Course 比賽路線

Kazakhstan Action Asia 3 day stage race distances

Ultra marathon category:

Day 1 - 41 km (1000m - 1500m - 950m - 1000m)

Day 2 - 41 km (1000m – 860m - 920m - 860m - 1000m)

Day 3 - 18 km (1000m – 1100m – 900m - 1000m)

Elevation gain each day around 1500m+ and elevation loss around 1500m. 

Cut-off around 10 hrs each day as we want everyone in before dark. Willing to stretch it a bit depending on how early we start each day.

 

Explorer (good for hiking)

Day 1 - 20 km (1000m - 1500m - 1000m)

Day 2 - 20 km (1000m – 860m - 920m - 1000m)

Day 3 - 20 km (1000m – 1100m – 1000m)

Elevation gain each day around 800m+ and elevation loss around 800m. 

Cut-off around 8 hrs each day as we want everyone in before dark. Willing to stretch it a bit depending on how early we start each day.

 

 

*note could be slight adjustments to distances but nothing major

Check points on course - water, bananas, watermellon, local mellon.

 

Course Designer:

Designed by Michael Maddess (Race Director & Course Designer) who's organized over 290 events with Action Asia Events and one of the most experienced Race Directors in Asia with a wealth of experience. Michael Maddess an active trail runner, originally from Vancouver, Canada who was Race Director of the World Police Fire Games Triathlon in Canada before moving to Asia, organizes the Action Asia 50 series in Hong Kong (4 races), Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, 3 day 100km ultra marathon stage events in Mongolia, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Yunnan/Sichuan China, Vietnam and Laos, has organized over 17 Action Asia Challenge adventure races across Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan & HK, 2 Vietnam adventure races, 2 Nepal Himalayan Mountain Bike races, over 30 Action SPRINT HK adventure races, 8 Action Asia Off Road HK bike races, worked/competed in numerous other road races/triathlons including finishing 3 Ironman triathlons (10hrs 46min), 1st runner-up in 100km Oxfam trailwalker in 11hrs 16min (record for HK resident) 3x in 13 hrs 25 min, 12hrs 44min, 12hrs 39min, winning team Wilson Trail full & half 5x (78km - 10hr14min), 3rd in HK100 (1st edition) in 12hrs 30min, winner of Sabah 3 day adventure race 3x, 8th overall Gobi 250km race suffering from hypothermia and still holds a couple KOTH HK marathon records. He's also coached dragonboat, soccer and baseball teams, climbed to 16,000+ft in Bhutan, 15,000+ft Nepal Annapurna Basecamp, made it up to 5000m 4Sisters in Sichuan within 24hrs of getting off plane (not recommended) and free jumps off high bridges in Nepal for fun. If he's not outside designing a course, doing something extreme, he's not having fun.

Course description:

Course will be made up of mostly single track trails together with dirt jeep track roads thru Kazak steppes, plateaus and canyons with a mixture of stunning mini hill backdrops with the snow mountains in the distance on the Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan border region.. Location kept confidential until night before each day where maps are given out for the next day too keep with the Action Asia tradition of adventure and expecting the unexpected.

Course marking:

Bright pink and orange ribbons with yellow A5 size signs will be used approximately every 50m thru whole course with signs on all major junctions. Course maps will be given out the night before at the race briefing by the Race Director together with time to explain the course of each day in detail. Marshals we be on course at all checkpoints and major junctions. 

Insurance - The event has its own public liability insurance coverage, but participants must get their own personal travel accident coverage to cover any personal accidents.

Time limit - There will be a cut-off near the end of the day to ensure all get in before dark. If concerned then recommend shortest category if you are not very fit as plenty of time to hike this category. Can look under RESULTS for our overseas events to get an idea of how long the average hiker/runner takes to complete our 60/100km overseas events in different countries as usually 5 - 10 hours for a 40km day and 2-6 hours for 20km day depending on your level of fitness and how many times you stop to take photos. (This 2020 edition will be going slightly higher so expect to be hiking at least 30% slower at high elevation unless you have arrived several days before and are well aclimatized).

Briefing before the race:

There will be a race briefing before each night to give out the maps of the following day where a detailed explanation of the course will be given and questions answered.

Equipment - see website link for mandatory gear as changes country to country, but basically we want you to carry the minimum including a first aid kit and rain/wind jacket and leave the rest at the hotel to go fast and lightweight.

Food - includes all meals at camp which are Kazak style made to give you lots of energy for your day out on your journey (example - breakfast in morning usually oatmeal and kazak/tibetan bread with black tea served in yurts).

Insurance - The event has its own public liability insurance coverage, but participants must get their own personal travel accident coverage to cover any personal accidents.

Time limit - There will be a cut-off near the end of the day to ensure all get in before dark. If concerned then recommend shortest category if you are not very fit as plenty of time to hike this category. Can look under RESULTS for our overseas events to get an idea of how long the average hiker/runner takes to complete our 60/100km overseas events in different countries as usually 5 - 10 hours for a 40km day and 2-6 hours for 20km day depending on your level of fitness and how many times you stop to take photos. (This 2020 edition will be very similiar to the canyon region we did in 2019 so can see photos on our FB page to see what to expect).

Accomodation - Kazak style yurts with carpets - Must bring your own warm sleeping bag to put on top as temperatures can drop in night. Nice 4 star hotel in Almaty last night.

Charity - HKD 100 from each person will go towards school supplies, but we encourage all to donate more when entering this year to help us purchase more for local schools in the area as usually we purchase exercise books, drawing books, pens, pencils, soccer balls, badminton rackets and costs are increasing in Kazakhstan.

Medical - As this event involves going into the canyons we recommend all particpants to have gone to a medical checkup before the event to make sure you are physically fit enough to handle this kind of physical challenge.

Elevation - You are not going that high, but should always prepare to make sure you have sufficient mandatory items and properly hydrated as always in the desert and mountains.

 

**  The organizer reserve the right to change route and/or location due to uncontrolled circumstances.