Chen Ching-shun, a Taiwanese man from Chiayi County, is being hailed in Taiwan’s marathon circles as the “slippers man” after taking part in China’s Great Wall Marathon on May 21. He finished the entire race wearing a pair of straw slippers he brought from Taiwan. Marathon runners coming from all over the world kept on exclaiming about how incredible it was. Some of the female runners even touched his feet out of curiosity.
Nicknamed “the lychee guy,” Chen is currently 53 years old and comes from Taipao City in Chiayi County. Only 159cm tall and weighing 53kg, he is of a rather short and small build, but is regarded as a legend in Taiwan’s marathon circles.
Over 30 years ago, he fell down from the third story of a building and broke his right thighbone. A subsequent operation left him with his right foot turning at an awkward angle, such that his heels strike each other when he wears normal shoes. From then on, he has only worn slippers.
PHOTO: REUTERS
照片:路透
Chen attempted his first marathon about three years ago and became fascinated with long-distance running. He takes part in marathons whenever he has time, and has run 42 marathons to date. In January this year, he managed to run in a marathon of an exceptionally long distance wearing his straw slippers. Chen’s fellow runners have hailed him as “lychee man” and “slippers man.”
On May 21 “lychee man” and eight other Taiwanese runners took part in the 12th Great Wall Marathon along with more than 1,700 participants from 94 countries. Among the 582 runners who completed the marathon, “lychee man” was the 380th. He finished the race in 6 hours and 34 minutes.
Chen attracted a lot of attention upon reaching the finish, not because he was fast, but because he was wearing straw slippers. A few female runners grew curious at seeing him barefoot and asked whether he had no money. Chen’s teammates helped him explain the situation.
PHOTO: WU SHIH-TSUNG, LIBERTY TIMES
照片:自由時報記者吳世聰
Chen, conspicuously shorter than the other runners, ran next to a tall African participant on a downward section, and when Chen overtook, the runners clapped their hands and gave him thumbs up. At the end of the competition, some of the female participants touched his feet with looks of disbelief on their faces.
Chen said that the Great Wall Marathon is indeed harder than conventional ones, which are usually held on level ground. Slopes in this marathon were as steep as 50 to 60 degrees, so some participants almost had to crawl in order to pass them. Some sections of the route were next to cliffs, posing a danger to the runners. Chen said all you have to do is relax when running because then you feel as though you are simply on an excursion enjoying the natural scenery. That way you won’t feel the least bit tired.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
PHOTO: WU SHIH-TSUNG, LIBERTY TIMES
照片:自由時報記者吳世聰
被台灣馬拉松界譽為「拖鞋俠」的嘉義縣民陳慶順,五月二十一日參加中國長城馬拉松比賽,穿著台灣帶去的草拖鞋,跑完全程,令來自世界各地的馬拉松好手刮目相看,直呼「不可思議」,有女選手還好奇觸摸他的雙腳。
五十三歲、綽號「荔枝仔」的嘉義縣太保市民陳慶順,體格矮小,只有一百五十九公分、體重五十三公斤,卻是台灣馬拉松界的傳奇人物。
三十多年前,他從三樓跌落,摔斷右大腿骨,手術後留下右腳外撇的後遺症,穿正式的鞋子行走時,兩腳的鞋後跟會碰撞,從此以後,他只能穿拖鞋。
約三年前,他首次接觸到馬拉松,迷上長跑,有空就參加馬拉松,已經完成四十二馬;今年一月間,他創下穿草拖鞋挑戰百里成功的紀錄,跑友封他是「荔枝俠」及「拖鞋俠」。
五月二十一日,荔枝仔與另八位台灣跑友參加第十二屆中國長城馬拉松比賽,與來自九十四個國家、一千七百多位選手較勁,有五百八十二位完成全馬的選手,荔枝仔以六小時三十四分獲得三百八十名。
到達終點時,陳慶順馬上吸引了所有人的注意,不是他跑得特別快,而是他穿草拖鞋。有女選手看他沒穿鞋好奇問「no money?」同隊選手幫忙解釋。
個頭比其他選手矮小的陳慶順,在一處下坡路段,與一名身材高大的非裔人士拚場,當陳慶順勝出時,其他的選手響起陣陣的掌聲,豎起大拇指讚揚。比賽結束,也有女選手觸摸他的腳,露出難以置信的眼神。
陳慶順說,長城馬拉松確實比一般平路馬拉松困難,有五、六十度的陡坡,有的選手幾乎爬行通過,有的路段旁邊就是斷崖,相當危險。陳慶順表示,只要放輕鬆,跑步好像遠足,一點都不累。
(自由時報記者吳世聰)
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