McLachlan left for China on Wednesday and will spend three weeks competing in six races located in the east and southern parts of the country.
The races, organised by the Chinese Mountaineering Association, attracted some of the best multisport athletes in the world, he said.
One of the races, the Wulong Mountain Challenge, was also a world championship event. Having been in canoeing and multisport races in China before, McLachlan had noted an increasing number of professional athletes competing.
"It’s a real money game now. A lot of the athletes who will be competing, all they do is race around the world, so it’s a good test."
Travel and accommodation had been paid for by the race organisers, he said.
Unlike multisport races in New Zealand, those in China would not be continuous and each stage was held on a single day.
"You compete during the day then you go back to your hotel and clean your equipment and have a sleep, then, the next day, you’re off somewhere else for the next stage."
Training for the events had been tricky as the temperature in China would get up to 35degC, but he has used the access road at the Remarkables skifield on which to run and cycle.
