Running HOKA Xtrail Kenting 50km — My First Race of the 2026 Season

The start of a new trail running season always carries a certain excitement. For me, the first race of 2026 was the UTMB World Series event in Taiwan — officially called **HOKA Xtrail Kenting by UTMB**. I signed up for the 50km category, which came with about 2,000 meters of elevation gain. It wasn’t the most mountainous course, but it had its own unique challenges.

Where is Kenting?

Kenting is located at the southern tip of Taiwan.

A Guide to Kenting National Park at the Southern Tip of Taiwan — Taiwan Obsessed

The area is known for strong coastal winds, open landscapes, and a mix of trails that run through hills, forests, and riverbeds. It’s also quite exposed to the elements, which became very obvious during race weekend.

Course Overview

The 50km route was largely runnable. Compared to many other UTMB races, the elevation profile wasn’t extremely steep. However, the terrain had its own technical sections.

One of the most challenging parts of the course was running through riverbeds filled with large loose rocks. This wasn’t a place where you could just cruise along. Every step had to be deliberate to avoid twisting an ankle. It required constant attention to foot placement.

Aside from that, many sections allowed for steady running, which made pacing quite enjoyable.

Race Morning Atmosphere

Race morning had a great atmosphere. There’s always something special about the moments before the start of a trail race — runners gathering in the dark, headlamps glowing, quiet nervous energy mixed with excitement. That feeling was definitely present at Kenting. You could feel everyone eager to begin the season.

Weather Conditions

The weather in Kenting can be unpredictable. In a single day, you can experience several different conditions.

• Morning: slightly chilly
• Afternoon: very hot
• Evening/night: cold again

On top of that, the area is extremely windy. During the race, the wind was strong enough that my cap kept getting blown off repeatedly.

If you plan to run the 100km category here, clothing choices can become quite tricky. With temperature swings and the possibility of rain, preparing the right gear is not so straightforward.

Aid Stations and Nutrition

The aid stations were functional but not particularly impressive.

Food variety was limited, which meant runners relying heavily on aid station nutrition might struggle. Luckily, I had prepared my own nutrition strategy.

My race nutrition included:

• Tailwind
• Energy gels
• Energy bars

This race was actually intended as a “Test Run” for my gear and nutrition strategy for the season. My goals were simple:

• Manage vest weight with all the mandatory gear
• Confirm food plan does not cause GI issues
• Check if shoes cause toe pain or blisters
• Observe calf condition over long distance
• Test filming setup with one action camera and one spare battery

Overall, the test went well. My calves felt strained toward the end, but there was no actual injury or sharp pain.

Gear Used

Some gear observations from the race:

Shoes: I ran in Altra Lone Peak 7 with a “DIY-enhanced heel support”. The heel support helped me land more comfortably on heel strikes, especially on downhill sections.

Socks: I used Aonijie toe socks, which worked well in preventing toe friction.

Hydration: I carried three soft flasks, which turned out to be very useful. With the hot weather, having more water capacity helped avoid unnecessary heat stress between aid stations.

The Final 10–15km

Interestingly, during the final stretch of the race, my body felt tired but not in pain. The last 10–15km were manageable, and I could still maintain a jogging pace throughout.

For me, that’s usually a good indicator that pacing and nutrition were reasonably well managed this time, as compared to the races I have done in 2025.

Time at Aid Stations

One thing I noticed was that I spent quite a long time at aid stations — mainly because refilling the Tailwind powder takes time.

Many runners simply grab food, refill water, and leave quickly. When you are mixing drink powder, the process becomes slower.

This made me wonder if there are better systems for runners using drink mixes. Perhap, trying out different packaging designs could make refilling bottles faster.

Race Pack Collection Experience

Unfortunately, the weakest part of the event was the Race Expo Pack Collection (REPC).

Considering that this is a UTMB World Series race held at a prominent venue, my expectations were high. However, the actual experience was confusing and poorly organized.

Some issues included:

• Site layout was difficult to understand
• Signage and directions were unclear
• Too much unnecessary information created confusion
• Volunteers were not very helpful
• Race packs were missing safety pins for bibs

Because the safety pins were missing, some runners had to go to a separate information counter to ask for them. At that counter, the volunteers were mostly chatting among themselves while many runners were trying to get help. There was also no proper queue system, so everyone was just crowding around trying to figure out what to do.

From all the UTMB races I’ve attended so far, this was unfortunately the worst REPC experience.

Event Logistics Lessons

From an event organizer’s perspective, the REPC layout is extremely important because it forms the first impression of the race.

For runners, the priorities are actually very simple:

1. Collect race pack
2. Do some shopping at the race expo
3. Identify drop bag area
4. Identify toilets location
5. See what are the food available at Race Start/End

At Kenting, these areas were not well laid out. For example, having a “main stage” near the Start/End point makes people think that’s where the event briefing location will be. However, the briefing was actually done inside one of the many buildings nearby. Without clear and proper signages, everyone was just frantically trying to figure out where to go. The “main stage” looked like it was just for prize presentation purpose, and there was a solo Vendor (Merrell) beside the stage, totally out of place.

It would have made much more sense to group all vendors together, move the Registrations (Check-in and Race Pack Collection) together with or near to the Briefing Site. This way — everyone knows that these two locations are separate and have different purpose.

There were food trucks on-site, indicating there was also food available for everyone, but there were no clear instructions indicating it was free for runners, which left many people unsure how the food trucks system operated. After running 50/100km, the most important things for runners are nutrition and rest. Just a sign at the finish line to say “Free Food For Runners” and an arrow would have been enough.

Running With Friends

It was fun traveling and running with friends from Singapore. However, I also noticed some differences between Singapore runners and runners from other countries.

I saw runners from other countries travel with clear plans — sometimes even with a “tour leader” organizing activities or suggesting nearby places to explore.

Another observation was that Singapore runners in the 100km race did not have “support crew”. The Japanese runners had so many people patiently waiting and cheering for them at the finish line. It would have been a much better experience for the SG runners if a friend was waiting or supporting at key points (or even just at the finish line). Some of them can take up to 20+ hours (in the heat and in the cold), so that’s really something we all can try to do better, to support the runners who are there and trying so hard to complete such challenging distances.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the HOKA Xtrail Kenting 50km was a solid start to the season. The course was runnable, the terrain interesting, and the race atmosphere on the morning was great.

More importantly, it served its purpose as a gear and nutrition testing race. The current setup worked well, and I learned several useful lessons for the upcoming races in the season.

Next Stop — Moganshan!

[embed]A short video of my experience at the HOKA Xtrail Kenting by UTMB 2026