Penghu/Taichung, Nov. 5 (CNA) Two marathons were held in Taiwan Sunday, one on the outlying island of Penghu and another in Taichung, attracting nearly 7,000 runners in total.
The 2023 Gaillardia Islands Penghu Cross-Sea Marathon kicked off Sunday morning with a total of 3,871 athletes running along the coastline while enjoying beautiful views of the archipelago.
Runners signed up to take part in several categories, including a 42-kilometer full marathon, a 21-km half marathon, and a 42-km relay race, all of which set off from the West Fort Visitors Center in Xiyu Township.
There were also an 11-km race and a 5-km fun race, both starting at the Guanyin Buddhist Temple in Magong City.
Along the route, runners were also able to stop at nine feeding and drinking stations where they could enjoy local Penghu delicacies like lobster and oyster porridge, before finishing at the Guanyin Buddhist Temple where a wide variety of foods were also on offer.
Taiwanese runner Yan Yi-hua (顏義華) clinched the men’s full marathon title by completing the race in a time of 3:03:27, while Liu Hsiao-chi (劉小琪) won the women’s full marathon in 3:40:21.
Meanwhile, Fang Yu-sheng (方郁盛) and Chen Chi-ying (陳芷盈) emerged victorious in the men’s and the women’s half marathons in 1:25:28 and 1:42:35, respectively.
In addition to prize money of up to NT$10,000 (US$311), each of the top five finishing runners in the marathon and half marathon also received a lobster.
At the Taichung marathon, participants in different categories set off from the Blossom Pavilion, the venue of the Taichung World Flora Exposition in Houli District, and finished at Dongfeng or Houfeng bicycle trails, according to a statement issued by the city’s Sports Bureau.
The event was divided into a 42-kilometer marathon, 21-km half marathon, 13-km and 6-km races, with nearly 3,000 runners from Taiwan and 17 foreign countries taking part, the bureau said.
(By Chen Chi-ching, Chao Li-yan and Evelyn Kao)
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