A SPORT ON THE RISE
Xie, who has been doing trail running for the past decade, said trail running allows runners to connect with nature and offers a different experience from marathons.
“With marathons, you have to keep running. But with trail running, when you are tired, you can stop and walk for a while,” he added.
“During the uphill sections, you can look at the scenery and you can bring some snacks to refuel.”
Last year, Xie endured 41 hours to complete the 174km Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in France – one of the toughest mountain ultramarathons in the world.
Global race organiser UTMB Group has about 100,000 regular trail runners from China registered in their database, and estimates the total number of such runners in the country to be around 300,000.
This month, it expanded its footprint with the ultra-trail Mogan in Zhejiang province’s Deqing county – bringing its total number of races in China to five.
UTMB International executive director Florian Lamblin said the strength of its races in China comes from the country’s diverse landscapes.
“When you go to Sichuan, to Fujian, to Guangdong, the territories and the landscapes are very different. So you can offer a very, very strong diversity, something that is very unique,” he noted.
