Seeing a container ship sitting offshore from the Vietnamese city of Danang is anything but unusual. Seeing one resting on the shore, tilted at a grotesque angle is.
Such was the power and devastating impact of Typhoon Ketsana, the rain-swept roads and beaches running north of the city were littered with all manner of flotsam and jetsam. Everything from small, basket-like fishing boats to large ocean-going vessels were no match for Ketsana's ferocity.
Yet, just two days after winds in excess of 100km/h were pounding the coastline, this apocalyptic scene is serving as a backdrop to day two of Action Asia's Vietnam three-day ultra marathon. Originally intended to be staged in the mountains close to Vietnam's border with Laos, with ethnic hill tribes serving as hosts to around 80 participants, the devastation wrought by Ketsana forced an immediate rethink.
Landslides and flooding had, in just 24 hours, wiped out three months' work by race director Michael Maddess and his team, which had seen groups of local workers clearing trails, building steps and carrying supplies to far-flung villages. With swollen rivers washing away a bridge and leaving entire communities cut off from the outside world, running on the original course was out of the question. As the specially chartered flight carrying all but 10 of the original entries was approaching from Hong Kong, Maddess and his local partners at Vitours were faced with two options - cancellation or a less challenging route along the region's paved roads.
There was no contest as option A would have been an unmitigated disaster given this was Action Asia's first foray into ultra marathons outside Hong Kong. Maddess and company set about concocting a course that would retain as much of a challenge as possible while travelling along roads not adversely affected by the weather.
'You soon realise that being a race director isn't just about setting up the race,' says 45-year-old Maddess, who has been organising races in a number of disciplines since the age of 16. 'You have the clean up, dealing with staff, disputes, things like that.
