Asia Trail Sept / Oct 2014

Asia’s first trail running magazine

September / October 2014 HKD 48

Speed Training Get back in shape for the new season

OXFAM TRAILWALKER The history behind this institutional race

Can a Vegetarian Diet Improve Your Performance?

HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING TAROKO PARK

SURVIVING THE GOBI DESERT MARCH

Barefoot Running: Is it for you?

CONTENTS 07 EDITOR’S NOTE 08 RACE NEWS

The Most Beautiful Thing XTE Midusmmer series Rinjani Ultra

FEATURES 18 RACE

Going The Distance:

The Gobi March 26 RACE

A Tribute to Oxfam Trailwalker

32 RUNNER PROFILE

Runner’s memories

of Hong Kong Oxfam Trailwalker

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Multi-day Ultra Gobi March, China Photo: 4Deserts

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Photo: Spontaneous Combustion Productions

REGULARS 40 LIZZY Returning 42 GEAR

11 New Gear & Gadgets

54

64

Photo: Claus Rolff

48 ASK THE COACH

Speed Training 50 BODY MECHANICS

To Bare or Not to Bare 54 CROSS-TRAINING

Preparing Your Body

for the Trails

32 Photo: Bryon Powell-iRunfar

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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2014

ASIATRAILMAG.COM REGULARS 58 GEEK RUNNER

Run “Naked” and Have Fun 60 NUTRITION

Can a Vegetarian Diet

Improve Trail Running Performance?

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66 TRAIL OF THE MONTH

Taroko Park, Taiwan 68 RACE DIRECTORY

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50 Photo: Michael Ma

Photo: Claus Rolff

66 Photo: Clement Dumont

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40 Photo: Richard Bull

Digital Edition

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EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR: Clement Dumont

An exciting new season

D

uring the hottest months of the Asian summer, it would make sense for trail runners to take a break. However, this so-called ‘low season’ now sees a growing amount of popular races in South East Asia (see Race News). The hot and humid weather certainly doesn’t stop runners racing in the Gobi desert for a multi-stage ultra marathon (p.18) or starting a training regimen for the most popular team ultra, the Oxfam Trailwalker (p.26). If heat isn’t your thing, consider a trip to Taiwan, where you can trade it for a bout of altitude sickness (p.66). Many runners actually do take a break in the summer, a smart move that allows your body to recover and your mind to regain the excitement of racing for the coming season. September is a good time to get back on track with speed training sessions (p.48) as well as strength and core conditioning (p.54).

Many of the world’s top trail and ultra runners are vegetarian, and while I’m not sure that this really can improve your performance, it seems like adding more vegetables to your diet will help you recover faster (p.60).

Barefoot running continues to make a lot of noise in the running community, so we asked to our resident physio Doug for his thoughts after the recent law suit against Vibram Five Fingers. Do you really need all those gadgets to enjoy running on the trails? See what Lindsey (p.58) has to say about this, but don’t forget to read up on the latest gear and gadgets that we tested for you (p.42).

Most of the Asia Trail team prepared this issue between running sessions in preparation for the most competitive ultra in the world, the UTMB (168km), and its sister race the CCC (101km) - see our previous issue for our feature story on the event. We’ll make sure to follow all the 422 Asian participants taking part, so make sure to visit our Facebook feed and website for updates and info on all the results.

Asia Trail is published by trail runners for trail runners.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Nic Tinworth CONTRIBUTORS: Andy Dubois Doug Tahirali Katia Kucher Kenny Kam Lindsey Coen-Fernandez Lizzy Hawker Matt Moroz Rachel Jacqueline PHOTOGRAPHER: Claus Rolff

ILLUSTRATION ARTIST: Kirk Wescom GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Syndy Wang Peh Yee

PUBLISHER: Asia Sport Connection Limited Level 15, Yardley Commercial Bd. 16, Connaught Rd West, HK

FOR ADVERTISING, PLEASE CONTACT: Sabrina Dumont +852 5193 8707 sabrina@asiasportconnection.com GENERAL INQUIRIES: info@asiasportconnection.com SUBSCRIPTION: visit www.asiatrailmag.com Issue #6 Bimonthly

© 2014 Asia Trail. All rights reserved.

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However, we accept no responsibility for any error or omissions. All material published in Asia Trail is protected by copyright and unauthorized reproduction in part or full is prohibited.

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RACE NEWS

BRUTALLY BEAUTIFUL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING sabahadventurechallenge.com Text: Nic Tinworth Photo: Lloyd Belcher

T

his is no ordinary race, it’s The Most Beautiful Thing.

Imagine, if you aren’t one of the lucky ones to have run it yet, a wicked 100km romp on technical trails through lush, tropical jungles, raging rivers with waters that come up to to your waist, not to mention the foothills of Mount Kinabalu with it’s peaks, troughs and technical ridges. The several long suspension bridges that you’ll cross feature weathered wooden slats that creak under foot as they sway under your weight. Add to all that some consistently wet, windy, hot and humid weather and temperatures ranging from 14 to 37 degrees, and The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) 100km ultra marathon in Malaysia surely takes it’s place as one of the most challenging ultras in Asia. If you needed any more proof of its toughness, of the 192 runners who originally started the race this year, only 104 finished.

Last year’s race winner, Australian trail running sensation Vlad Ixel, who carrying injury returned to win the Hasuu Tasu 25km race this year, describes the race as ‘fascinating and beautiful’, and believes it is one that requires both full commitment and confidence.

“It was at once a spectacular and startling entry into the world of 100 km racing. The jungle’s vast root networks stifled progress and the tropical essence of a very nearly equatorial location was at once invigorating and draining, with the grandeur of Mount Kinabalu exhilarating and awe inspiring.”

The 100km event takes runners from the western side of Mount Kinabalu around the base, then up the shoulders of the Southern face and around to the South-Eastern side of Mount Kinabalu to finish in the village of Kundasang, with a hefty course altitude gain of almost 6,000m.

This year’s race was no different from the previous editions, with competitors having to endure some tough weather conditions, but it was last years 50km winner and local Sabahan and Bundu Tuhan native and mountain guide Safrey Sumping who secured a win in 14 hours 16 minutes, and who now holds the title as Malaysia’s top ultra trail runner. His victory was not without challenge, for although he led for most of the course he was pushed from start to finish by second placed Nepalese runner, Upendra Sunuwar, a consistent first place finisher in many of his home countries Himalayan races. Another Malaysian, Ong Soon Seng rounded the podium off capturing third place in 17 hours 28 minutes. The first lady home was Jasmine Goh of Singapore, in 21 hours and 2 minutes.

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RACE NEWS

Results 100km Men 1. Safrey Sumping (Malaysia) – 14:16 2. Upendra Sunuwar (Nepal) – 15:00 3. Ong Soon Seng (Malaysia) – 17:28

Women 1. Jasmine Goh (Singapore) – 21:02 2. Chong Hisao Shiang (Malaysia) - 25:05 3. Tan Seow Ping (Malaysia) – 25:53

Nepalese Upendra Sunuwar took a strong second place in the Kinabalu jungle.

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RACE NEWS

CHUNG HO WONG DOMINATES SUMMER SERIES XTE Midsummer Race Series xte.hk

Text: Matt Moroz Photo: XTE

No summer break for Hong Kong runners with this new 10km night series.

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RACE NEWS

T

he XTE Midsummer Race series concluded on Saturday 9th August with another strong run and victorious domination for Chung Ho Wong.

controlled and gradually reeled him in to win by 1min 27sec.

Matt Moroz completed the podium, albeit well behind the front two.

Race 2 on Hong Kong Island was a short fast blast from Parkview, with an incredibly fast initial road descent to Tai Tam Reservoir before heading back along the reservoir’s fun and technical trail, to set racers up for the challenging ascent of Violet Hill.

Two significant messages can be taken from the XTE Midsummer Race Series. Firstly that Chung Ho is in great form, looking very quick and strong, and will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming Hong Kong running season. This 3 race series will have helped keep that edge of race fitness and it will make for very interesting viewing in the season openers come late September.

After beating second placed Romain Riche by 6 minutes in the series opener, Midsummer Race 2 & 3 saw Chung Ho challenged to a greater extent but ultimately persevere as the victor for both races.

Chung Ho paced things perfectly and made his move to lead after 3km. Matt Moroz pushed to make up some time and distance on the ascent with a hard fought chase but Chung Ho rose to the challenge to win by a mere 35 seconds in 40min 29sec. Ying completed the podium finishing in 41min 18sec.

The Series finale played out in the New Territories with a large turnout of 600 runners taking part in a fantastic race offering a little bit of everything. From a tough opening tarmac ascent, through the joyous climb and descent of Needle Hill, and on to a 2km loop of technical bush whacking, the competitors were constantly entertained and challenged.

Running strong and consistent, Chung Ho triumphed again, this time after overcoming a significant challenge from Ka Wai Wong, who got a quick start and solid lead but was unable to shake off Chung Ho, who stayed calm and

With Chung Ho as the undeniable series champion, other honourable mentions go to Toby To who finished in the top 6 of every race, and Stephanie Che and Marie McNaughton who both achieved two podium finishes from their two races.

Secondly is the success of the race series and the XTE revolution. Chung Ho’s successes were mirrored by XTE and Felix Shum’s. The organisation has improved massively and the races were enjoyed by all. A slightly shaky reputation marred by previous unfortunate race mishaps has been replaced with perfectly marked courses, fantastic and well organised marshals, well manned and stocked checkpoints and electronic timing - including an instant print out of individual results post race accompanied by a confirmation text message.

On behalf of everyone that participated in and enjoy the Midsummer Races, we wish Chung Ho Wong and XTE much success in their short and long term Hong Kong trail running futures.

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RACE NEWS

RACING ON THE EDGE: THE MOUNT RINJANI ULTRA mtrinjaniultra.com

Text: Clement Dumont

I

Photos: Hendra Wijaya

t takes a special kind of imagination, with miles of challenging volcanic terrain to play with, to cram nearly 5,500m of elevation into a 52km course, and that’s exactly what the organisers behind Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani Ultra have done, possibly even with a little bit of smug satisfaction.

Well they might be satisfied, for what they have concocted - a heady mix of sand, dust, mud and sharp volcanic rocks - must surely rate among one of the most unique, challenging and breathtaking ultras in the region. Most of the race is spent either ascending or descending, and one of the major, and steepest ascents, takes place on a lethal mix of ash and sharp rocks.

Hong Kong resident and eventual 2nd place finisher Anthony Hughes knew the race had a tough reputation, but even with that in mind he wasn’t prepared for what he would encounter: “The final ascent to Rinjani’s summit was without question the hardest piece of trail I have been on, both physically and mentally, but it just made the incredible views from the top even more breathtaking.”

The midnight start had racers taking off into an early climb along forest trail, riddled with roots and stones to the volcanic ridge at 2,600m. From here it was a technical descent down to the crater before the aforementioned scramble to the summit on the volcanic ash and sand. This ridge ascent to the checkpoint would be repeated no less than three times, which some of the participants found convenient as they were allowed to keep a drop bag there. Others however, found the repetition a tough mental challenge, as well as physical.

“On the steep uphill walking on sand we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises that I have ever seen,” said female winner Nora Senn, an established Swiss ultra runner also based in Hong Kong, adding that what it takes to finish the race are “...trekking poles, really good gaiters and a sustainable pace.”

All the finishers were unanimous in their agreement that despite the difficulty of the race, the natural beauty of the volcano and its environment made it an incredibly worthwhile and memorable endeavour. The only gripes we heard, unfortunately, were several complaints about the amount of litter left on the trails, apparently by hikers climbing the volcano.

Results

Men 1. Thomas Zachary (USA) – 12:44:24 2. Anthony Hughes (England) – 13:38:11 3. Juanico Coli Chepeda (Indonesia) – 14:17:42 4. Tam Chun Fung (Hong Kong) – 14:39:06 5. Kit Tsang (Hong Kong) – 15:15:01

Women 1. Nora Senn (Switzerland) – 16:30:02 2. Fung In Tai (Hong Kong) – 17:55:03 3. Vicky Oswald (Hong Kong) – 18:21:20

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RACE NEWS

Running in the Land of Nomads - Mongolia.

Ninety runners took part in the Action Asia Mongolia ultra marathon last July, a three day affair that had participants enjoying breathtaking scenery of Inner Mongolia, affording the opportunity to meet the nomads who have lived and travelled the region unchanged since the days of Ghengis Khan and the mighty Mongol Empire.

Actionasiaevents.com | Photo: Lloyd Belcher

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RACE NEWS

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RACE NEWS

Nepalese Team in the Alps for the most competitive ultra Aite Tamang (12th UTMB 2013) and Tirtha Tamang (HK100 winner 2014) will race the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (168km) while Samir Tamang (TransLantau100 winner 2013) will do the TDS (119km).

Two day training (70km) on the UTMB course - ascent of the Col du Bonhomme, 2,500m.

Photos: Clement Dumont

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RACE

Going The Distance: The Gobi March Text: Matt Moroz

Photos: 4Deserts

If the Marathon des Sables was the Genesis of 250km multi-day desert races, the 4 Deserts series of races have carried the baton and helped to inspire the next generation of multistage racing, as interest for the format continues to grow in popularity worldwide.

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THE GOBI MARCH

Running below the sea level - Turpan Basin.

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RACE

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THE GOBI MARCH

H

aving established the parent company RacingThePlanet in Hong Kong in 2002, it seemed only natural that the first 4 Deserts race should take place in China, and thus 41 competitors completed the inaugural 250km Gobi March in September 2003, with Badwater Ultramarathon veteran Chris Engle emerging victorious. Fifteen countries were represented in the first race, with 19 competitors coming from Asia. The healthy showing of runners from Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore has grown exponentially over the years.

The Gobi March has welcomed many hundreds of competitors from every corner of the globe over its eleven editions, with some of the highlights including victories for Hong Kong based runners Eric LaHaie (2009), Dan Parr and Denvy Lo (2010), and a fantastic second place in 2008 from Hong Kong

trail running legend Stone Tsang. Stone was running head to head against ultrarunning superstar Ryan Sandes all the way through the 250km race, missing out on a win by a mere 30min 40sec. His finishing time of 25h 09min still claims fifth spot in the all-time race results.

Adventure Craving 2014 Gobi March winner, Jose Manuel Martinez is similar to ‘Stone’ in that he is far better known by his pseudonym. Both in his home country of Spain and in the global running world, double Olympian Jose Manuel Martinez is known simply ‘Chema’. In 2004 he reached the final of the 10,000m in Athens, finishing a respectable 9th place in 27m 57s. Four years later he was in Beijing to compete in the marathon, performing admirably to finish in 16th place in 2h 14min.

So much for the rather unflattering ‘fat bankers’ label often used to describe

Dan Parr on his way to winning the Gobi March in 2010.

the competitors of these kind of races.

Stone, Chema and Sandes hardly fit this description though in all honesty, runners of this quality are perhaps less common than in higher profile single stage races around the world like the UTMB, Western States, and TransVulcania. A sense of adventure is what seems to draw runners of their calibre to a race like the Gobi, rather than any fame or glory that might follow a win.

Competitors come to race across a desert with a myriad individual reasons, but overwhelmingly they crave a sense of escape, wonder and have the desire to experience something truly special and unique. This is where the elites of the ultra world share commonality with our aforementioned ‘fat bankers’ - the feeling of camaraderie over competition is tangible and the experience counts more than a victory.

Hong Kong runner Denvy Lo crossing a river.

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RACE

Back To Basics Until you’ve experienced a 250km multi-stage, multi-day desert race first hand it is very hard to comprehend how it feels, but one of the most incredible and surprising sensations experienced by first timers is that sense of escape. Although the body is under some physical stress running back-to-back stages with a heavy (6kg and up) backpack, the mental calmness and clarity afforded by the experience can be a revelation. Without a mobile phone, Internet access or a busy and distracting city around, the atmosphere becomes incredibly jovial, social, and warm.

This shared experience of meeting simple daily goals like eating, drinking, sleeping and getting from A to B, creates a powerful bond between competitors and any time outside of this is spent socialising with tent mates, swapping campfire tales of the day’s exploits whilst devouring the evening’s freeze-dried meal.

Where competitors do most of this socialising very much depends on how fast they are, with the fastest runners getting back to camp in 4 hours on the shorter stages (1–4) and 8 hours on the long stage (5), allowing for quicker recovery and easier hydration and nutrition. They will hang out around the start/finish line, cheering people in and getting to know each other, the race volunteers, and organisation staff. Those taking their time will generally band to together in small groups of 2 or 3 to share the experience and provide support for each other.

A Changing Landscape China has a reputation for construction, and this has peaked during the period of the race’s existence. It seems that nowhere in China is immune to this tide, and even some of the more remote desert areas have been blighted by the sudden appearance of high rise buildings. Areas which offer the perfect backdrop for a desert race adventure one year, may be the location of a new Chinese city the next.

Though a slight headache for the race organisers, the research and recce time needed to re-establish local relationships on the ground due to relocations has forced the Gobi March to steadily evolve, offering different challenges each year. The race originated close to Dunhuang and moved to Donggou in the second year before being set in the wonderfully diverse location of Hami. Kashgar hosted between 2007 and 2009 before successive editions through The Turpan Depression/ Basin in 2010 and 2011. The Turpan Basin lies at 154m below sea level, the third lowest point on Earth after The Dead Sea, and boasts some of the Earth’s highest recorded temperatures annually. More recently the race has been held closer to the city of Bole in the Xinjiang province of China and the scenery has been more

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THE GOBI MARCH

Around 200 runners take to the start of the Gobi March every year.

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RACE

Hong Kong runner Eric Lahaie had no problems acclimatising to the heat.

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THE GOBI MARCH lush and green, at times resembling the Swiss Alps. The 2015 edition returns to Hami and will again offer incredible variety including some incredible contrasting scenery including Alpine passes, epic sand dunes, vast grasslands, and salt flats.

The multi-day race format offers challenges and advantages that other race formats do not and many of those who participate in a race of this sort are likely to pursue a similar challenge in the future. Of those previously mentioned, Dan Parr ran the Sahara Race 2011, while this year Chema is working his way towards the 4 Deserts Grand Slam (finishing all 4 Deserts races in one calendar year). Sandes won the 4Deserts Roving Race in Nepal in 2011 and will race in RacingThePlanet: Madagascar 2014 in August.

Consider carefully before signing up to a multi-day ultra race; be it through desert, trail, ice, or snow. The camaraderie, campfire tales, incredible escape, and exotic locations can end up becoming very addictive indeed!

A short guide to help competitors make it to camp a little earlier each day might be:

1. Train back-to-back: Incorporating longer back-toback sessions (generally Saturday/Sunday) is essential to getting the legs used to recovering quicker, and psychologically knowing that you can go again.

2. Train with weight: Training with the full back-pack or weighted vest all the time in the lead up to the event has the potential to wear you down and make every kilometer very slow. It is however very important to get used to the feel of the weight, to get some good long runs with the weight on to demystify it, and also to get an insight into what the weight will do to your speed and gait.

3. Pack light: Whether you are a front runner, midpacker, or back marker, a lighter load will make a huge difference. Buy the smallest, lightest version of each piece of kit that you can afford, which does the job intended.

4. Sleep well: Sleep (or lack of) can lead to a build up of fatigue over a 7-day race. Know yourself when it comes to sleep and utilise whatever you need to help you sleep soundly (in a tent with up to 9 other people).

This can include earplugs, eyemask, beanie, and sleeping pad.

5. Acclimatise: The desert can be very hot indeed but this need not be such a worry with proper acclimatisation. This could be a simple as running outside in the Hong Kong summer, or a more direct approach could be to attend hot yoga classes in order to force the body to adapt.

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RACE

A Well-trodden Trail: A Tribute to Oxfam Trailwalker Text: Rachel Jacqueline

In running, you get out what you put in. In the Oxfam Trailwalker you get out what you and three teammates give in the name of charity, and the bond you forge determines your success. There’s simply no other race like it.

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A TRIBUTE TO OXFAM TRAILWALKER

S

o it makes sense that the unique team challenge began 33 years ago as a training regime for Hong Kong-based British Gurkhas, a regiment of hardy Nepalese soldiers known for their camaraderie and grit.

In 1981 Major Lee of 246 Squadron encouraged his men to walk the entire length of the 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail in Hong Kong’s New Territories.

Not only would the walk serve as good training he reasoned, but they would raise HK$80,000 – enough for a library in a poor village in Nepal and a sizeable donation for the (then) Hong Kong Spastics Society.

Those pioneering footsteps have since been followed by countless thousands, inspired 15 similar 100-kilometre team races in 11 countries around the world and raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Oxfam.

Unknowingly, they also spawned a unique format in the world of ultras: true team running.

lulling runners into a false sense of ease before they begin their gradual and endless ascent and descent of the hills in the deep green innards of Hong Kong.

The profile of the midsection of the course looks like a set of canine teeth: steep hills, technical trails and stairs, stairs, stairs. Along the way runners tick off the major peaks of the New Territories – Rooster Hill (585 metres), Ma On Shan (702 metres), Buffalo Hill (606 metres), Tate’s Cairn (557 metres), Beacon Hill (457 metres), Needle Hill (532 metres) and Grassy Hill (647 metres) – before culminating with Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s tallest peak standing at 957 metres. The final 18

Every lost moment

to see how Trailwalker has become synonymous with “team work” over the years.

But just how did a quirky soldier’s exercise from thirty years ago develop into one of the world’s largest charity sports events – an unofficial “world championship of running”?

The short answer is a relentless pursuit to be the fastest team over the treacherous course.

The long answer, however, begins in 1986 when the event was officially opened to the public for the first time.

A non-military team blitzed the course, beating the Gurkhas at their own game. In the same year, the Gurkhas partnered with Oxfam in a move that would see the Hong Kong event grow rapidly – within five years more than 1,900 runners were raising HK$7.2 million for the cause. The partnership was also key to Trailwalker’s subsequent global expansion.

is multiplied by four.

Individually each runner could probably run the course at a faster pace. But that’s not the challenge.

No event self-governs a policy of strict solidary quite like the Trailwalker. Being a “four person team” does not mean four individuals complete the course on their own and finish in similar times; runners must stick together and cannot progress through checkpoints without teammates.

This allows runners to gain physical and mental support from each other, but it also means they must ride out each other’s lows. Every lost moment is multiplied by four. Individually each runner could probably run the course at a faster pace. But that’s not the challenge.

Given the beast of a trail on offer in Hong Kong, it’s easy to see how teammates were quickly deemed necessary. The MacLehose Trail begins along the easy, flat coastline of the east,

Chow Ling set the pace with her teammates for a finish under 17 hours.

Photo: Patchanida Pongsubkarun

kilometres feature ceaseless concrete downhill, followed by a dirt track around a reservoir before an ambling track takes runners to the finish.

That all adds up to 4,500 cumulative metres of ascent – half that of Everest.

Add the hot and humid weather Hong Kong is known for, and one can see how the race has a regular DNF rate of between 70 and 80 per cent.

The odd perk of “muling” also magnifies the team element. Banned in almost every other ultra, in Trailwalker teams may be supported by other runners carrying food, nutrition and equipment, so they typically carry the absolute minimum. Coupled with the comprehensive support teams assisting with time management, it’s not difficult

As interest in the race exploded over the next 20 years (requiring a lottery system to cope with the rising numbers and numerous, staggered start times), so too did the competition. In 1995 the Carlingford Lombard Comets were the second non-military team to win the event, steaming home in 14 hours 26 minutes.

But it would be a group of local Hong Kong runners keen to push the envelope that would thrust Trailwalker into the next stage of competitiveness.

Although interest in the race was shared amongst local Chinese runners and Westerners alike, it took until 1998 and KK Chan before a Chinese team really made their mark on the event. With two years of Trailwalker experience behind him, Chan, a fireman, brought together a team of worthy runners, strengthened their training program and focused his attention on one aim: winning.

He succeeded. The Cosmoboys (“because the cosmos is so unbounded

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A TRIBUTE TO OXFAM TRAILWALKER

Trailwalker teams may be supported by other runners carrying food, nutrition and equipment, so they typically carry the absolute minimum. Photo: OTW and runners should keep aim for a higher performance,” he explains) were finally champions in 15 hours 25 minutes in 1998, beating the Gurkhas and an army team from Singapore. With growing confidence and a revised systematic training plan, the Cosmoboys won the championship for three consecutive years, again in 1999 and 2000. These days, KK is a revered force in the local running community, known for setting up the “Trailwalker Training Room”, grooming champion runners for Trailwalker and other events around the region.

At the same time, Trailwalker was expanding. With the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 the Gurkha regiments were relocated to the United Kingdom, and Trailwalker followed

them, finding a new location in the South Downs in Sussex. It was to be the first of many new Trailwalkers: Australia followed two years later in 1999 with the event held in Sydney, with a Melbourne event being added four years later. New Zealand was the next country to hold the event in 2006, followed by an iconic race around Mount Fuji in Japan in 2007.

Then there was a flurry of growth in Europe with Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain all staging their own versions of Trailwalker, and in 2012 the event was held in Bangalore, India, for the first time. Overall, more than 22,000 people collectively walked over 2.2 million kilometers and raised over $18 million in 2012.

While charity remained at the forefront, the pervading competitiveness

of the event, particularly in Hong Kong, was becoming clear. Spurred by the likes of KK Chan, the “Super Trail Walker” category was introduced in 2000, open to those who qualified to run the race in under 18 hours. In the first year, just 12 teams out of 18 completed within the elite category cut-off.

A new era of competitiveness was ushered in the following year as an American team sponsored by Montrail broke the “13-hour” mark. In 2001 they won in 12 hours 52 minutes (breaking the official record the Gurkhas set in 1993 of 13 hours 18 minutes) and bettered it the following year with 12 hours 47 minutes, while a Montrail female team set the all-female record of 15 hours 12 minutes in 2002.

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RACE Inspired by what the Americans deemed possible, local team Securicor set a new record of 12 hours 16 minutes in 2003, while Sunhing Cosmogirls (the female contingent of the Cosmo franchise) won the female race in 14 hours 48 minutes, a record for females on the old course and finally breaking the 15 hour mark for women.

Yet it wasn’t until 2004 that limits were truly redefined as the elusive “12-hour mark” was finally broken by returning Securicor, wining in 11 hours 57 minutes. The feat has only been achieved a handful of times in the history of the event, and was not to be repeated until 2008 (the final year on the old course), where a team of Nepalese army runners finished in 11 hours 52 minutes.

In 2009, Trailwalker moved to an amended course, commencing at Pak Tam Chung Sai Kung and ending at Po Leung Kuk Jockey club. It was also the first year the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army participated in the Trailwalker romping home in just 12 hours 17 minutes. For three years the PLA dominated the race – rumour was the PLA had assigned officers to focus specifically on training for the event – taking just 11 hours 59 minutes in 2010 (and setting the new course record) and 12 hours 22 minutes

in 2011. The only teams close to giving them a fight were the The North Face Team and the Salomon Bonaqua Racing Team, collecting two third places and a second place finish between them from 2009 to 2012.

Of all the years in Trailwalker’s history, it was 2012 that marked the most competitive. Salomon France sent a team of their swiftest runners, including Julien Chorier (who had won the 156 kilometre Ultra Trail Mount Fuji earlier that year), Francois d’Haene (2012 Ultra Trail Mount Blanc – 104 kilometres – winner), Michel Lanne and Andy Symonds.

Couple this with some incredibly strong runners from Nepal, strong local teams The North Face, Salomon Bonaqua, Cosmoboys and Team 2XU, and the race was given worldwide attention. In the women’s race, multiple course record holders Claire Price and Jeanette HolmesThompson combined forces with elite ultra runner Kami Semick and Vibram Hong Kong 100 Race Director Janet Ng to field the Blister Sisters.

The combined result was the fastest field in Trailwalker history, with all top ten teams finishing under 14 hours.

Salomon France finished in a jawdropping 11 hours 12 minutes, followed

hotly on their heels by Salomon Bonaqua in just 11 hours 16 minutes. A finish of 11 hours 52 minutes by The North Face Team meant all three of the top teams cracked 12 hours and all three broke the previous standing course record. The women finished ninth overall in 13 hours 53 minutes.

At that point, everyone thought limits had truly been reached. Just how fast could eight legs go, after all? But the Nepalese had other ideas. Licking their wounds after mistakes cost them a podium place in 2012, two teams returned in 2013. Pushing each other, the unimaginable finally happened: the “11hour” mark was cracked. Team Columbia S1 finished in 10 hours 58 minutes, led

by Ram Kumar Khatri (part of secondplace Salomon Bonaqua in 2012). They were followed just three minutes later by compatriots Team Nepal in 11 hours 1 minute, led by Samir Tamang (also part of second-place Salomon Bonaqua in 2012).

In third place was local Chinese team 2XU Hoka Team in 12 hours 39 minutes.

Holding up the flag high for Hong Kong was Chor Kin Law, Thomas Lam, Ying Ying Tsang and SK Tang.

As the November date for the 33rd edition of the Hong Kong Oxfam Trailwalker looms and teams work through their arduous training plan in the summer heat, the same questions asked year after year are beginning to form. While charity is always the ultimate winner (last year more than HK$29 million was raised in Hong Kong alone) which team will be the first over the line in the original race in 2014? Have limits been reached? Just how much can four hearts give in name of charity?

While Trailwalker is very competitive at the forefront, most teams have only one goal: Finish as a team. Photo: OTW Japanese elite runner Tsuyoshi Kaburaki teamed up with Champion System Adventure on two occasions to chase the podium. Photo: Spontaneous Combustion Productions

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A TRIBUTE TO OXFAM TRAILWALKER

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RUNNER PROFILE

RUNNER’S MEMORIES OF HONG KONG OXFAM TRAILWALKER Text: Rachel Jacqueline

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RUNNER’S MEMORIES OF HONG KONG OXFAM TRAILWALKER

CHOR KIN LAW A

Photo: Claus Rolff

t the finish of another iconic Hong Kong race earlier in the year, local running legends SK Tang, Thomas Lam, YingYing Tsang and Chor Kin Law were snapped together in a photo. As someone remarked, “This would be the TW dream team for local Chinese athletes!” And that was how the four of them came to run the 2013 Oxfam Trailwalker with the aim of being the fastest local team in history.

“Before the event, we had high hopes on the finishing time. We have set sub-12 hours as our target. On the day, it was a bit too humid and very sunny, so it was not the perfect weather for a very fast time, and there were two very strong teams from Nepal and a number of strong local teams as well.

“The entire race was very exciting. Although we were in third place, the teams that followed were chasing us closely. The 2XU team was always a few minutes behind us.

At halfway point (Shatin Pass), we were off our target by 11 minutes, yet, we were not discouraged. We kept pushing, but listened to the body. Four of us took turns to lead pacing and we always communicated with each other to see how we felt and adjusted the pacing accordingly.

“After passing Tai Mo Shan to CP8, we have already used 10hr 14 mins. That meant there was only 1hr 46min left to finish the remaining two sections if we wish to beat 12 hour mark. All four of us knew that this was impossible and we all felt regret. But we soon regained our spirit. Although we could not beat sub-12, we still wished to keep our 3rd place.

The 2XU team was just a few minutes behind us and we had to press ahead.

“After CP9, the gap closed to four minutes. Normally, the flat trail surrounding the Tai Lam Reservoir is very comfortable. However, this time, the 2XU team was chasing and we had to run very fast. We demonstrated high team spirit as we all fought for a common target. After leaving the trail to run up hill we looked back to see a number of headlamps flashing behind us around 200 metres back.

The 2XU team was right behind us! Although we were all very tired, we didn’t dare relax. We even jogged up the path, hoping to widen our gap. We pushed and pulled; we accelerated. Finally we held our hands to cross the finish line in 12hr 35min, in 3rd position. We all felt very, very happy.

The feeling of accomplishing something with four of us as one was the most memorable and touching thing. And this is the beauty of Oxfam Trailwalker – to finish in a team of four.”

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RUNNER’S MEMORIES OF HONG KONG OXFAM TRAILWALKER

CLAIRE PRICE Photo: Patchanida Pongsubkarun

Claire Price is a regular on podiums in Hong Kong and overseas, but one of her favourite races is the unique team event, the Oxfam Trailwalker.

She held the 2007 women’s record on the old course with teammates Chiaki Fjelddhal, Jeanette Holmes-Thompson and Hiko Takeda, and the 2013 women’s record on the new course with Jeanette, Janet Ng and Kami Semick. As if that’s not enough, her Hoka One One mixed team set the mixed record on the new course in 13 hours 14 minutes in 2011. “[Winning the women’s record in 2007] is definitely my favourite memory of OTW. We all worked so hard, having trained together over the summer (with Rachel Sproston as well – the five of us trained together) and we really worked as a team. We also raised around $160,000 for Oxfam and I was thrilled we raised so much. Hiko was so sick during the race and threw up the whole way, but still held it together and suffered through. Rachel Sproston ran with us for the last five kilometres on the catchwater to Perrowne Barracks shouting encouragement and telling us to run faster to catch the mixed team in front (which we didn’t, but Rachel is the best person to have with you on Sections nine and 10 and has paced and supported section 10 with me on all three records I’ve set on Trailwalker - she’s amaaaazing!).

“For me, this was the perfect team – we worked so well together, helping each other, listening to each other and communicating the whole time. Having spent months training together really helped.

“Setting the current mixed record with Jeanette, Nico and Ludo on the new course in challenging conditions is also a favourite memory.

It was very hot, rainy and humid and the mud on Stage Two and Three was insane, weighing down your shoes. It is possible to run faster, but on that particular day, in those conditions, it really was quite an achievement to set a decent record. I can’t remember where we ranked overall, but it was pretty good. That’s also important to me – I think in all of our records we were ranked high overall.”

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RUNNER’S MEMORIES OF HONG KONG OXFAM TRAILWALKER

CHIAKI FJELDDHAL

In 1995, Chiaki Fjelddhal went being from a non-runner to an ultra marathon finisher, competing in her first ever Oxfam Trailwalker. She has since gone on to compete it five more times, with six finishes overall.

“In my first [Trail Walker], 10 kilometres from the finishing line, I got hypoglycaemia and I wanted to quit right there, right then. I could not move even one step forward. I was shaking... but my teammate and husband, Chris, encouraged and talked me into continuing. I took time to recover by eating the famous Gurkha soup. I was so happy when we finished the race as a team. The big lesson from this race was to never give up!

“I tried [Trailwalker] again in 1999 after having my two children. We wanted to snatch the mixed record that year. We were doing really well and the then record (14 hours 27 minutes) seemed within reach. But then, just before going up to the last five kilometres we got lost. Lucky for us, [Chris] saw what was happening and shouted to us to turn back! We made a new mixed team record, bettering the previous one by a mere four minutes. This record lasted eight years.”

SCOTT JUREK

Photo: Bryon Powell-iRunfar

Acclaimed ultra runner Scott Jurek had his first international racing experience when he came to Hong Kong in 2001 (and later returned in 2002) with the Montrail Team to race the Trailwalker with Ian Torrence, Dave Terry, and Nate McDowell.

“I remember the rugged hills and incredible climbs up thousands of stairs.

I was amazed at the beauty of the Hong Kong countryside and how remote it felt to be in the mountains even though we could see skyscrapers of the city on the other side of the valley. Also the hundreds of monkeys at checkpoint five!

None of us had ever been in an ultra marathon with so many participants and spectators. Lining up at the start with thousands of racers was electrifying and unlike anything we had experienced. The energy of the event all day and night was energizing!

“I loved the team atmosphere even though this was a first time experience for me. We definitely bonded as a team and were able to help each other get through each of our low points in the race. We really had to work together, and this is very unique for running which is such an individual sport. It was a pleasant surprise and made us think of strategy differently. We thought of each other as a unit rather than as individuals.

“I definitely think there is something special about OTW. The charity aspect made the event and what we were going through all the more worth it.

This was also (early 2000s) when charity running races were just starting to boom and completely new in ultra marathons.“

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RUNNER’S MEMORIES OF HONG KONG OXFAM TRAILWALKER

SHARK TEAM

After running the 2013 Standard Chartered Marathon in a shark suit to raise awareness of the disappearance of sharks who are being killed for shark fins, Ronald Wong and teammates Tsang Yin Ting Anton, Law kai pong and Hung fan Tai completed the 2013 Oxfam Trailwalker in a shark suit.

“For many years we watched so many shark-runners appearing in many running events, but never on the trail. So we suddenly have had strange idea: to finish the OTW with shark suit and make it is possible.

“Wearing the suit was really hard along the constant uphills and downhills – it was like a difficult rolling movement. It was hot and wet inside the shark suit for a long time. But we would just tell ourselves, as soon as we finished, we would be able to take the shark suit off.

“Even though we have run the OTW many times before, I never thought that we would finish it as shark man – and we did!”

HANNES NIGGLI

DAN PARR

Hannes Niggli has taken part in Oxfam Trailwalker for 24 years. Although he hasn’t raced the event in over 20 years (he completed it four times from 1991 to 1994) for the last 15 years he has managed the day for a Team Green team.

A top runner, Dan Parr competed in the Trailwalker in 2012 with friends Anthony Davies, Peter Lee and Eric La Haie.

With a competitive line-up, including the Salomon France Team, Parr & friends were simply looking to have a good day. A lucky twist of events put them in the top 5 in the closing minutes.

“Back in the day it was simply called ‘Trailwalker’, was at the end of October, and was often extremely hot - around 32 degrees. The Gurkhas organised the whole event, competing and setting the pace.”

“In the early 2000s some international elite teams tried to crack 10 hours, but they set off too fast and suffered because of the humidity, the difficult trails and not training as a team.”

“Trailwalker used to be ‘the main event’ in HK’s trail calendar and for me, it still is. It’s a true team event, and this is one of the reasons I still take part.”

“I have seen many runners completely broken but most of them recovered and finished. The ones who are down early may be the strongest at the end. It’s all about will power.”

“We were in sixth position from pretty much the end of the High Island road on Stage One and we were pretty happy with that. As we came off the reservoir trail on the final stage, we were all pretty knackered and looking forward to the finish in a couple of kilometres. But when we came in to the final 500 metres, I couldn’t believe it when I saw head torch lights ahead of us on the road. Having not seen another team for hours, I couldn’t believe we were catching the team in front within the final kilometre. This gave us all an incredible boost and we came flying past the team ahead, one of the hotly tipped Nepalese teams. Two of their guys were toast; one sitting by the road and another staggering.

In their defence, they had no running support, no knowledge of the route and little experience on the trails. However, it was incredible to pip them within the final couple of hundred meters of a 100km race.

That was certainly my favourite OTW to date: a great team, fantastic support and an awesome finish.”

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TANYA BENNETT Tanya Bennett signed up to the 2013 Oxfam Trailwalker (OTW) with friends on a whim. Less than a year later, they finished in 27 hours 39 minutes as the eighth female team over the line. The experience changed her life.

“My knee started being a bit [problematic] around 60 kilometres, and at the bottom of Needle Hill it went completely. Every step after that was agony. Painful physically, but more so having to cope with the mental stress of not wanting to let any one down. There were so many people who were supporting me... I was the weak link, I wasn’t good enough and I was the one who meant that we would be finishing way beyond our set time of 24 hours. It was one of the toughest experiences I have ever had.

“The last 10 kilometres took three hours! I have never, ever, ever, been so pleased to see a finish line. I crossed it swearing that ‘that was the most f**king ridiculous thing and I am never running again’.

“OTW cemented my love of races, having a big goal to train towards and the bonds that are created with your training buddies. I’m excited for this year’s OTW. We know we can do it, so now our goal is to do it better.”

KK CHAN KK Chan is a legend in the local running community for his contribution to the Trailwalker, as both a competitor since 1998 and a coach. He has also taken part in Trailwalker in Sydney, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Spain.

“My ultimate Trailwalker memory is winning the race for three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000. Founding the Trailwalker Training Room (TTR) in 2010, was also important, as it meant I could train up more OTW participants to enjoy the race without hurting themselves.

“It is a huge achievement to help the TTR runners materialise their dreams, while many didn’t believe that they could do it. I virtually trained all of them (one by one), witnessed them receiving their trophies on the stage, and now I am watching them help train the others who want to achieve their dreams on the trails too.

“My worst memories of Trailwalker are of teammates who were only keen on breaking records and ignored the fundraising mission as promised. I don’t run with these types of runners anymore. I always emphasise: ‘OTW is a charity race, we all have to help fundraising’.”

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LIZZY

Returning Text: Lizzy Hawker

Photo: Richard Bull - Trail Running Nepal

We need to have a simple trust that all we need to do is to tread the trails step by step by step until we find our feet again. - Lizzy Hawker

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RETURNING

S

ometimes we find ourselves coming back to running after a time away.

And when we do we find it is there waiting for us like a good friend.

There might be a myriad of reasons behind our not running – injury, illness, work, family, absence, discouragement or simply a winding down of effort during a long hot summer. But the running doesn’t care about the reason for our infidelity. It is just there, patiently waiting for us.

We may procrastinate, we may give ourselves a thousand reasons why we cannot run, we may try to forget what it is we love about running, we may try to ignore its pull. But there will come the morning when we finally decide that this is the day; the injury is healed, the commitments have eased, the heat has passed, or our motivation has simply returned, and we will bend down to lace up our trainers and take some gentle steps.

Whether our time away has been longer or shorter, or even if we have never been entirely absent but just less present, we feel like we are starting again at the very beginning. It is disconcerting, it is bewildering, it is scary. How can something once so familiar feel so strange? The steps have to be gentle ones.

We need faith1. We need to have a simple trust that all we need to do is to tread the trails step by step by step until we find our feet again. One step at a time.

It is easy to expect too much too soon. We forget our infidelity. We ignore our absence, our neglect. We think we can pick up exactly where we left off. We imagine that our conversation had no pause.

But life isn’t like that. Everything needs time. Everything needs a period of readjustment. Even learning to live with or without a good friend, the friend who

is always there waiting for us.

Running is like that good friend. It is always there waiting for us. But just as we needed time to learn to live without it for a while, so we need time to learn to live together again.

The return has to be slow, it has to be forgiving, it has to be understanding. It needs some give and some take.

We need time to become reacquainted. We need to learn to keep each other company again. Us and our running.

We need to swallow our pride, we need to dig deep inside to find our remaining sliver of courage. And we need to go back out on that run. We know the one. It is that run.

Its physical location has changed as we have moved house, region, country, continent. But it is the run that is always with us. It is where we can go in the cool of the early morning, in the heat of the day, in the fading light of a setting sun. It is the place we can go to in all seasons, observing and feeling the changes, until the rhythm of the earth becomes our own, a comforting reminder of the impermanence of all things. It is where we go to seek solace, to seek challenge. It is where we go when we need to push, to hold back.

It is the run we can go to now because it is waiting to enfold us back into its familiar embrace. It is the run that we can go to now in our vulnerability, stripped of all expectations. It is where we can go to take those first gentle steps. It is where we can go to put in the hard work.

It is where we can go to make the legs ache on long uphill climbs, to make the heart learn to work again keeping pace on superbly runnable trails, to regain our natural proprioception as we hurl ourselves down steep descents.

We may get dejected, we may get discouraged. We may be daunted by the amount of work to do. We may even absent ourselves for a day or two, uncertain about what it is that we are doing. And then we will return and take all those wavering uncertainties back out with us on that run.

We have to keep our focus, we have to keep our commitment.

Just as on the yoga mat we have to learn to be fully present, there on that mat, our mat, not anyone else’s, so too when we go out on that run. Our gaze has to turn into ourselves. It doesn’t matter how far into a pose the person next to us can go. It doesn’t matter how far into a pose we went yesterday. We have to find our edge in our today. So too on that run.

It will feel different compared to earlier.

We cannot compare ourselves to anyone else, or to our before-that-time-away self.

We have to find out edge in our today.

And then the next day. And the next.

And then the morning will come when a small glimmer of hope will appear. Day by day there will be marginal but noticeable differences. Incremental improvements. The strange will become familiar once again. We will briefly taste the promise of that feeling of euphoria we used to know so well, induced by the endorphins released after having run a long way.

The morning will eventually come when, our infidelity forgotten, we know that the land remembers the rhythm of our feet again, and we can resume our beautiful conversation.

Faith as interpreted by Alan Watts as an unreserved opening of the mind to the truth, whatever it may turn out to be; a plunge into the unknown, no preconceptions. In contrast to belief with its insistence that the truth is what we wish it to be.

Belief clings, faith lets go. http://www.brainpickings.org/index. php/2014/06/27/alan-watts-belief-vs-faith/ 1

Five times winner of the UTMB and National Geographic Adventurer of the year 2013, Lizzy spends most of her time running in Nepal. www.lizzyhawker.com

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11

GEAR

NEW GEAR AND GADGETS

Text: Team Asia Trail

Elevation Training Mask 2.0 trainingmask.com | HKD980

For those who like to get a little out of their comfort zone, the Elevation Training Mask will challenge you both physically and mentally. We would advise against wearing this breath-reducing neoprene mask in the heat of an outdoor summer, but it’s an interesting tool that can aid your suffering in a gym or during an intense speed uphill session on a cool day. The mask works by adjusting resistance valves to simulate different altitudes, and while it won’t help with increasing your red blood cells, it can strengthen your diaphragm. Our reviewer certainly felt the effects of wearing it after a few short cardio sessions and though it would be beneficial when training for higher altitude events, if only to condition the body better for taking deeper breaths.

Inertia X Frame Sleeping Mat klymit.com | HKD698

In our reviewer’s opinion, this sleeping mat is a total winner. The body mapping frame and ‘loft pockets’ are designed for sleeping on your back, but it’s comfortable however you lie on it. Though skeptical at first about the mat’s ability to provide enough comfort on a hard mountain surface, one cold night at over 3,000m was enough to turn our reviewer into a believer. For even greater comfort, the mat can be used inside your sleeping bag, and the compact size and weight (225g) makes it great for multi-day events. The manufacturer’s soft pump allows you to inflate the mat up to 6 psi (your mouth is limited to 2 psi)– a great help at high altitudes. Highly recommended.

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ELEVEN NEW GEAR AND GADGETS

2 Toms Stink Free Sports Detergent 2toms.com | HKD158

We all have favourite shirts we like to wear often when we run, that after one hot and humid run too many have to get thrown out because they smell so bad, even after you wash it! 2 Toms developed this detergent to remove the bacteria that cause the smell, and after a few trial washes we really think it works. There is a little bit of a chemical smell from the detergent, but if it’s a toss-up between that and smelling of oily, bacteria-riddled sweat, we’re happy to go with the former.

2Toms SportShield Liquid Roll-On 2toms.com | HKD138

This silicone-based roll-on is an efficient anti-chafing product for under your arms, inner thighs, nipples and even the back heel or top of your feet to help with avoiding blisters. A thin layer of silicon prevents friction with clothes, but our reviewer found it dangerously slippery when applied to the soles of the feet. For those suffering from chafing issues – common in ultra running and hot environments where you sweat a lot – this is a good product. It is very easy to apply, has no smell and the roll-on applicator allows application of just the right amount.

Tribelt O2 creation o2creation.com | HKD75

This race belt will serve those with a fear of putting pins in their favourite race shirt well. In addition to holding your race number using slick elastic cords, there are 6 elastic loops to hold your gels that provide easy access while running. The lock laces which hold the number in place are attached to the belt itself so that it won’t come off. O2 Creation has other interesting products we liked such as the ‘fuel shorts’. We recommend you give their website a browse.

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ELEVEN

NEW GEAR AND GADGETS Uglow U-wind jacket 2.0 &Uglow U-rain membrane 2.0 uglow-alg.com | HKD580 (HKD620 for the U-rain) Extremely lightweight, this compact 85g windproof jacket has several features that will appeal to runners – multiple pockets that include an mp3 pass through and reflective bands for safety at night among them. The soft shell has good breathability, which is a must for anyone living in a humid region. The U-rain membrane is the waterproof version (10,000 membrane) with a transparent elastic mesh for only 100g.

Lafuma Speedtrail Jacket lafuma.com | HKD1600

If you’re looking for great performance and incredible light weight (150g) in a technical jacket, then this is the one for you. Designed specifically for the Lafuma UTMB team, it’s waterproof (10,000 membrane) Climactive technology affords excellent breathability while offering great protection against heavy rains. The adjustable hood, tight fit and thin membrane allows for a lot of freedom of movement when running. In addition to the jacket, Lafuma also offers lightweight (100g) waterproof pants that are required by some ultras - one of the best that you can get for the weight.

Yurbuds - Inspire Limited Edition Wireless yurbuds.com | HKD1080

These earphones will lock in your ears no matter how hard you are pushing on your run or how much you sweat and are extremely comfortable to wear. Our reviewer found the sound quality very good, even though they let in ambient outside noise, which is better for safe running. The featured on-earbud controls are easy to operate by feel, whether you are adjusting the volume, skipping tracks or answering your phone (though why you’d want to do that on a run is beyond us!). The short 6-h battery life is likely to prevent you from wearing them for too long during an ultra, but is good enough for your training sessions or short races.

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ELEVEN NEW GEAR AND GADGETS Pro-Tec Roller Massager pro-tecathletics.com | HKD299

Our reviewer found this roller massage a great complement to compression socks in providing deep massage on the calves. This self-massage tool helps by reducing muscle tightness you may get post-training, including IT Band syndrome and shin splints. The more you train, the more you’ll want self-massages, because the faster and better you will recover. It comes with an instructional brochure with several massage techniques that we found useful, if not a little painful at times.

Pro-Tec Orb 5 pro-tecathletics.com | HKD215

This high density ball provides aggressive deep tissue massage using your weight to focus on target areas for which the roller massager might not get deep enough. Two particular massages our reviewer found efficient (and again, painful) were to roll the ball on your back and on the IT band itself. It took a few sessions to feel comfortable but really provided relief from any lingering

Victory Sport Design victorysportdesign.com | USD90 (BEAR II) & USD60 (COUGAR I)

If you’re preparing for the Trailwalker and want to make sure everything is perfectly organized, this weatherproof bag is for you. Initially designed for American races such as the Western States where runners have pacers and a support team, it will work well for any ultra-organized racer. Although not every runner will need the level of organization these bags offer, the many pockets for food, drinks and assorted equipment make it fast and easy to find what you are looking for. The Bear II is their largest bag, but for smaller needs the Cougar I will suffice.

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ASK THE COACH

Speed Training

Text: Andy DuBois Photos: Claus Rolff

Q: Should trail and ultra runners incorporate speed training into their routine and if so, what kind of sessions are the most beneficial?

S

peed training tends to be overlooked by many trail runners in favour of spending time on the trails. Those who do make the time to incorporate a weekly speed session into their training program will see significant gains in performance.

Speed training helps in a number of ways, by improving VO2max, anaerobic threshold and running economy, increasing your leg speed for running downhill faster and boosting your aerobic pace.

Learning to run when your legs are tired is an important part of training for trails and ultras, and there are a few ways to fatigue your legs. One is to run for a long time and the other is to run faster. Doing a long run the day after a speed session is a great way to train your legs to run when tired.

On top of all this, speed training can make your quads more resistant to the pounding that occurs in trail and ultra running. Put simply, if speed training isn’t part of your weekly routine then you are missing out on a golden opportunity to run better.

The start of the season is the perfect time to begin speed training. Begin gradually and allow the body to adapt as running at higher intensities places more stress on the body.

Speed training basics First of all, your speed sessions don’t

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need to be run around a track. You can do a quality speed session anywhere that allows you to run fast. You don’t even have to measure out distances as you can base it on time. A relatively flat section of your favourite trail can give you just as good a workout as running around a track.

The two main variables to monitor are volume and intensity. Initially we need to keep both down to give the body a chance to adapt. For the first month or so 400 metre to 800 metre repeats work well. A typical session might be 8 x 400m or 5 x 800m repeats with 90 sec recovery. Start off at a pace that feels comfortable and aim to increase the speed throughout the session so the last few reps are the fastest. At this stage you should finish feeling like you could do a few more. As your legs adapt to the training you can start pushing the pace on all reps until eventually the aim is to run the fastest consistent pace possible for all reps.

Increasing Volume and Intensity Once you have adapted to the shorter reps you can progress to distances of 1 kilometre to 1 mile and cover around 5 -8km in the session. Initially keep the rests long to allow you to run faster but as fitness builds you can reduce the rest from 90 sec or longer to a minute or less and try and run the same times. For example 5 x 1km repeats with 60 sec recovery or 5 x 1 mile repeats on 90 sec recovery. Recovery should be very very easy: either a walk or slow jog.

What pace to run at?

You may have read that you should run your speed sessions at your 5km personal best (PB) pace or 10k PB pace.

However if you are a trail or ultra runner it’s likely that you haven’t run a 5k or 10k flat race recently. So you have no way to determine your optimum pace. A better way is to simply aim to run each interval at the fastest pace possible that you can maintain for all reps. If your first one kilometre effort is run in 4 min then so should your last one. By the last one you should be working very hard to accomplish this.

It takes time to learn what pace to run at but it is a useful skill for any runner to have. Running around a track does make this learning process easier as you can check your splits every 200 metres but with the use of a GPS watch you can do the same on a flat trail. If you go out too fast and slow down considerably towards the end you will learn what pace is too fast.

Fitting it in the week Speed sessions should always be done on fresh legs otherwise you may not be able to run at the higher intensities needed in a speed session.

The risk of injury is also higher in a speed session which is another reason not to do them on tired legs.

The day after a speed session should initially be either a day off or recovery day but as fitness builds you can do a long run the day after to boost your endurance.

Andy is an award-winning personal trainer and elite endurance athlete specialized in ultra running. More info on his ultrarunning coach website (www. mile27.com.au)

SPEED TRAINING

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BODY MECHANIC

TO BARE OR NOT TO BARE… Text: Doug Tahirali Photo: Michael Ma

A

few years ago if anybody mentioned ‘barefoot running’ it may have evoked images of rail thin East Africans, legendary South African runner Zola Budd, or if you are old enough, British runner Bruce Tulloh.

Fast forward to 2014 and most people discussing barefoot running (BFR) make an immediate association with the ‘funny toe shoes’ that effectively combine true barefoot running with the recent minimalist running shoe craze.

BFR is naturally closely linked to the polarising debate around forefoot vs. heel striking and most recently Vibram, the maker of the aforementioned FiveFingers shoes, settled a US$3.75m class action law suit for deceptive marketing, by claiming that their shoes could strengthen foot muscles while reducing running injuries.

How did we get to this point so quickly?

Modern ‘jogging’ as we known it

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has only been around for 50 years, with BFR gaining popularity in the last 10. As seen in previous issues of Asia Trail, the majority of current research on running injuries seems quite inconclusive as regards the pros and cons of BFR.

What Does The Science Say? • Broad support of the concept of BFR would be Michael Warburton’s retrospective review Barefoot running1 of past research in which he found: •

•

•

Running related injuries to bone and connective tissue in the legs are rare in developing countries where most runners are unshod

Where both barefoot and shod populations exist (Haiti), injury rates of lower extremity are substantially higher in the shod population Footwear can increase the risk of ankle sprains

• •

Plantar fasciitis is rare in barefoot populations Running barefoot reduces oxygen consumption by a few percent.

In 2010, Daniel Lieberman pointed out that barefoot runners with a midfoot to forefoot strike generate smaller collision forces, markedly less than heel striking, shod or unshod, attributed to a more plantar-flexed position and better shock absorption through the ankle and foot2. In the spring of 2012, Lieberman published a summary of BFR type research and concluded that “we simply do not know yet” the influence of BFR on injury risk3.

A few weeks later Lieberman published what appears to be the first evidence that natural, forefoot running (a byproduct of BFR) causes significantly less risk of repetitive stress injury than those who heel strike. In the study, heel strikers showed 2.6 x more chance of

BODY MECHANIC injury and 3-4% less efficiency than forefoot strikers. A study by Hansen et al. (2012) went on to show that when tested on a treadmill BFR is only 2% more economical, but it was 5.7% more economical when tested outdoors on ground. Even more seemingly conclusive results were found by Perl et al. (2012) where minimally shod runners came off being significantly more economical than regularly shod runners regardless of the type of foot strike4.

At the 2012 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, three studies were presented by DePaoli et al., Michigan’s Adrian College and by Altman et al. Their research showed that runners on a treadmill were faster and more economical but also had higher rates of injury during the transition phase to BFR. Altman’s internet survey of 109 runners making the transition to BFR had 18 runners reporting muscle or bone injuries and 16 with an injury to the bottom of the foot.

Contrary to what we have just read about the benefits of BFR, a late 2000s University of Newcastle review effectively damned sport shoes in general when it came to injury prevention, finding no published research at all that showed a relationship between injury prevention and using motion control shoes or shoes with large high cushioned heels.

Many extended this finding to minimalist shoes being unable to live up to their grandiose claims of injury prevention.

In the same year, a 2013 Brigham Young University study tested whether BFR strengthened the foot, believing that if the foot muscles did indeed get stronger then the arch would rise and could be measured. Putting their runners through a 10 week minimalist shoe trial, they found no significant gains in arch height6. Another survey of 566 runners asked if they had tried to transition to BFR, and of the one third that had tried, 32% had suffered injuries and switched back to their old form of running.

By the 2014 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, five research presentations showed absolutely no significant benefits in terms of running

Everybody has different

What I see all too often with runners interested in BFR are increased injuries when the transition is done too quickly, mostly due to too many different elements in running style needing to change for a successful transition. BFR is at one extreme end of the current shoe spectrum, so you must be prepared to move to a ‘zero drop’ (flat from toe to heel) and zero cushioning shoe.

This involves changing your foot strike pattern, stride length, stride frequency, body position and also different demands on your musculature.

biomechanics and thus barefoot running may not be suitable for you, so really question what it is

about it that

Confusingly, a 2013 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology5 showed 19 heel strikers were more economical by a considerable margin when measured on a treadmill over 18 forefoot strikers. Even more incredibly, when the forefoot strikers then tried to heel strike, they tested more economical than their habitual forefoot style. The study concluded that heel strikers burned less carbs and used more from fat and other sources, thus postponing ‘hitting the wall’ when all the body’s glycogen stores were depleted.

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2. You spent a good portion of your life running barefoot.

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2014

appeals.

economy for BFR over conventional shoes. One researcher went so far as to take photos of the moment of foot strike for 50 distance runners at the US Olympic trials, with the photos capturing every possible strike position from solid heel strikes to mere baby toe strikes.

Is it for you?

When patients ask me whether they should try barefoot running, my first question is ‘why?’ - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Everybody has different biomechanics and thus BFR may not be suitable for you, so really question what it is about it that appeals.

I often highlight two things that will help with barefoot success: 1. You were born in the Rift Valley

As we have seen, the research is mixed and inconclusive and it’s hard to compare the evidence in areas of injury prevention, running efficiency and body posture, so why make the switch? It’s not as simple as X causes Y, and yet many of the studies put all the focus of injury on shoe or foot strike when myriad of other things also come into play. Given time and better research we may yet see that BFR has distinct advantages over other styles of running. As it is a newer trend to the global running world, I don’t feel justified in making any sweeping statements, but I certainly feel some of Vibram’s claims may indeed be proved correct, given time.

References: 1 Warburton, M (2001) Barefoot running. Sportscience 5:1-4.

2 Lieberman, DE et al. (2010) Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners. Nature 463: 531-535.

3 Lieberman, DE (2012) What we can learn about running from barefoot running: an evolutionary medical perspective. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 40: 63-72.

4 Daoud, AI et al. (2012) Foot strike and injury rates in endurance runners: a retrospective study. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 44:1325-34.

5 Gruber, AH (2013) Economy and rate of carbohydrate oxidation during running with rearfoot and forefoot strike patterns. Journal of Applied Physiology, 115:194-201.

6 Ridge et al. (2013) Foot bone marrow edema after 10-week transition to minimalist running shoes. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 45:1363-8.

Doug has been a physiotherapist for 25 years and currently practices at Jardine House Sports and Spinal Clinic (www. physiohk.com). This column aims to explain how body parts work and how you can care for and fix them.

TO BARE OR NOT TO BARE…

Short History of Running Shoes Early History - Hominids became upright and (shoeless) running wasn’t far behind.

1860s - Track spikes become popular in England. These shoes have minimal heel cushioning.

1950s - 1960s - British Bruce Tulloh breaks several European records running barefoot. He would later go on to run across the USA, in shoes.

1960 Rome - Ethiopian AbebeBikila wins Olympic marathon gold running barefoot by accident when his sponsor Adidas ran out of his size. He had trained both with and without shoes but reasoned that no shoes was better than too tight.

1962 - Bill Bowerman, University of Oregon track coach and Nike co-founder releases a small leaflet called “A Jogger’s Manual.”

1964 Tokyo - Bikila breaks the marathon world record wearing shoes.

1966 - Bowerman publishes a book called “Jogging” after a visit to New Zealand where he witnessed it being used as a fitness routine for people of all ages.

1968 - Original Nike Cortez comes out.

1974 - Nike Waffle trainer and explosion of Nike.

1977 - Jim Fixx releases “The Complete Book of Running”, fully popularising running for fitness and weight loss. Millions of people are running in cushioned, higher heeled Nike shoes.

1984 - Jim Fixx dies while jogging, igniting the controversy around whether jogging is good for you at all.

1999 - Designer Robert Fliri proposes a minimalist shoe to Vibram USA CEO Tony Post and the infamous VibramFiveFinger ‘toe shoes’ are conceived.

2004 - Harvard’s Daniel Lieberman becomes the leader of the current barefoot running craze when he publishes a paper concluding:”The fossil evidence of

these features suggests that endurance running is a derived capability of the genus Homo, originating about 2 million years ago, and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form.”

2005 - The official release of VibramFiveFingers. BFR now adapts to include minimal footwear.

2007 - Lieberman et al. release a follow up paper suggesting humans have evolved to be particularly adept endurance runners to “help meat-eating hominids compete with other carnivores.”

2009 - The incredibly popular “Born To Run” book is published by Christopher McDougall, igniting the modern day BFR craze. The book cites much of Lieberman’s work and revisits the Tarahumara BFR tribe that was first discussed in Peter Nabokov’s 1981 book “Indian Running.”

2009 to Now - More studies comparing barefoot runners (and minimalist) to shod runners in efforts to see if there is any difference in running economy and injury rates between the two.

2012 - Lawsuit brought against Adidas and their health claims for their glove-like Adipure trainer.

2013 - Several lawsuits brought against health claims by ‘toning shoes’: US$40m from Sketchers, US$5.3m from FitFlop and US$2.3m from New Balance.

2014 - Vibram settles a US$3.75m class action law suit for deceptive marketing after claiming that the FiveFingers (VFF) would:

- strengthen muscles in the foot and lower leg - improve the range of motion in the ankle, foot and toes - stimulate neural function important to balance and agility - eliminate heel lift to align the spine and improve posture - allow the foot and body to move naturally As part of the settlement Vibram was asked to give each customer who bought a pair of VFF a partial refund and no longer make these claims.

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CROSS TRAINING

Preparing Your Body for the Trails Text: Kenny Kam Photos: Claus Rolff

Y

ou might think that cardiorespiratory training would be enough for race conditioning, but there’s a lot more to it than that. There are many different muscle groups and movement combinations that make training a specific group important for our overall performance. On top of this, when we are on trail we have to consider the topography and weather, along with tree roots, loose stones and steep ascents and descents.

This 3-stage, 60-minute training plan has been prepared to give trail runners strength and core conditioning that will benefit them during training, on race day and also help in preventing injury. For each exercise, we recommend 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a break of 30-40 sec between sets.

Core training - 3 exercises - 20 min

Crisscross

• •

•

Crunches with knees up Legs raise with chest up Crisscross Bridging (for intermediate, do with a single leg variation)

Beginning your workout with core training is a good way to warm up and awaken the body trunk, since most core training is working on the base for support.

Perform the sets with a slow and steady speed, aiming to stabilize the lower back on the floor for the abdominal exercises; keeping the shoulders and feet stable on the floor, and aligning the legs throughout the exercise of Bridging.

These exercises work on the deep lying muscles on both core and lower back that support your torso, which brings you the benefit of other functional movement. This specifically helps to control body balance when running on trails.

Stability training - 7 exercises - 20 min •

This stage focuses on extremities training with resistance and is divided into two parts. After working out with supine position, we move on to the standing exercises with less base support.

Upper-body Woodchop with cable pulling Standing rotation with cable Rowing with cable or TRX • •

These exercises mostly work on the transverse plan of motion, which is often neglected.

Your body performs lots of transverse motions during daily activity, such as walking, taking off your backpack from your shoulders, etc., and especially in running.

Woodchop with cable pulling

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PREPARING YOUR BODY FOR THE TRAILS

• • •

Rest in between each set with a stable torso. These exercises can be replaced with dumbbells or a medicine ball.

Training the entire core where the muscles connect to the pelvis is good for running safely and efficiently.

These workouts increase core strength and stability of the trunk (including hip flexor, hamstring, and quadriceps), which help control your balance.

Woodchop with cable pulling (the other direction)

Standing rotation with cable

Rowing with cable

Rowing with TRX

Rowing with TRX

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PREPARING YOUR BODY FOR THE TRAILS

Lower body Squats with dumbbell / medicine ball Forward lunges with dumbbell Side lunges with TRX Leg squats with hip rotation on TRX • •

Side lunges with TRX •

Single leg squats with hip rotation on TRX

Squats with medicine ball

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Runners need strong legs, but their flexibility is also important.

These exercises not only strengthen your leg muscles, but also increase the flexibility of leg joints, which is especially important for trail runners on uneven surfaces in preventing injury.

Keep the upper-body stabilized in proper form. If you do not have a dumbbell, medicine ball, or TRX, you can either bring arms straight out in front of shoulders or straightarms up overhead to give yourself a challenge.

PREPARING YOUR BODY FOR THE TRAILS

Total Body Training - 5 exercises - 15-20 min

• •

•

Squat jump Tuck jump (jumping with knees up high) Jump with multi planes (with sagittal, frontal and transverse) Mountain climbers Burpees This is the last stage of the workout and more intensive. It includes the bodyweight exercise and cardio respiratory training to increase heart rate in a short amount of time.

Perform these exercises as fast as you can with 30-40 sec of rest in between, completing as many reps as you can in the following recommended times: 30 sec for each exercise for beginner and 40 sec for intermediate to advance level.

Force yourself to finish each exercise as much as you can in a short time with the correct form. This trains your body to perform fast movements with correct posture, helping prevent injuries.

Kenny is a personal trainer certified in Pilates and TRX at Anhao Wellness, Hong Kong (Kenny@anhao-wellness.com; www.anhaowellness.com).

Mountain climbers – 30-40 seconds

GEEK RUNNER

Run “Naked” and have fun Text: Lindsey Coen-Fernandez Photo: Michael Ma

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RUN “NAKED” AND HAVE FUN

“

Taking a tech device out on the trail is similar to taking a lover: The idea seems great in theory, but there’s a chance you’ll end up miserable.” - Vanessa Rodriguez (Vanessa Runs blog) A few weeks ago I was on the trails with a group and one of the runners was talking about a new ‘wearable’ that he had recently purchased to monitor his sleep. He prefaced his conversation by saying he was a “gadget techno junkie.”

He has a GPS tracker for running, a heart rate monitor linked to Strava, power monitors for his bike, GPS tracker for his bike and more that I probably don’t even know about. When he said the sleep monitor told him he needed to rest based on his heart rate recordings, I tossed out, “What if you just listened to your body instead?”

Another running buddy has a brand new gadget that tells her when she should rest based on her activity levels and heart rate monitor. She told me, “I ignore it because it says I need to rest for 72 hours but I just want to run trails!”

I have to question all the gadgets we have at hand and the hundreds of dollars I’ve spent (my husband even more) on hardware and software to track our daily lives – wristbands for sleeping, apps for eating, GPS trackers, speed trackers on our bikes – the list goes on and the options are increasing by the day. It got me wondering whether the process of tracking and competing with ourselves is taking all the fun out of running.

I stopped running with my Garmin about 18 months ago and last used it during the Action Asia Mongolian 3-day Ultra so that I could gauge where to turn on the route – sometimes those ribbons in the bush can be tough to spot. We were told before the race to watch out for the stinging plants around the 15km mark Relaxing smile halfway to an ultra is the best approach.

and despite the accuracy of my device, I still knew when I hit this area because they stung me! Gadgets have their place in training but have they become a distraction to all the wonders that trail running has to offer?

More recently, a runner told me he was signed up to do a race but was going to bail on it because, “I am not as fit as my last one and I won’t be able to PR.” Another threatened to stop running because his times were, “getting slower.”

I think it’s time to have the ‘getting old’ talk with these guys.

‘prize’

The is not a position, or a time; instead the

‘getting to know ourselves’, the work and the training must be their

own reward.

Those who ventured out to test the notion of ‘running naked’ and have done a gadget cleanse realized what they were missing after they got through the initial withdrawal stages. Most said that their times actually improved but more importantly, all felt more deeply connected with their bodies and their surroundings.

Here are a few ideas for you to try if you’re keen to do the same.

1. Hit a trail that you’ve run before and play a game – try to notice 5 things you’ve never seen before.

feel, just remember how you feel.

3. Disconnect from tech and connect to yourself – listen to the sound of your feet, your breathing, your heart. Do you have a rhythm that is even and smooth?

4. Instead of trying to get the perfect facebook shot on your phone, take 5 minutes to drink in the scenery that trail running has to offer. The same phone that allows you to take the pics also pings you with texts and emails.

If you’re taking it with you for safety reasons (still a good idea!) then switch it to silent mode and stick it somewhere you can’t reach easily.

5. Reassess – after your detox consider the value that your gadgets bring to your runs. Does it offer you support or does it hold you back? Do you feel disappointed by its readings?

Does it make you feel miserable? Do you have a good relationship with it?

Or does it inspire you to hit the trails again?

If it does not inspire, consider putting it out to pasture. I was having a beer with a runner from Kenya a couple of weeks ago and he had just completed a race in China as a rabbit – he did 21km in 1h 05min. He told me his dream was to never have to run for time because that would mean he could simply run for fun! Now there’s a novel idea.

In my final thoughts I defer to Bruce Pye, recent finisher of the Marathon Des Sables Race whose review read, “Lesson one, trust your instincts and don’t rely totally on technology.”

Get out there and smell the flowers – you might discover a lost relationship with running.

Lindsey is the author of the book Phu Pee Massage – Real Stories for my Friend. www. realstory.org

2. Start streaking – make a vow to run ‘naked’ (gadget free) for at least a week to 10 days. No need to even record how you

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NUTRITION

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VEGETARIAN DIET

CAN A VEGETARIAN DIET IMPROVE TRAIL RUNNING PERFORMANCE? Text: Katia Kucher Illustration: Kirk Wescom

T

here has been much debate lately surrounding the purported benefits of vegetarian and plant based diets and how they might positively affect overall performance, endurance and stamina in athletes.

If you’re interested in starting a vegetarian diet to see if it works for you, it’s important to first examine your lifestyle and training schedule intensity in order to determine your requirements of carbohydrates, proteins and calories.

Vegetarian diets can be divided into three categories: • Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat milk products and eggs, but no meat, poultry, fish or seafood.

• Lacto-vegetarians eat milk products, but no eggs, meat, poultry, fish or seafood.

Vegans are strict vegetarians. Their diet consists exclusively of plant-based foods. They don’t eat anything that comes from animals. That means no dairy, meat, fish, poultry, seafood, honey or gelatin.

A plant-based diet is based on vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains.

Some people may also include small amounts of animal products.

For normal vegetarians, all essential and nonessential amino acids can be found in plant food, as long as there is an emphasis on consuming a variety of foods, and the energy (calories) intake is sufficient.

Long distance and endurance trail runners following a vegetarian diet need to make sure that they consume enough carbohydrates to optimize muscle and liver glycogen stores – 7 to 10 grams/ kg of body weight. This can be achieved through eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dried fruits.

Often, vegetarian and plant-based diets don’t meet the necessary amount of protein needed by trail runners (1 to 1.6 grams/kg of body weight) and for long distance trail runners (1.5 to 2 grams/kg of body weight) to ensure proper muscle recovery, growth of lean muscle mass, and optimum immune system function.

Protein also provides an alternative fuel source for endurance trail runners.

After about 90 minutes of running and exercise, muscle glycogen stores start to become depleted, and the muscle tissue becomes the next source of energy fuel.

This process is called gluconeogenesis.

It is the synthesis of glucose from fatty and amino acids in lean muscle tissue.

The degree of soreness and stiffness after a long trail run is a good indicator of how much energy your body had to get from lean muscle tissue. Adding the right quantity of protein to your diet will provide amino acids, reducing gluconeogenesis.

Vegetarian trail runners and athletes have to be very diligent about including enough protein in their diet, which is not as easy as getting it through consuming meat. Eating a variety of nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains should be sufficient.

One other concern when following a vegetarian or plant-based diet is that it will greatly increase fiber intake, which can reduce the bioavailability of several nutrients such as zinc, iron, and some minerals. Vegetarians should be aware of this and monitor their bodies to make sure there is no deficiency, especially of iron.

Trail runners who follow a vegetarian or plant-based diet may experience several benefits. Athletes who consume a diet rich in fruits, and vegetables receive a high amount of antioxidant nutrients that help reduce the oxidative stress associated with intense training. Other benefits include lower rate of heart disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. Because vegetarians include more fruits and vegetables in their diet, their overall nutrition tends to be more balanced, and healthier.

As far as performance is concerned, there is no evidence or studies that support beneficial or detrimental effects of a vegetarian diet1. There is also no evidence that consuming a vegetarian diet provides any improvement on VO2max, aerobic, and anaerobic capacities. Some trail runners and athletes perform well on a vegetarian diet, while others need to consume some animal products such as meat, fish or eggs to keep up their protein intake and energy required by their body.

To conclude, there is no evidence that either diet will improve performance and endurance. Every individual is different, with different needs as far as nutrition is concerned. Following a well-balanced and healthy diet that meets your body’s needs, and works for your lifestyle is what is most important.

Reference: 1 Nieman, DC (1999). Physical fitness and vegetarian diets: is there a relation? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70, 570s-575s.

Katia is owner of d.BeFit (www.debefit. com), NASM certified personal trainer, NASM sports nutritionist specialist, TRX certified.

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VEGETARIAN DIET

Interview:

VLAD IXEL on Being a Vegan Runner Vlad Ixel recently participated in several races in Europe after finishing third at Vibram HK100 earlier this year. Photo: Scott Hawker AT: Why did you make the decision to become vegan? wanted to be healthier, and it was part of my total transformation where I quit smoking, heavy drinking and started running. I used to eat meat three times a day and I thought the best way to improve my overall health was to go to the other extreme where I would not eat any meat or any animal products.

I

AT: How long did it take you to make the transition from omnivore to herbivore?

The transition itself was a one day thing.

I remember telling myself on the 26th of December 2012 that from today I would be vegan. One day I was a meat eater the next day I was vegan - I just cut all animal products completely out. The week leading up to my decision I did read the book Eat and Run by Scott Jurek, which was a great contributor to my decision to turn vegan.

AT: How does it help your running performance?

I think it helps more with recovery than my actual running. The science is quite basic - it takes the body a long time and a lot of energy to digest meat, but when you eat plants your body uses less energy to digest and more energy is left to help

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your body recover from your last run.

AT: Where do you get the necessary proteins that your body needs if you’ve stopped eating meat?

I never think about proteins, I just try and have a balanced plant diet and the proteins find me. A large part of my diet is fruit and vegetables, but I also have different kinds of nuts and beans on a regular basis which are a great source of protein.

AT: Your favourite vegetable or fruit?

My favourite fruit has to be bananas, most days I have over 15 bananas. Dates are a big favourite as well. Favourite vegetable are sweet potatoes, but I will only have them about once a week as I try to get a large variety of vegetables in my diet.

AT: What do you think the best argument is in trying to convince runners to try eating vegetarian?

You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to be a good runner, but if you understand that the more fruit and veggies you, eat the faster you will recover, then you are on the right track. Also if you learn to see fruits and vegetables not only as snakes and side dishes, but as meals, you will enjoy a healthier life.

I don’t think meat and animal products are bad for you, but I do think that large amounts of meat and animal products are. I had to go from one extreme to the other to become healthier, but if you can dramatically cut down the amount of animal products you consume, you will become much healthier. A few of my friends have been weekday vegans, where they would not eat any animal products during the week and could eat whatever they want during the weekend.

I think this is a great way to improve your own health and help the environment at the same time.

VLAD’S FAVOURITE RECIPE My favourite recipe is a simple healthy Hummus. I soak organic chickpeas in water overnight, then drain and wash them before cooking them for about 30min, or until they are soft enough and ready to eat.

Drain about 90% of the water out (leaving 10% of the cooked water in the pot) and then mix with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and pink salt to taste. Give it a quick blend in a blender, and you have a simple, easy, healthy and delicious hummus.

VEGETARIAN DIET

Book Review:

Eat & Run

S

cott Jurek has been a dominant force and inspiration to many over the fifteen years that he has been ultrarunning. A record setter in many of the sport’s most high profile races, including Badwater and Western States, Jurek was also one of the runners featured in the worldwide phenomenon that took minimalist running to the masses Born to Run. Jurek’s book Eat and Run is as fascinating a read as it is inspiring. Interspersed with fantastic and easy to make vegetarian recipes (Scott is a vegan), Scott waxes lyrical about his life and career as a champion runner, from humble beginnings in Midwest America where he would hunt, fish and

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by Scott Jurek

cook his own food whilst taking care of an ailing mother, to his slow transition to ultrarunning stardom and why he became a vegan.

Scott shares great anecdotal stories about his early running days and competitions that aren’t just entertaining and fascinating to read, but are also full of great scientific and practical advice. It’s an incredibly motivating read and a great insight into the mind and will of an elite ultrarunner, who chose to switch to a vegan diet after being inspired by the body’s ability to heal itself through the natural healing benefits of being a vegetarian.

TRAIL OF THE MONTH

High Altitude Training - Taroko National Park, Taiwan Text: Clement Dumont

F

amous for its beautiful gorges, Taroko is a paradise for trail runners as it offers dramatic trails starting at sea level and climbing to mountain peaks of over 3,000m with a variety of easy single-track to very technical and steep climbs. Among the many trails in the 920km2 park, we enjoyed two contrasting ones that offered both challenges and breathtaking scenery.

Dali-Datong (17km +1,200m) This is a good trail to take as a warm-up to exploring higher altitude routes. Starting from the Taroko Park headquarter, a 3km vertical climb (+700m) takes you to the ghost village of Dali before continuing to the next village of Datong (+1,000m) via a few streams and some dense and vibrant vegetation. Arriving at Datong you can run back 1km and take a single track on a right turn down to the Shakadang River for a refreshing swim. It’s easy to follow the scenic river for 5km back to civilization from here, finishing with a 1.5km run on a road through a tunnel to get back to the park base.

Cilai North Peak - 3,607m (16km +1,200m) To reach the highest and most challenging peak of the park, you may want to stay overnight to acclimatise for the altitude at Songsyue Lodge (3,100m) where the trail starts. At such high altitudes (2,700-3,600m) you must make sure to drink fluids regularly and climb at a comfortable pace, breathing deeply and regularly, as exercising at these altitudes can place considerable demands on your pulmonary and cardiovascular systems.

The first 3km is a non-technical descent to 2,700m before starting an ascent to Chenggong Cabin that has the only stream to refill water. Following the river bed for a short distance, the next section is a non-technical but steep climb up to 3,400m. The last kilometer of ascent is a technical rope climb (i.e. magazine cover) to reach the top – 3,607m –that offers some stunning views. You return the same way you came.

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Beautiful views on the first section of Cilai route - 3,000m.

Photo: Clement Dumont

TAROKO NATIONAL PARK, TAIWAN

Route Info Among the eight national parks of Taiwan, Taroko is the most accessible from Taipei – 2 or 3h by train to the closest city, Hualien. While the Dali-Datong trail is at the entrance of the park, it requires a 2h drive into the park to get to Songsyue Lodge, where the ascent of Cilai North Peak starts.

GPS and map are available on Asia Trail Magazine website. Additional info on Taroko park: www.taroko.gov.tw Downhill from the Cilai summit - 3,600m.

Photo: Romain Riche

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RACE DIRECTORY

Where To Race In Asia DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

6 Sept

Mid-Autumn Race

5km, 11km and 18km

Hong Kong

www.xterace.com

110km

Japan

www.avid-adventures.com

7 Sept

Bromo Marathon

7 Sept

Chenai Trail Marathon

14 -15 Sept Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail 14 Sept

Khardung La Challenge

21 Sept

Forest Trail Run

20 Sept 21 Sept

20-21 Sept 21 Sept 27 Sept 28 Sept 28 Sept 2 Oct 4 Oct 5 Oct

10 Oct 12 Oct

Kaveri Trail Marathon Double Cove Sai Kung

Godawari Phulchowki

OtterBox Action Asia X Trail Outward Bound Multi Race Ten times Needle Hill

Myamit Falls Trail Marathon Yunan Qiubei Marathon

10-11 Oct 10 Oct

Lantau Vertical

Lantau 2 Peaks

5 Oct

10 Oct

Vietnam Mountain Marathon

Barclays MoonTrekker Raleigh Challenge

The NorthFace 100 Singapore Bhati Lakes

Khao Yai Trail Marathon

10km, 21km and 42km 21km, 42km and 50km 72km

15km and 21 km 7km

9km and 16km

10km,21km and 42km 11km and 21 km 20km and 50km 9km and 17km 13km 21km

26km and 42km 15km and 21km

5km, 10km, 21km and 42km 30km and 43km

156km and 78km

13km, 25km, 50km and 100km

30 miles, 50 miles and 100 miles 3.5km, 10km, 21km and 42km

After running all night, participants of the Moontrekker enjoy the sunrise on the Lantau Peak.

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Indonesia India India

Japan

Hong Kong Malaysia India

Hong Kong Nepal

Taiwan

Hong Kong Hong Kong

Philippines Hong Kong China

Hong Kong Hong Kong Singapore India

Thailand

bromomarathon.com

chennaitrailmarathon

www.ladakhmarathon.com

www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp www.lantauvertical.com

www.event.themarathonshop.com.my kaveritrailmarathon.com

www.actionasiaevents.com

www.trailrunningnepal.org www.actionasiaevents.com

www.outwardbound.org.hk

www.tentimesneedlehill.com www.mf42.strikingly.com

www.actionasiaevents.com

www.yunnanmarathon.com

www.barclaysmoontrekker.com www.raleigh.org.hk

www.thenorthface100.com.sg globeracers.com race-hunter.com

RACE DIRECTORY

DATE

RACE

DISTANCE

LOCATION

WEBSITE

12 Oct

Annapurna Ultra Mountain

80km

Nepal

trailrunningnepal.org

18-19 Oct

Mount Kinabalu Climbathon

23km and 33km

Malaysia

www.climbathon.my

12 Oct

14-27 Oct 19 Oct

18-25 Oct 26 Oct 30 Oct

1-3 Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov

8- 9 Nov

9-21 Nov 14 Nov 28 Nov

29-30 Nov 30 Nov

Jeju Trail Running

Ultra Trail Novas Manaslu Rally TT

Thailand Ultra Marathon MSIG 50

Mapawa Trail Run Nepal Action Asia LT 70

Datun Mountain

Bangalore Ultra Marathon Everest Trail Race

Oxfam Trail Walker

The Ancient Khmer Path HK 168

KOTH HK

5km, 10km, 20km and 100km 228km 24km

24km and 50km

5km, 10km, 21km and 42km 70km

10km, 22.5km and 45km 50km, 75km and 100km 160km 100km 220km 168km

18.6km and 30.5km

Nepal

Hong Kong

50km and 100km

60km and 100km

Korea

Thailand

Hong Kong

Philippines Nepal

Hong Kong Taiwan India

Nepal

Hong Kong Cambodia

Hong Kong Hong Kong

www.trjeju.com

trailrunningnepal.org www.hkmsa.hk

www.thailandultramarathon.com www.actionasiaevents.com www.facebook.com/ mapawatrailrunchallenge

www.actionasiaevents.com www.lantaubasecamp.com www.ibodygo.com

www.bangaloreultra.com

www.everesttrailrace.com

www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk www.global-limits.com www.hk168.com.hk

www.seyonasia.com

If you wish to add your race in our race calendar, please send us an email at sabrina@asiasportconnection.com

69

MARKET PLACE - HONG KONG Daily: 12pm-10pm

Mong Kok

ACTION X

www.actionxstore.com

Daily: 11am-8pm G/F, 28 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 3102 2977

5/F & 6/F, Oriental House, 2426 Argyle street, Mong Kok T: +852 2390 0980

Causeway Bay

2/F, Kin Tak Fung Commercial Bldg, 467-473 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

Yuen Long

Flat B, 1/F, Tai Tong Mansion, 29-33 Tai Tong Road, Yuen Long

OVERLANDER ROUND THE WORLD www.roundtheworld.hk Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

Shop A, 51 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan T: +852 2745 6988

APA Outdoor Shop

eShop: www.apa.co/eshop Free delivery in Hong Kong!

Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm Sat-Sun: 11am-6pm T: +852 3153 4091 E: shop@apa.co

LANTAU BASE CAMP www.lantaubasecamp.com

Mon-Fri: 8:30am-7:30pm Sat-Sun & PH: 8am-7:30pm Closed on Tuesday Shop J, Sea View Building, Mui Wo, Lantau Island T: +852 5463 6060

RC OUTFITTERS www.alink.com.hk

70

SPORTS WORLD www.sportsworld.hk

Central

16A Gee Chang Hong Centre, 65 Wong Chuk Hang Road,

RECTIME

Room 709, 7/F, Prosper Commercial Bldg, 9 Yin Chong Street, Mongkok, KLN E: info@rectime.com.hk T: +852 3527 3080

RE:ECHO

5/F, Wong Chung Ming Commercial Building, 14-16 Wyndham Street, T: +852 2525 8810 Daily: 11am-6pm

Discovery Bay

Shop 1- 05 B, North Plaza, Discovery Bay T: +852 2914 1323 Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm Sun: 11am-6pm

Yau Ma Tei

1/F, 50-56 Pitt Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon (Near Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, Exit A2) T: +852 2385 1822 Daily: 11am-10pm

Tsuen Wan

Shop UG51, Citywalk, 1 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories T: +852 2838 1176 Mon-Thur: 11:30am-9:30pm Fri-Sun & PH: 11:30am-10pm

| ASIA TRAIL • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2014

Base Camp@ CausewayBay

3/F Gold Swan Commercial Building, 438–444 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay T: +852 3695 0871

The Overlander Causeway Bay

Tai Po

YATA (Tai Po) Men’s Wear Department RC Outfitters Counter, Tai Po, Mega Mall Zone B

www.overlander.com.hk Mon-Sat: 11am-9:30pm Sun: 11am-9:00pm

ESCAPADE

www.escapade.com.hk

Causeway Bay 1/F, 19 Leighton Road T: +852 2891 1855 Mon-Thrus: 10am-9:00pm Fri-Sun: 9:30am-9pm

Central 1/F, 30-34 Cochrane Street T:+852 2851 0769 Mon-Thurs: 10:30am-9pm Fri-Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm

Shop 205, Causeway Bay Plaza I, No.489, Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay T: +852 2319 2038

Base Camp@Mongkok

Rm 12-23, 12/F, Hollywood Plaza, 610 Nathan Rd, Mongkok T: +852 2117 1810

Packcity (Mongkok)

Shop 229, Level 2, Trendy Zone, 580A-F Nathan Rd, Mongkok T: +852 2116 2707

The Overlander Shatin

Shop 536, Level 5, New Town Plaza, Phase 1, Shatin T: +852 3427 9626

The Overlander Tsuen Wan

Shop UG57, Citywalk, Tsuen Wan T: +852 2117 1720

The Overlander@ GigaSports

Unit 1, Level 8, Megabox, 38 Wang Chiu Rd., Kowloon Bay T: +852 2629 5009