The “eye of the ancestors” motif from indigenous culture appears on most Formosa Trail merch.
Medium-sized mountains in Taiwan from 1,500 to 3,000 meters in height have a reputation for being filled with mystery and the unknown. Although not especially tall, they are considered the most difficult climbing terrain in all of Taiwan.
Nevertheless, in the eyes of Petr Novotny, founder of the Formosa Trail ultramarathon, these untamed slopes are like the promised land. After many years of exploring them and comparing modern terrain to old maps, he discovered an old trail forgotten by time that was used by Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
Under the rules of the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), a trail marathon cannot use manmade road for more than 30% of its course; the remaining 70% must be run over natural ground.
Each year Novotny personally goes into the mountains to handle pre-race preparations like removing overgrown vegetation, ensuring that the course is in good condition, and putting up trail markers to show runners the way.
Plunging into the mountain forests
Following Petr Novotny and his wife, Eva Lobo, to the course for the Formosa Trail ultramarathon in Nantou County’s Puli Township, what meets the eye is the weed-covered entrance to a mountain forest trail, and a slope so steep that one has to use both hands and feet to clamber up it. This is why the organizers recommend that runners bring along a pair of gloves to wear as needed during the race.
For competitors in the 10K group, after several kilometers of flat road, the first challenge on entering the mountain forest is this steep stretch of trail that leads to the main peak of Mt. Wugonglun.
Besides Mt. Wugonglun, the 10K and 18K groups must also pass by a famous Puli scenic spot: the paragliding center at Hutoushan. Many runners pause here to admire the scenery or to take photographs.
For runners in the 40K, 75K, and 104K groups, the steep slope of Mt. Wugonglun is just the appetizer. The main course is the technical trail run that comes up after going deep into the mountains of Puli, where the course extends all the way to Wushe and Wujie. As runners enjoy the beautiful scenery along the trail, they also have to keep an eye out for changes in the ground beneath their feet.
It is worth noting that the 40K, 75K, and 104K groups must all pass by a checkpoint known as the “orange house.” An 84-year-old indigenous woman lives there, and she not only allows her house to be used as an aid station, she is one of the few remaining people who can remember the route of the old trail that ran from Wujie to Puli, which makes her a living history book.
The Formosa Trail ultramarathon is a “semi-self-service” competition. Most sections of the route are deep in the mountains, in places inaccessible to vehicles. Therefore competitors are required to have previously run ITRA-certified races, or have sufficient other racing experience.
The reason for such requirements is that Formosa Trail is much more difficult and dangerous than flat road marathons, and emergency assistance services are correspondingly difficult to provide. Not only must runners invest more physical and mental energy over the course of the race, but the organizers need to meticulously plan every detail of the event.
It’s in the details
Seven years ago Novotny and Lobo founded “Beast Runners.” This term, originally a nickname for Novotny, became widely known amongst runners and hikers after he broke the record for fastest time in the Lake Jiaming Trail Run in 2014, at 3 hours and 53 minutes. In addition his mountain rescue efforts, finding many lost hikers during the Covid-19 pandemic, made him a household name in Taiwan. Nonetheless, his core activity is organizing the annual Formosa Trail ultramarathon.
Novotny, who came to Taiwan by chance in 2012, is not only in love with Taiwan’s mountain forests, he also met his wife here and they fell in love and made a family together. This destiny created the opportunity for him to open a workshop in Taiwan and organize the Formosa Trail run.
From just a few hundred runners at the beginning, the event has grown into a major race with 1,000 to 1,500 competitors including international runners from more than 40 countries. The core organizing team comprises only Novotny and his wife, though each year more than 120 volunteers from all over Taiwan work with them to help make this large-scale event proceed smoothly.
Lobo says that the reason Novotny has always been “chief cook and bottlewasher” for the Formosa Trail event is perhaps connected to the personalities of his parents. His mother is a very cautious and precise person, and his father is accustomed to being hands-on and doing things himself.
On the day of our interview with Novotny, we find him carrying a grass trimmer, and as he tells us interesting facts about the race course he also meticulously clears away vegetation that has been growing for a year and is now as tall as a person.
It looks like a simple task, but Novotny is very earnest in his approach. He calls up a map on his mobile phone on which are multicolored pathways, and precisely records the month and day on which he goes into the mountains, how much time he spends there, and the state of the growing vegetation.
Novotny loves making plans for everything he does, and whether for search and rescue work or race planning, he does comprehensive research on his computer and then uses it to draw up a detailed plan.
Being so detail-oriented, he seeks perfection in every aspect of the ultramarathon, and even puts up cloth trail markers himself.
After clearing vegetation from the marathon course, he personally ties trail markers with the Beast Runners logo on them along the route. Moreover, he does not place them randomly, but carefully considers the characteristics and manner of thinking of runners on each stretch of the route and does his best to ensure that the markers effectively guide the athletes in the right direction.
The detailed planning that goes into the Formosa Trail marathon—from things as small as how fruit is cut up, the placement of water stations, and the types of food provided at aid stations, to things as big as the closing time of each checkpoint and the staggering of start times to ensure that runners in the different groups do not obstruct each other—has caused many runners to provide extremely positive feedback, and the event’s reputation has spread like wildfire.
Behind his tough exterior, Petr Novotny saves all his tenderness for his wife, Eva Lobo.
Returning to his wife’s hometown
Behind this precisely planned race there is a heartwarming story.
The route of the Formosa Trail ultramarathon first began to take shape while Novotny was exploring his own backyard. Comparing modern and historic maps, he happened to link together old mountain trails that perhaps were once used by the Seediq, Atayal, and Bunun indigenous peoples.
This astonished Lobo, who has both Atayal and Seediq ancestry. That day she decided to hike the trail alongside her husband, and as they walked she began to feel very emotional. “That day I was crying as I came down the mountain,” she says.
Trauma from her birth family caused Lobo in the past to constantly search for the meaning of her own life. This lasted until her 33rd birthday, when she met her future husband. This is why Lobo says with a laugh: “Petr was my birthday present.”
This gift caused Lobo to reexplore her indigenous heritage, and also caused her, who previously wasn’t fond of sports, to return to the embrace of the mountain forests, and to return to her home in Puli and the emotional home in her heart.
On the Formosa Trail website, one can see how Novotny makes connections between the marathon and the cultures of the local indigenous peoples around Puli. He not only reveals the stories behind the course, but also endeavors to show the outside world the unique cultures of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
For example, the race logo includes the indigenous cultural symbol of “the eye of the ancestors” (dowriq utux rudan). This motif symbolizes the protection and exhortations of the ancestors, reminding every runner entering the mountain forest not only to enjoy the beauty of the natural environment around them but also to ensure that their behavior is respectful of the mountains and forests.
In 2023 the Formosa Trail ultramarathon was run for the seventh time. The starting point and campground have been moved to more suitable locations, and a number of extra measures have been adopted to enable the event to operate smoothly and safely with an expanded number of participants.
Not only is the race certified by ITRA, in 2020 it was recognized as a qualifying event for America’s oldest trail race, the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, and will be again in 2023 and 2024.
However, Novotny is by no means satisfied with these achievements, and is striving to further optimize more details of the competition. His ultimate goal is that the race will continue into the future so that the stories behind it as well as the beauty of Taiwan’s mid-elevation mountains will continue to attract the world’s attention.
For more pictures, please click 《Extreme Sport in an Indigenous Heartland: The Formosa Trail Ultramarathon》
