By Ned Kelly
Harriet Gaywood arrived in Shanghai from the UK in the mid-90s on a Chinese music scholarship, studying guqin at Shanghai Music Conservatory.
After graduating, she remained in China and built a successful career in PR, including in the Corporate Communications department of Huawei's global headquarters in Shenzhen.
In 2024, she returned to Shanghai and established Anoumis Communications, a corporate communications consultancy, and Trailing Around Asia, a consultancy that focuses on trail running.
Earlier this year, she published a book chronicling herultramarathon experiences, Trailing Around Asia: Mud, Sweat & Bears. We caught up with her ahead of two events in Shanghai this month.
How did you first get into ultramarathons?
In my 20s I used to go to the gym but then lapsed for many years when work and being a mother of two children took over.
In 2016, I ran my first 5k race and realized how unfit I was. I started increasing my distance running half-marathons and full marathons on road. This was great because it got me fit, but there was something missing.
At the end of 2017, I did my first trail race in the tea plantations of Hangzhou and got hooked. I then did my first 'ultra' (which means anything over 42k) in Chongli in 2018 and then completed my first 100k in 2019 also in Chongli.
I still remember going through the night for the first time and seeing the wildflowers covered in dew in the early morning sun. After living life in downtown Shanghai, I loved the joy of being in the depths of China's countryside and exploring parts of the country you never normally see as a tourist.
Since then, although there was a hiatus of races during COVID, I have continued to do long distance running, mainly focusing on 100k and 168k distances.
I have completed 4,200k / 215,000m total elevation of ITRA races (International Trail Running Association) but many races in China aren't accredited so the actual distance is higher.
What is the appeal of the sport?
Compared with road running on flat tarmac, the variety and challenge of trail running is much greater.
Trail running is not just about distance but also elevation which means climbing hills. A typical 100k race will include 4,500-5,500m of total elevation while a 168k is typically 8,000-9,000m.
Add terrain which can vary from roads, earth tracks to rocky surfaces, sand, and crossing water on rocks, bamboo poles and tree trunks. Then add running at night with just a headlamp and being alone in a forest or climbing in extreme sunshine at altitude. A 168k race takes me anywhere from 35 to 40+ hours, so it pushes me both mentally and physically.
The appeal is that no two trails are the same and there is always an element of the unknown.
What are the toughest races?
Those at high altitude, because I need to acclimatize. In an ideal world I would live in the mountains, but I live at sea level in Shanghai.
One of my toughest races last year was in Siguniang in Sichuan Province, which is a stunningly beautiful 75k race but also very remote. All supplies including tents are carried on horseback and there are no roads.
The race started at 3am at -5 degrees at altitude of 3,160m. Because the environment is extreme, the cutoff times at checkpoints for this race are tight so runners really have to keep moving.
By 5am, the temperature had dropped further to -10. There was light snow and frost underfoot. By the time I reached the second checkpoint at 4.500m the combination of cold and altitude was getting to me. My lips had turned blue and I could barely speak.
With the help of volunteers I had hot soup, warmed up and descended to the next checkpoint before ascending again to 4,600m. This climb was very slow because the thin air makes it hard to move and much more tiring, but the rewards are worth it because of the views.
Throughout the race I was against the clock. During the day it warmed up as we ran, but during the night the temperature dropped again and the wind was very strong.
By 11pm my body wanted to sleep, but I knew the only option was to keep moving even though I was slow. As I reached the penultimate checkpoint I could hear prayer flags flapping beside a temple in the darkness.
I moved along a ridge and then suddenly down in the valley I could see lights of the finish line. I made it to the finish after 23.5 hours, just 30 minutes before the cutoff.
Just completing a tough course like this is exhilarating.
What's this business about bears?
Not many people know that China has lots of bears! Last year, during three of my races there were bears nearby.
I went for a run ahead of Yulong Xueshan 100k near Lijiang in Yunnan Province and came across my first sign warning about bears. I ran home fast, not sure what to do if I encountered one.
Then, last October, as I labored up to the highest peak of Gaoligong 168 in Yunnan Province to 3,560m it was very muddy, dark, windy and misty.
Suddenly I heard a noise in the bushes just a few meters away. I realized it was a bear. My only option was to keep moving—albeit slowly!
Just a few weeks ago I was back in Gaoligong and saw warning signs about bears (which I had missed last time). In Siguniang, a bear stepped out in front of one of the runners during the race.
How did the idea for a book come about?
I started writing articles about my races for running magazines because I thought some of the places might be of interest to the international running community.
I then realized that my races during 2024 represented something more: I was 50 years old, ran 1,850k of trail races and climbed a total elevation of over 90,000m, which is over 10 times the height of Everest.
Although I am not an elite runner, I finished first in my category at UTMB Chiang Mai 168k, which meant I automatically qualified for the Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB) World Finals in Chamonix in August 2025.
So I decided to write Trailing Around Asia: Mud, Sweat & Bears. The book is a collection of stories about some of my trail races during 2024, but it isn't a handbook about 'how to run. It combines trail running with travel to interesting places in China and Thailand.
The book has appeal to people who aren't runners. Ultramarathons can be tough and I share some of my personal challenges with the aim of encouraging other people to persevere with their own interests, even when they encounter setbacks.
What takes more perseverance, running an ultramarathon or writing a book?
Great question! Writing a book can be a mountain if you don't break the task into small sections, in the same way you divide a 168k ultramarathon into short 10k chapters. The same is true for both—as soon as you finish, you can't remember the slog!
You also do keynote speaking, tell us a little bit about that.
My attitude is: "If I can do this, anybody can."
One of the points about writing my book is to question whether I can call myself a trail runner. I try to avoid labels, but as somebody with a corporate career, and a mother of two children, musician, and ultramarathoner, I want to use my voice to talk about topics that transcend trail running, such as perseverance and grit. This includes how lessons from trail running apply to the corporate world.
I am a member of a global speakers platform called Collective Visibility, which aims to enhance visibility about women in sport.
Trailing Around Asia: Mud, Sweat & Bears is available on Amazon (paperback and kindle) or contact Harriet Gaywood directly for purchase:
There are also two chances to meet Harriet Gaywood in person over the next couple of weeks...
Climb Every Mountain: A Midlife Journey in Ultramarathons
Thu Apr 10, 7.30pm
Ray's Bar 154-158 Fenyang Lu,, Xuhui District 汾阳路154-158号
Mud, Sweat & Bears: Brand Building & Publishing Your Work
Fri Apr 25, 8-9am
The Merchants 52 Yongfu Lu, by Fuxing Lu, Xuhui District 永福路52号，进复兴中路
[All images courtesy of Harriet Gaywood]
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