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Kenting, Taiwan, with its captivating tropical landscapes, is gearing up to host its second double-feature festival of XTERRA Championship racing in just as many years with the 2024 Asia-Pacific Triathlon and Trail Run Championships set to be held over the same weekend on March 23-24, 2024. 

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The event follows the success of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Championship, where the double-feature format brought together the off-road triathlon and trail run communities in a festival-style event that attracted thousands of athletes and spectators as pro and amateur athletes from Asia Pacific and countries around the world to took on the now internationally renowned trails of Kenting National Park. The 2023 event also drew the reigning XTERRA World Champions along with many top-ranked elite triathletes as the Full Distance Triathlon served as the first stop of the inaugural XTERRA World Cup.

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The 2024 edition is set to include 8 events across 2 days, with the Full Distance Triathlon taking centre stage on the first day of racing as the region's top elite and age division off-road triathletes go head to head for the title of 2024 XTERRA APAC Champion, a share of the $25,000 USD Elite prize purse, and one of the 58 available slots to the last of the XTERRA World Championship events to be held beneath the Brenta Dolomites in Trentino, Italy.

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The Full Distance Triathlon will be contested over 40.5 kilometres, beginning once again with a 1.5K open-water swim in the Pacific Ocean before heading into a tough and technical 30K mountain bike ride and finishing with a 9K trail run back to the race village located on Stony Brook Farm in Kenting National Park.

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The 30K bike loop is regarded as one of the most challenging but rewarding bike loops on the XTERRA World Tour. After taking the 3rd overall position last year, Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen of Denmark reflected on the course: "I think this is the most demanding course I've tried in XTERRA, both technical and physical. It's so hard, I think Taiwan really delivers a tough course."

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Arthur Forissier of France, who took the top step of the podium in 2023, echoed similar sentiments: "It's a really challenging race, but it's one of the best ways to discover the great atmosphere and great spirit of XTERRA Taiwan."

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The 2024 Full Distance Triathlon start list is still unconfirmed as the registration period remains open, but Kieran Mcpherson of New Zealand and Maeve Kennedy of Australia currently sit as the defending Asia-Pacific Champions by virtue of being the region’s top finishers in 2023, as do the multiple age grouper champions who turned in an unmatched performance in their respective divisions last year.

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Looking forward to welcoming back the local and international community, Landry Benoit, APAC Technical Director, stated the following: "Hosting the first stop of the World Cup in Taiwan last year was a true testament to how highly this race and location ranks on the international stage. Not only did we welcome Asia-Pacific’s best, but also almost all the top-ranked athletes from Europe and America. We hope that every single one of them left feeling truly tested by the trails and touched by the hospitality of Taiwan."

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Former XTERRA World Champion and now XTERRA’s Global Technical Director, Nico Lebrun, also spoke on the growing national appeal of the race: “XTERRA Taiwan has been raising the bar since the first race in 2018. From course design to operations to race experience, the event is a great host for the APAC Champs. Last year we saw Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines and so many other APAC countries represented, and we look forward to bringing the region’s best off-road triathletes and trail runners together again for what we’re sure will be an exceptional and memorable 2024 APAC Champs.”

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Completing the action for the opening day of racing will be the 30K XC Mountain Bike race as well as the Kids Duathlon for children aged 3-6 years old.

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The second day, March 24, will be dedicated purely to trail running. The 36K Marathon and 21K Half Marathon Championship races will be the feature races of the day as the fastest sprinters, scramblers and climbers look to become the next APAC Trail Run Champion of the the two respective distances. 

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2023 saw a famously dominant win by Vietnam's rising talent, Hậu Hà Thị, when the then relatively unknown athlete wowed the crowds in Stony Brook Farm with what seemed like an effortless win to add her name to the list of 2023 Asia-Pacific Trail Run Champions.

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Belgium’s Sebastien Carabin, who took the overall win in the Half Marathon while also winning all 3 segment challenges along the way, looks forward to returning for another run through the rocky forest trails: “Taiwan is a very exotic place where life is good. The people are welcoming. The scenery around the race is magnificent, as is the course. It remains a magical place. We'll see you there in 2024!”

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Only those from within the APAC region will be in contention to be crowned as the 2024 XTERRA APAC Trail Run Champion, however, the 116 slots up for grabs will give all age division top finishers - regardless of where they’re from - the right to step up to the starting line at the 2024 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship in Maine, USA.

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Alongside the Full and Half Marathon races will be a 13K, 7K, and a Kids Trail Run to give runners of all ages and abilities the opportunity to experience the best trails on the Island of Taiwan and the XTERRA Championship atmosphere.

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Speaking on the atmosphere, Landry Benoit highlighted the unique energy that comes with the trail run community: "The energy the trail runners bring is second to none, and by combining the Triathlon and Trail Run Championship races, we’re able to truly achieve an incredible festival feeling. He went on to say that, “Sunday will be all about the trail runners, so expect the music to be loud and the energy to be high with nearly a thousand runners ready to go. The trails can be quite demanding in Kenting, but if the mood at last year’s start line is anything to go by, this community is more than ready to rise to the occasion!"

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Registration is open until 23:59 on December 31, 2023, with more information and the registration process found on the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship page.