On Sunday (March 31, 2024) I ran my first official trail run in Uzbekistan. The Tavaksay Trail Run was approximately 12 kilometers starting from the outskirts of the village of Tavaksay. The race path was basically up and back to the Tavaksay Waterfalls. The way up was on the left side of the canyon on the top of the ridge with the canyon below to the right. Once we stopped at the falls for photos and water break, we ran back down the right side, eventually going down into the canyon and finishing with 4 river crossings.
You never know what to expect in Uzbekistan and the pre-race ceremony didn’t disappoint. Two pirates had a mock sword fight with two clowns as MCs. On the medals at the end, on one side it read Design Your Destiny with a map and the other side had a photo of actor Johnny Depp from the Pirates of the Caribbean. I was joking that a trail run in the mountains of a double landlocked country brings to my mind immediately, Pirates of the Caribbean. Loved it.
My friend Aaron and I walked the inclines and tricky area and jogged the flatter parts. I have not been doing much running over the winter and the run felt good. I was really tired afterward and took a long afternoon nap. I was a bit stiff the next day, but overall felt pretty good. The Uzbek TrailRunning Club gave calendars for their monthly runs and I might do a few of them.
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