It is time to give you a short update on a few news regarding the Wulong Mountain Quest 2008. There are now only less than two months left until the race kicks off.

Our team: I am glad to announce a very welcome addition to the race organisers’ team: Steph Cox. Steph is the editor of Asia Runner (www.asiarunner.asia) as well as an adventure racer herself. I have worked with her on the inaugural Ironman China in April. Steph’s main responsibility lies with marketing and advertisement before, during and after the event. She will produce daily race updates in English which will be posted on our own website (www.wulongquest.com) but also on other international race websites, such as sleepmonster (www. sleepmonsters.com) and sportzhub (www. sportzhub.com). During the race, she will also help out with race logistics, support me as another English speaker and act as an ad hoc team liaison. Contact her if you want to be put on her race coverage mailing list at asiarunner@gmail.com.

Website: Our website, www.wulongquest.com had a design make-over but we are at two minds if the information athletes need is now more accessible. If you have problems finding the core information of the race, please click on the prominent “THE RACE 2008” header and all will become clear. One great addition to the site is a basic map showing the race course.

Visas: Some Chinese embassies around the world have severely tightened up visa regulations in connection with the upcoming Beijing Olympics. You might be asked to provide prove of a full travel itinerary as well as accommodation bookings. If this is the case, please contact my deputy Wei Jun at weijun_1022@163.com who can send you the necessary documents.

Sponsors and support::Ozark, China’s leading gear company has been confirmed as an apparel sponsor for staff and athletes. Our team uniforms are being produced as I am writing this. We can also confirm the support of Shimano. Wulong county is relatively remote and no spare bike parts no any mechanical expertise can be sourced locally. This has caused problems for some teams last year, especially as some sticky mud considerable increased wear and tear on the moving parts. Shimano has promised to provide the Wulong Mountain Quest with a knowledgeable bike mechanic who will also stock some basic spares. He will be based at the race hotel. Teams are still strongly encouraged to bring all their own bike spares and tools as availability of the right part cannot be guaranteed.

The Earthquake: We are all aware of the tragic earthquake that shook southern China on May 12th. However, the epicentre was over 600 km away from Wulong and neither the race venue, nor the race (or Chongquin airport, the gateway for the race) have been affected.

Teams: As of now, we have 20 teams confirmed, of which 14 are international teams. We again managed to attract the elite of adventure racing with all last year’s top 4 teams participating again, some with a slightly changed team composition. With the change in the rules stating that every team now has to include at least one female athlete, I expect a more even competition, and possibly even fiercer than last year. No doubt, team Nike and Adventure Sports NZ will battle it out again for line honour, but there are some other high class teams signed up which will give them a run for their money: Team Wilsa Helly Hansen which includes Marcel Hagener, last year’s fourth placed team Lafuma Sport 2000 from France, Buff Coolmax with veteran racer Emma Roca, as well as Nike-Beaver Creek, another new edition to our line up. We are expecting a full field of 24 teams with race organisers choosing the top Chinese team to fill any remaining spots. We hope that being able to compete with the world’s best will give an encouraging boost to Chinese athletes.

Price money: The detailed brake down of prize money (including stage prizes) is now published on the website. We have increased prize money by 50% and now have a cool 150,000 US $ up for grabs. Please also remember that the top three teams again qualify for free entry as well as free travel to the 2009 race!

Course notes: The race course has been finalised. I believe that we found a good balance between running, biking and paddling. We have put a lot more emphasise on a varied bike course and have included many downhills, mostly on small village tracks and trails. Ask for my favourite day, I would probably go for day 2: It starts right in front of the race hotel with a fantastic mountain run over small mountain paths and through rural villages. About half way through the run, teams need to swim across a small lake to cool everybody down. The bike course then leads over small jeep and motorbike tracks trough many local villages and ends up after a steep 600m decent beside the Wulong river from where a long paddle through the most scenic part of the Wulong gorge leads to the finish in the heart of Wulong town, but not before abseiling down the main bridge in front of all the town folks. Please remember that temperatures are expected to be tropical, so plan, pack and most importantly race accordingly.

That’s all from me in Mongolia. I am very much looking forward to seeing you all on the start line for another edition of the Wulong Mountain Quest.

Peter Weinig
Course Director
peter@activemongolia.com