Against his father's will, Lin attended a high school famous for its track-and-field program. His rebellious spirit made Lin feel he had to make himself the best runner to prove himself to his father. In college, apart from his daily training, Lin had to take two side jobs to earn living expenses and to support his running career. He once took a night job as a taxi driver and waited tables at coffee shops. "I set a goal to earn NT$1,000 a day and I wouldn't sleep without reaching that goal. Sometimes I slept only three hours a day," he said.
Special tactics
Lin also developed special tactics for running ultramarathon races, especially on sand.
"I like to follow people and step in their footprints. The reason is simple. Their footprints are bigger. And the footprints make the sand more firm and more condensed. I have small footprints so I can reduce the collapsing of the sand when I step on those footprints," Lin said.
"I have good physical vigor and I can take high heat that people usually cannot handle," he said.
In the Atacama Crossing last week, Lin finished the race of nonstop winding sand hills, despite twice becoming lost in the scorching heat. And in the last 16km stage, while the rest of the contestants were exhausted, Lin dashed to the finish line, beating the second-place Charlie Engle by an hour.
Along with heat, Lin has also suffered extreme cold during races. In the Gobi Desert Challenge, he had to cross a glacial river. "I am short. So the icy water went up to my knees, whereas for others it only went up to their ankles," he said. "The cold really stops you from moving."
But the hardship of extreme conditions is unlikely to stop Lin. After finishing the 270km Atacama Crossing in a record time of 27 hours, 36 minutes and 29 seconds, Lin plans to join an ultramarathon race in the Amazon in September. And next year he plans to run across the South Pole.
"There is one addiction that I can never quit. That is my patriotism. Since the time in the Sahara, I took the Taiwanese flag and enjoyed applause from international runners," Lin said. "I vow that I will use my feet to deliver the Taiwan spirit to the ends of the world."
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