28,000 run in 2020 Taipei City Marathon: #Dare to Breathe

Taipei City held the 2020 marathon today, despite COVID restrictions, using the theme “#Dare to Breathe.”

Taipei City Mayor Ke Wen-je said that it was probably the only large-scale city marathon to held in the world this year, thanking epidemic prevention staff for making it possible.

A total of 37,000 people registered for the event, with just 28,000 accepted using a lottery system. Eight-thousand ran the full marathon, while 20,000 ran the half-marathon event.

Twelve elite foreign athletes were invited to Taiwan for the event, and used treadmills to train while in mandatory quarantine before the event.

With the race starting at 6:30 am, competitors arrived in the dark, wearing masks, and with staff monitoring temperatures and offering hand sanitation as they entered.

Kenyan runner Paul K. Lonyangata won the men’s division for the 42 kilometer full marathon with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 18 seconds; while in the female division, Ethiopian Askale M. Wegi, came in first at 2 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.

Lonyangata won NT$1.8 million in prize money (approx. US$62,000), saying it was the biggest cash prize he had ever received, and Wegi received NT$800,000 (approx. US$28,400).

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