Behind the Scenes at Bali Trail Run

For me there is nothing better than walking in the hills and seeing what new flora and fauna I can spot. I’ve now started trail running as well as it offers the chance to safely explore new routes on more remote trails. The organizers provide the route electronically in advance of the race, and on the day it is clearly marked with ribbons or flour so it’s hard (although not impossible!) to get lost. The atmosphere at these runs is very lively and fun as for most people the goal is to complete the race rather than win. This means that many people, me included, don’t run the whole trail, they just go as fast as they can to finish before the cut-off time. These competitions often offer several distances so you can choose the one that suits your fitness level. If you’re not quite ready to compete though, another option is to be a volunteer which is just as fun. This is what I did in June and I got to see behind the scenes as to just how much work is involved in putting on one of these events.

The Bali Trail Run took place on 10th June and was organized by Venture Treks couple Jean and Elzanne Blignaut together with Barton Lin.

Obviously, there was a huge amount of preparation in the months leading up to the event: planning the route, designing and ordering bibs, T-shirts, prizes, tracking registrations and so forth. However, the main physical work started the week before the race when the trail was checked to clear heavy undergrowth or add a rope to slopes that were particularly steep. The day before the race, the organizers and support staff walked the course attaching orange ribbons every so often to mark the trail and took drinks and snacks up to the checkpoints which were not accessible by road. They finished all this at 4 am, just three hours before the race started!

On race day more support staff arrived around 5 am. The start was in front of the Guimashan Zihuang Tianyi Zhenqing Temple and the support of the temple staff was key to hosting this event and much appreciated. Not long after the volunteers had set up, the first competitors appeared and the area soon picked up energy and was buzzing with runners collecting their race packs, bumping into old friends and making new ones. Barton and Jean gave out instructions about the course and made sure everyone had enough water with them, while some helpers went off to take their places at the various checkpoints.

At 7 am the starting horn sounded and the 21km runners set off and at 7.15 the 11km runners followed suit; in both cases with AED runners bringing up the rear in case any first aid were needed on the mountain. I stood at one junction about 500m from the start to make sure everyone turned right and went up the hill. This was a fun place to be as everyone was still running close together and full of energy ready to conquer the mountain. Plus, I remained there for the two kids races of 1km and 2km. They went past me up the hill and then back. On the way up the younger ones run happily with a parent in tow to keep an eye on them. On the way back the children were still running happily but parents were following much more slowly which begs the question who was taking care of whom?!

About an hour or so into the race, messages started appearing in the LINE group such as ‘need more water at checkpoint 1’ ‘runner lost near checkpoint 2’ which kept Jean, Elzanne and Barton busy going up and down the mountain. The top three 11km runners appeared at the finish line after about one and a half hours – real mountaingoat-runners – and then the other finishers started trickling in, with the first 21km runner arriving in just under three hours. The temple staff also appeared with huge amounts of food, so runners could recharge their system with noodles, rice and vegetables but it was the cold water and beer that was most popular in the 35°+ heat.

At one point there was a message in the LINE group that runners were confused about the route near the end.

So I returned to my checkpoint. Waiting for finishers to come down the last stretch of the hill was a very different experience to the start. Runners appeared in ones or twos, weary and unsure where to go. I polished my pronunciation of “Jia you!” and “Kuai daole!”, in most cases getting a nod and a tired smile in return, although some still had enough energy to cheer themselves on.

Back at the finish, Jean congratulated the top five in each race and after sharing their experiences runners started to make their way home. Finally, at around 3 pm, almost eight hours after starting, the sweepers of the 21km race arrived at the finish to a big cheer. The sweeper’s job is to follow the slowest runners of the competition to make sure they don’t get lost and to take down the race ribbons and collect any rubbish as they go. Their return meant mission accomplished, all runners were safely back at the start. So all that was left to do was take down the banners and tents, tidy away the tables and head home.

If you enjoy being outdoors, then I can recommend taking part or volunteering at one of these events. You can choose how active you want to be and either way, you’ll join an enthusiastic group that enjoys having fun in the countryside. There are various running organizations including Venture Treks and I have included some links you can check out. My next event is the Formosa Trail in November, so maybe I’ll see you there.

Lucy Torres is the Programs Manager at The Center and enjoys organizing different activities and events that cover topics from Taiwanese culture to environmental awareness.

Useful links: https://www.venturetreks.asia/vt-volunteers-kmw https://www.facebook.com/CrazyBeerTrailRun/ https://beast.run/ https://www.ahotu.com/event/msig-taiwan-action-asia-50