- Where are you from and where do you call home these days?
- I am from Ireland but have been living in Hong Kong for the past 2 years now.
- First time race in Taiwan? How does running in Taiwan compare to your regular training grounds?
- I have ran before In Taiwan a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed running the trails north of Taipei near Dahua with Asia Trail. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to come back and do a race here. Formosa Trail was stunning and more technical in parts than I am used to in HK. I found the misty forests particularly impressive and although the climbs were long and tough in parts you were rewarded with beautiful scenery at the top.
- We understand you’re one of the “Young Guns” from the Gone Running team in HK, how long have you been a trail runner?
- I took up trail running when I moved to HK two years ago. I entered a few local races and I’ve been hooked ever since. Yeh its great being apart of the Gone Running team as they are all trail experts and happy to share tips and information with everyone.
- How did you like your first race over 50k?
- I really enjoyed the challenge. I tried to pace myself very well for the first half so I could finish the second half strong. I was interested to see how my legs would hold up and thankfully I was happy with the way they felt.
- How do you prepare for races?
- This year I have been upping the mileage of my training and I would be getting close to 100km a week when I am not racing at the weekend. More mileage is the best training I think if you are doing these sort of distances.
- What was your favorite part about Formosa Trail?
- I enjoyed running the ridges between sections X and Y (see segment X to Y on Strava). The forest was misty and the trails were very technical in parts.
- Was there any specific part of the course that you thought was the toughest?
- Last uphill after Wujie was very tough (see segment “torture me” on Strava). I was ready for the checkpoint after that one.
- How did you travel from Hong Kong to Puli in Taiwan?
- We flew into Taichung and got a shuttle van from there to Puli. The journey was relatively quick and we managed to get in a few important hours of rest before the race.
- Any tips for other “beginner” trail runners?
- The more you train for it the more enjoyment you will get out of race day!
- Brian Mcflynn
- 65km Formosa Trail 2017 Male Champion (8:50:33)