Twelve thousand men and women were set to run up Wensan Mountain in Hualien and back down again in the Taroko Gorge Marathon early this morning.
In what has quickly become an annual event after the first such marathon two years ago, local and international athletes were to climb around 500m over 20km in just over an hour and then race down the same route to the finish line.
Billed as the "world's only marathon held in a gorge," the long-distance road race is also claimed to be the "most beautiful marathon in the world" by the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. They may be biassed but they could be right.
On the way up Wensan, runners pass the Eternal Spring Shrine, with its bright red roof and railings nestling in the lee of the mountain, before sweeping across Ningan Bridge. The route then goes up a spindly section of the Central Cross-Island Highway to one of Taiwan's hottest tourist spots, Swallow Grotto and the marble walls rising up across the river at Chulu Cliff. Then it's through the Tunnel of Nine Turns and then into the light and over Tzumu Bridge, before rapidly ascending the Lushui trail up to the temples and tea plantations of Tienhsiang, nestled among the gentle peaks of Wensan.
Hualien County commissioner Chang Fu-hsing (張福興), one of the originators of the idea for the marathon, said yesterday the aim of the race was to attract more people to visit "Formosa's last unspoiled land."
"We thought about a race through the gorge and it worked out well, so we've just got bigger and better every year. We have been encouraged by its success and believe it is becoming a major attraction," Chang said.
There were to be four races today: The classic 42.195km version, the 21km half marathon and a 5km fun run. Also, far from the maddening crowd of angry farmers and fishermen, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was expected to lead off a foot-borne race between civil service mandarins from various government agencies.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
Jemimah Rodrigues on Thursday hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia to set up a Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there would be a new name on the 50-over trophy tomorrow. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Jannik Sinner on Thursday eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. A maiden crown in the French capital would return Sinner to No. 1 in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the
RSS