Beast Runner: When Trail Skills Become Search Skills
Key Vocabulary
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| trail-running community | the group of people involved in trail running as athletes, organizers or supporters | He became well known in Taiwan's trail-running community. |
| terrain | the physical features and ground conditions of an area | Steep terrain can make a mountain search difficult. |
| search and rescue | organized work to find and help people who are lost or in danger | His running experience became useful in search and rescue. |
| public identity | the role or image for which a person is widely known | Mountain rescue became part of his public identity. |
| GPS trail database | a stored collection of digital information about mountain routes | His GPS trail database contains information gathered over many years. |
Article
Petr Novotny first became known in Taiwan for moving through mountains unusually fast. The Czech-born trail runner arrived as an exchange student in 2012, discovered a talent for long-distance running and eventually became one of the best-known figures in Taiwan's trail-running community. [1][2]
His breakthrough came in the mountains rather than on a stadium track. In 2014, Novotny completed the roughly 28.2-kilometer Jiaming Lake trail race in 3 hours 53 minutes, setting a record on a route that ordinary hikers commonly take far longer to complete. [2]
With his wife, Eva Lobo, he founded Beast Runners and began organizing mountain races. Their Formosa Trail event grew from only 20 participants in 2015 into a major international trail race. Running and race organization gave Novotny detailed knowledge of terrain, weather, navigation and the risks that develop when people become tired or lost. [3]
That experience gradually moved beyond sport. In 2015, Novotny helped locate a 73-year-old hiker who had been stranded in the mountains. According to the Taipei Times, he gave the man his shoes and ran over rocky ground in socks after reporting the hiker's location to rescuers. [4]
Over the following years, search and rescue became a major part of his public identity. CNN reported in August 2026 that families sometimes ask him to search after other efforts have failed. He studies clues, routes and even a missing person's habits to decide where someone may have gone. [1]
Many of these searches end sadly. Novotny has found both survivors and bodies, and he told CNN that the work can be frightening and emotionally difficult. Yet finding someone can still bring relief to a family that has spent days or weeks without an answer. [1]
His advantage is not simply fitness. Hualien County Government reported that he had built a GPS trail database covering more than 40,000 kilometers. Years of running, exploring and recording routes give him a mental map of mountain areas that can be difficult to search systematically. [3]
The nickname “Beast Runner” fits the running story, but it now means something broader in Taiwan. The same skills once used to race through forests are also used to slow down, notice a shoe, a hat or a broken branch, and ask where a missing hiker might have gone.
Discussion Questions
- Which abilities from trail running transfer most naturally to search and rescue?
- Why can knowledge of terrain be as important as physical fitness during a search?
- How might repeated rescue work change a person's public identity?
- What are the advantages of building a large GPS trail database?
- Why can finding a body still be important to a missing person's family?
References
- CNN, "Trail Runner's Search for Missing Hikers in Taiwan's Mountains."
- alive Business Weekly / CNA, "Czech trail runner Petr Novotny founded Taiwan Beast Runners to show the world Taiwan's mountains."
- Hualien County Government, "HL County Gov. Invites Beast Runners to Talk Mountain Safety, Drawing Nearly 200 Attendees."
- Taipei Times, "Czech runners help to rescue stranded 73-year-old hiker."