As 2017 comes to the end, we want to take a moment and celebrate all of our achievements – new personal records, new distances conquered, dream races finished. We also would like to invite you to help us celebrate all the Taiwan badasses out there – the runners we look up to with awe and are inspired by during trail races. We want to give these local heroes the props they deserve. And so we decided to host the first annual Taiwan Trail Running Awards.
Finalists Selection and Category Descriptions
To ensure we find the real badasses out there, we’ve selected a group of respected individuals from the trail running community to help us identify the true best of the best.
We also need your input. We want to ensure that no deserving runner gets left out of consideration. Nomination will be opened to the public, and the results will be submitted to our panel, which then will select three finalists for each category. The ultimate winner will be revealed at the ceremony on Febuary 2, 2018.
There is also a Best Race Category for Ultra distance and Short/Mid distance, and these will be selected purely by the highest number of votes.
Here are the categories and what the judges will be looking for:
(We ask that you submit only athlete residing in Taiwan for more than 6 months and having participated in at least 2 Taiwan based trail runs.)
- Best Male Trail Runner – this runner was the most dominant male trail running athlete during the period of Jan 2017 – Dec 2017.
- Best Female Trail Runner – this runner was the most dominant female trail running athlete during the period of Jan 2017 – Dec 2017.
- Most Prolific Trail Runner- this runner was the most active trail runner of 2017 – he or she worked the hardest and competed in the most races during the year.
- Most Inspirational Trail Runner – this runner touched your heart in a profound way. She or He does not necessarily need to be a frequent visitor to the podium, but there is something about their trail running spirit that inspires you to be a better runner.
- Best Trail Race Volunteer – there would be no trail runs in Taiwan if it wasn’t for the hard work and dedication of the countless volunteers out on the trails. This dude or dudette stands out as a volunteer who truly gave it all to benefit the trail running community.
- Best Single Trail Running Performance – this award will go to the runner who really had a mind blowing performance in a single race.
These categories are open to the public:
- Best Ultra Distance Trail Race – this award will be bestowed upon the race director/organizer who put together the best overall ultra distance trail run of 2017.
- Best Short/Mid Distance Trail Race – this award will be given to the race director/organizer who put together the best overall short/mid distance trail run of 2017.
The Committee of Judges
We are very thankful to the following individuals for helping us determine the winners of the 2017 Trail Running Awards:
| Lu Ming Zhu 盧明珠 | Trail Runner 越野跑者 |
| Liu Wen ling 劉雯齡 | Media, 媒體 |
| Randall Vargas Barrantes | Trail Runner 越野跑者 |
| Yuiji Tai 戴佑瑞 | Trail Runner, 越野跑者 |
| Jerry Lee 李耀文 | Race Organizer 賽事主辦 |
| Jack Kox 蘇孟慧 | Trail Runner 越野跑者 |
| Ruth Croft | Trail Runner, 越野跑者 |
| Aaron Lin 林家正 | Trail Runner, 越野跑者 |
| Branko Cheng 鄭匡寓 | Media, 媒體 |
| Eva Lobo 羅勃依婉 | Race Organizer 賽事主辦 |
| Carrier Ho 何萬豊 | Race Director 賽事總監, |
| Bill Ku 古定坤 | Race Organizer 賽事主辦 |
| Tsai Yao Chuan 蔡耀全 | Race Organizer 賽事主辦 |
| Tseng Wei-jay 曾尉傑 （阿虎） | Race Organizer 賽事主辦 |
| Hsin-yen Ho 何信言 | Trail Runner 越野跑者 |
| Chiung-Yu Chen 陳炯宇 | Race Organizer 賽事主辦 |
| Lin Ming Te 林明德 | Photographer 攝影師 |
| Chen Heng Jong 陳弘榮 （水蛙） | Photographer 攝影師 |
| Jay Lin 林俊豪 | Trail Runner 越野跑者 |
| Willie Teng 鄧文禮 | Trail Runner 越野跑者 |
Schedule and Award Ceremony
We will start by collecting nominations, next the judges will select the finalists and winners, and the winners will be revealed at a live streamed ceremony event on February 2nd, 2018. Here is the detailed schedule:
- Dec 22 Open for Nominations and Voting
- Jan 5 Nominations and Voting Closes (Make sure to Vote)
- Jan 12 – We share the tabulated results with Committee
- Jan 26 – Finalists Announced
- Feb 2nd – Winner Announcement
