia Trail Master series took place in Dalian, Liaoning, China. Considered as a classic on the still young mainland China trail race calendar, more than one thousand runners took part in the event, held in near-perfect weather conditions. The men's 100 race was won by Beijing's experienced trail runner Wang Zichen, who finished in 12h34. The half distance, 50km (which actually turned out to be 52km) saw Yan Longfei take his second victory in one week after the Tsaigu Tangsi Plus triumph last week. Yan Longfei is also set to take the lead in the new Asia Trail Master ranking. Dong Li preceeded Olya Korzh in the women's 50km. 

Unfortunately, some time-keeping issues have delayed the release of the official result lists. As soon as we receive the information, the rankings will be updated accordingly. 

The 2015 (Inaugural) Tsaigu Tangsi Plus 57km Trail Race was held on 11th, Apr, 2015 at Mountain Kuocang Shan in Linhai, Zhejiang Province, China. It is the first in the four “Asia Trail Master” races in Mainland China and one of the 22 ATM races in the whole Asia along with UTHK (Hongkong), TMBT 100km(Malaysia), Vietnam Mountain Marathon(Vietnam) and so on.

By Xiaozhao Zhao

Click for Chinese language report

 Mountain Kuocang Shan is famous for its beautiful natural scenery and steepness, its highest peak-the Mishailang is also the highest point of southeast of Zhejiang and regarded as the first place in China under the sunlight in 21st century.

 Mountain Kuocang Shan is well-known for its tea plants and rich in wild bamboos. The rugged stones and clear creeks are also common in this area, plus almost 100% of blue sky which is rare in other area of the Eastern China under industrialization and urbanization.

Approximately 274 runners from all-over China, Belgium, Greece and Brazil took part in the race. 163 among them (144 males and 19 females) were in the 57km category and the rest (67 males and 44 females) in the 28km category. The total elevation gains are 3850m and 1850m respectively.

The race started at 6 AM at the foot of the stronghold built in Qing Dynasty in downtown but the route quickly switches into trails leading to the Mountain Kuocang Shan covered by dense bamboos, trees and bushes. All the runners were happy to indulge themselves into the amazing wild with a little adventure and exploration on their own feet.

The 2015 Vibram HK100 winner and current course-record holder Longfei YAN led the race all the way to the finish, in CP2, he created a gap with the second place for about 20 minutes, while at the finish, 90 minutes faster than the runner-up, Zhangrong XIE from Winzhou. Zipeng FENG was the 3rd male.

Top 3 males:

1 Lonfei YAN-6hrs 43mins

2 Zhangrong XIE-8hrs 27min

3 Zipeng FENG-8hrs 52min

Longfei was a professional marathoner from Heibei province with personal best marathon time of 2 hrs 15mins. In 2014, he switched from road marathon to trail ultras and won the Dalian Ultra 100km in his debut and has begun his career as one of the best ultra-trail runner in Mainland China. ”I am happy today, beautiful natural view, good organizing and hospitable locals make a race and my effort worth it well. So I finish as fast as I could and use the Tsaigu Tangsi as training to a 100km race in Australia in summer. I may come to run again next year. Compared with road marathon, I love trail running more.”

Belgian Nooureddine Sahibi is a manager in a electronic company based in Shanghai. He is also addict to ultra-trail running and finished UTMB and UTMF in 2014. He also ran several ultra-trail race in China, including Vibram HK100 (13hrs 13mins, 2013), HZ100 (19hrs 24mins in 2014) and Lantau 100 (17hrs in 2013). He finished as the 5th male and 5th overall and played and chattered with the locals, volunteers and children at the finish. “I like running in China, you see, lots of friendly people out there, runners, volunteers, locals, I like hanging out with them before and after races. This time, I enjoyed a tough but lovely race again! For a totally new race, I cannot image so excellent organization.”

 In women’s field, although the most ferocious Chinese runners like Junyan LIU, Qian ZHANG and Li DONG were absent, the race is still full of uncertainty. Junfang TAO was followed by Ai CHENG until halfway, then CHENG successfully made up the gap and caught up with TAO gradually. Finally, CHENG reached the finish 30mins earlier than TAO and won the race. TAO got the second place. Danyang LI finished the 3rd. CHENG completed 2015 Vibram HK100 with in 16hr and she is considered as one of the competitive female ultra-runner in Mainland China.

Top 3 females

1 Ai CHENG-10hrs 28mins (14th overall)

2 Junfang TAO-11hrs 12mins

3 Danyang LI-11hrs 45min

 Finally, 114 runners (105 males and 9 females) finished 57km in its 15 hours limitation, while 92 runners (57 males and 35 females) finished 28km during its maximum time of 7 hours.

 The Race director, Yu CAI thought that the race is a success, “We have so many kind and warm-hearted volunteers from Linhai Mountaineering Association, a grass-root organization consisting of local hikers and runners. They are familiar with the runners’ need during the race. I also appreciate the sponsors who support our race. I think that joining ATM series is an effective way to promote our race in Asia area and even the international trail running community. The improvement might be asking the locals to keep eyes on their dogs in order to keep the runners safe. At the very beginning, I almost designed a 78km loop course, but cancelled the last 20 km because it is all boring road running and might be in the traffic.” CAI is an experienced trail runner with UTMB and UTMF finishing in recent years.

 Volunteers seriously devoted themselves to their work and also were happy in helping runners. In CP2, a father and his child worked as volunteers to distribute the food and timing. The father said, this is a good chance to let his boy know the meaning of helping and giving, as well as respecting the nature. Many volunteers used their own cars or SUVs to serving the race. 2 of the 6 checkpoints offered hot meal with local flavor. Not far from the finish, several volunteers use the kitchen of a household to cook delicious porridge and fried bamboo shoots for runners reaching the finish.

Where does the name Tsaigu Tangsi Plus come from?

*Origin of the name “Tsaigu Tangsi” -- it is from a local slang in Linhai, it means “beat somebody black and blue with a wood stick”. CAI and his fellow volunteers use it to describe the challenge and difficulty of the race as a humorous joke.

Picture material of Tsaigu Tangsi Plus is available on our instagram account, and later this week a selection of high quality photos will be added to our pinterest page.