The cold caused a runner in the Taipei Marathon to have a stroke while participating in the event yesterday, while three others experienced cardiac arrest during the race.
The three men who experienced cardiac arrest are aged 26, 46 and 50, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Sports said.
The runner who had a stroke during the race is a 42-year-old man, the department said, adding that he was conscious when taken to a hospital.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
As the marathon organizers ensured that medical professionals were on site, all four runners received immediate medical attention and their situations improved after being treated in hospitals, the department said.
In addition, the city government said that a female participant had fallen and had an injury during the event and was also taken to a hospital for treatment.
The starting pistol for the marathon was fired at 6:30am yesterday, with about 30,000 runners from 62 different nations — the highest number of the event’s participants ever recorded.
Ethiopian runners Dechasa Alemu Moreda and Obse Abdeta Deme placed first in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
Moreda won the 42.195km race in just 2 hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds, while Deme completed the race in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 14 seconds.
Deme beat her personal best, stating that she enjoyed both the beauty of the city and the passion of supporters.
“I really enjoyed the marathon,” Deme said. “If there’s a chance, I hope to come back again next year.”
Seasoned Taiwanese runner Chiang Chieh-wen (蔣介文) finished the race in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 30 seconds to win the domestic men’s category, while designer Chen Yi-ning (陳逸寧) took the domestic female title in 2 hours, 56 minutes and 41 seconds.
The 41-year-old Chiang said he had wanted to beat his own 2 hours, 19 minutes and 14 seconds Taipei Marathon record this year.
“Unfortunately, a strong headwind started blowing halfway, making the run a lot more challenging,” he said. “I will return to the challenge again next year.”
Chen’s title win was a belated birthday gift to herself, as she recently turned 30.
“My first time at the Taipei Marathon in 2020 saw me break the three-hour mark,” Chen said. “I subsequently surpassed my personal best in 2021 and 2022 before becoming domestic champion this year. I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams.”
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS