City News
Date : 2024-03-17 Source : New Taipei City Government
The 2024 Wan Jin Shi Marathon Kenya runner Cyrus Kipkemboi break the record Chou Ting-Yin and Hsieh Chien-Ho clinch the top spot in the domestic category
【New Taipei City, March 17th, 2024】The 2024 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon kicked off today (17th), with Mayor Hou Yu-Ih and Yeh Cheng-Yen, Chairman of the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association, firing the starting gun to signal the start of the race for the 11,000 runners at Wanli Feicui Bay. The event not only featured the innovative 3D key vision but was also supported by over a thousand staff and volunteers, providing runners with an international-standard race track quality and enthusiastic support. Making the Wan Jin Shi Marathon became the most popular road race tournament in Taiwan.
Mayor Hou mentioned that the Wan Jin Shi Marathon, held annually in March, has been continuously running for 18 years without interruption. Evolving from a bronze label to a silver label, and now recognized as Taiwan's first World Athletics gold label certified event, Mayor Hou was pleased to engage with everyone in this event. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude through sports, just like all the runners gathering in Wanli to experience the charm of this event and the beautiful scenery of New Taipei City's North Coast. Mayor Hou also appreciated the effort of Ministry of Education's Sports Administration, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association, the New Taipei City government team, and sponsors including Mizuno Taiwan, Fubon Financial Holding, Pacific Construction, and all supporting partners for making this flagship event for New Taipei. He also thanked the large number of police, fire department personnel, medical staff, volunteers, local cheering teams, and staff who work tirelessly every year. This gold label event can showcase New Taipei to the world because of everyone's efforts.
Mayor Hou emphasized that the event continues the spirit of environmental sustainability from last year. The Queen's Head Prize is made of resin mixed with "natural sand" then filled with "PP recycled materials" to reduce resin waste. It also incorporates sustainable practices such as environmentally friendly running clothes, bags made from surplus fabric, and the use of local ingredients and so on. These efforts also echo the ongoing registration for the 2025 World Masters Games, jointly hosted by New Taipei City and Taipei. This event marks not only the first Masters Games in Asia but also the world's first Masters Games with a sustainable plan. Mayor Hou took the opportunity to invite everyone to participate in the 2025 the World Masters Games and fulfill the dream of engaging in international sports events.
The Sports Department stated that this year invited 11 international elite athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and other countries to Taiwan, with a total of 334 foreign participants from 26 countries, and over 11,000 participants. The top three male marathon runners are all from Kenya, with Cyrus Kipkemboi (2:09:31) breaking the previous record (2:11:17). After the race, he mentioned that he had three months of preparation to achieved his goal. Taiwanese runner Chou Ting-Yin (2:24:43) clinched the top spot in the domestic men’s category. He remarked, "Due to discomfort during practice before the race, I was unsure if I could finish smoothly. However, I took a chance after the race started because the cheering along the way gave me strength, making me not give up easily and finally achieving the desired result!"
The women's race was won by Ethiopian runner Fozya Jemal (2:38:10), who expressed her enjoyment of the competition and her anticipation of returning to Taiwan in the future. Hsieh Chien-Ho (2:57:49) won the overall championship in the domestic women's category, finishing fifth overall among all female participants. She mentioned almost giving up at one point but found encouragement from a foreign runner during the return journey, which motivated her to persevere until the end. Having experience the challenge of the Devil's Slope in the Wan Jin Shi Marathon, she now feels confident to tackle other races in the future.
The Wan Jin Shi Marathon continues to work with athletes to implement environmental sustainability activities, such as organizing clean-up campaigns in New Taipei City before the race. Additionally, it collaborated with Fubon Financial Holding to promote the "Run for Green" initiative, providing tree planting services for finishers. Finish results certificates will be provided electronically, and participants can scan the QR code on their bibs to check their results after the race. For more information about the 2024 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon, please visit the official website and Facebook fan page.
Mayor Hou mentioned that the Wan Jin Shi Marathon, held annually in March, has been continuously running for 18 years without interruption. Evolving from a bronze label to a silver label, and now recognized as Taiwan's first World Athletics gold label certified event, Mayor Hou was pleased to engage with everyone in this event. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude through sports, just like all the runners gathering in Wanli to experience the charm of this event and the beautiful scenery of New Taipei City's North Coast. Mayor Hou also appreciated the effort of Ministry of Education's Sports Administration, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association, the New Taipei City government team, and sponsors including Mizuno Taiwan, Fubon Financial Holding, Pacific Construction, and all supporting partners for making this flagship event for New Taipei. He also thanked the large number of police, fire department personnel, medical staff, volunteers, local cheering teams, and staff who work tirelessly every year. This gold label event can showcase New Taipei to the world because of everyone's efforts.
Mayor Hou emphasized that the event continues the spirit of environmental sustainability from last year. The Queen's Head Prize is made of resin mixed with "natural sand" then filled with "PP recycled materials" to reduce resin waste. It also incorporates sustainable practices such as environmentally friendly running clothes, bags made from surplus fabric, and the use of local ingredients and so on. These efforts also echo the ongoing registration for the 2025 World Masters Games, jointly hosted by New Taipei City and Taipei. This event marks not only the first Masters Games in Asia but also the world's first Masters Games with a sustainable plan. Mayor Hou took the opportunity to invite everyone to participate in the 2025 the World Masters Games and fulfill the dream of engaging in international sports events.
The Sports Department stated that this year invited 11 international elite athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and other countries to Taiwan, with a total of 334 foreign participants from 26 countries, and over 11,000 participants. The top three male marathon runners are all from Kenya, with Cyrus Kipkemboi (2:09:31) breaking the previous record (2:11:17). After the race, he mentioned that he had three months of preparation to achieved his goal. Taiwanese runner Chou Ting-Yin (2:24:43) clinched the top spot in the domestic men’s category. He remarked, "Due to discomfort during practice before the race, I was unsure if I could finish smoothly. However, I took a chance after the race started because the cheering along the way gave me strength, making me not give up easily and finally achieving the desired result!"
The women's race was won by Ethiopian runner Fozya Jemal (2:38:10), who expressed her enjoyment of the competition and her anticipation of returning to Taiwan in the future. Hsieh Chien-Ho (2:57:49) won the overall championship in the domestic women's category, finishing fifth overall among all female participants. She mentioned almost giving up at one point but found encouragement from a foreign runner during the return journey, which motivated her to persevere until the end. Having experience the challenge of the Devil's Slope in the Wan Jin Shi Marathon, she now feels confident to tackle other races in the future.
The Wan Jin Shi Marathon continues to work with athletes to implement environmental sustainability activities, such as organizing clean-up campaigns in New Taipei City before the race. Additionally, it collaborated with Fubon Financial Holding to promote the "Run for Green" initiative, providing tree planting services for finishers. Finish results certificates will be provided electronically, and participants can scan the QR code on their bibs to check their results after the race. For more information about the 2024 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon, please visit the official website and Facebook fan page.
