Running Taiwan: The Fubon Taipei International Marathon (2011 富邦臺北馬拉松)

The Medal
It was the 18th 42K medal for 2011- the 25th in an ever-increasing medal tally derived from running different marathons in different countries. But getting this last one for the year- from the Fubon Taipei Marathon- did not come easy. I had to overcome chills and flu symptoms and an apparent ankle injury. On then to my story.

The City
I arrived in Taipei three days before perhaps the biggest running event in Taiwan that is held every third Sunday of December. It was my third visit to the country and my second trip organized for the sole purpose of running a marathon. Some 11 months earlier, I ran the Ancient Capital Marathon in Tainan.

The Main Sponsor
Since 2009, the event has been sponsored by the giant financial conglomerate Fubon after the outfit acquired ING's Taiwan Division, the erstwhile sponsor of the marathon since 2004. Appropriately, the race packet claim site was the Fubon Cafe on Keelung Street, District 1- just a few blocks from my hotel.

The CTRRA
Aside from having the full backing of the Taipei government and Fubon, the marathon drew strong support from various sectors of Taiwan society, particularly from the Chinese Taipei Road Running Association or CTRRA. Youthful volunteers from local organizations were visible before and during the event.

The Race Packet

The race packet itself was pretty bare bones- just the race number, a race bulletin or booklet, a huge course map for the different events, and a few  goodies- a mentholated skin patch, a post-it pad, and sampling of homegrown almonds. The race vest was of very good quality as was the ChampionChip race timing device.

The City Exploration
With two full days from arrival to race day, the city was practically mine to explore if I had wanted to. The city's mass rapid transit (MRT) system was conveniently accessible, and the shopping centers and night markets were Christmas sale- and bargain basement sale-ready. But exploring the city, it was not meant to be.

The Flu Antidote
On the Friday night, after claiming the race packet early that morning, I began to experience something I hadn't felt in years literally- chilling all over my body. Fearful of being unable to run early Sunday, I began taking double doses of flu and antibiotic medication and dug in, leaving only to carbo-load and hydrate in a food court nearby.

The Race Conditions
Race morning Sunday came finally. It was predicted to be cold, with an 18 kph wind pushing the temperature to 12 deg C. Elderly but health-conscious folks exercising outside the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial noticeably wore jackets while several runners wore parkas. Would I be able to finish what I had come to Taipei for, I wondered.
  

The Venue
All events were to start and finish at the Civic Plaza in front of the Taipei City Hall. There was no way the plaza could be missed, even by a city first-timer. The world's second-tallest building, the 509.2 m Taipei 101 (台北101 / 臺北101) was a beacon visible from several kilometers away. The plaza was in front of this mega-structure.

The Race Categories
The 2011 event included a full marathon (42.2 km), a half marathon (21.1 km), a 9 km run, and a 2 km run for children in the 5th and 6th grades. Moreover, a non-competitive 3 km fun run with a 30-minute cut-off time was also offered by the organizers for free to the general public! It was thus standing room only!

The Participants
In all, a record 120,000 people participated in the event, including 43,000 athletes in the various race categories. While the 42K event attracted elites from various countries, regular as well as uniquely-dressed recreational runners also were aplenty- a group of running Santa Clauses even raced down from the North Pole to Taipei!

The Coverage
Touted as one of the three biggest running events in Asia, the marathon was covered live on Taiwan TV, live-streamed online, and shown on TV screens in Taipei's MRT system aside from also being broadcast in other Asian countries. Real-time results of runner checkpoint crossings were SMS-sent on race day.

The Marathon Start
The 42K, 21K, and 9K runners were to assemble at the Civic Plaza at 0640 for a 0700 mass start. In no time, the plaza became jam-packed that it took me four minutes to reach the starting arch. The thermometer in a nearby building read 15 deg C and made me wish I left my running jacket behind. It was, after all, going to be a hot day!

The Send-Off
Just after passing the starting arch, top city, CTRRA, and Fubon officials on a makeshift stage wished the runners godspeed and enjoyment. They had reason to. Ran on 28 km of bare expressway concrete in previous years, this year's marathon would instead use a route involving scenic parks along the river Tamsui.

The Marathon Route
The actual, redesigned, and relatively flat route for the 42K event took runners to the boulevards of Jen-1 Road and Chungshan North Road, and to the Fine Art Museum, Story House, YuanShan, Dajia Riverside Park, and Blue Highway, offering them a different perspective of Taipei.

The Entertainers
And along the way were set up more than a hundred cheering stations- manned by Taiwan's volunteer citizenry, all garbed differently, from the traditional,

to the futuristic and celebratory.

From varied places in Taiwan they seemed to originate- there were those dressed up as rural lasses of  the Hoklo, Hakka, Mainlander, and Taiwanese aborigine kind,

to those attired as city skyscraper dwellers and sophisticates.

And age-wise they ranged from the vibrant and young,

to the still vibrant but once young! 


And cheering runners all the way they dotted and adorned the race route of Taipei that day!

The Pose
So enjoyable was the run and buoyed up was I at this juncture that I cast all PR aspirations to the wind, struck a rare on-the-run pose, and soaked in all of the scenery! There was another reason. Jogging on the way to the race that morning, I twisted my left ankle on an uneven embankment and pain was now starting to bother me!

The Hydration Stops
Race support systems-wise, the basics were provided. And while there were no water stations for the first 8 or 9 kilometers, an area which the event can certain improve upon next year if you ask me, they were available 5 km or so the rest of the way- offering runners water and an isotonic drink.

The First Aid Stops
For the injured and weary, first-aid stations were also set up at critical junctures along the race course. On some of them, I could see runners deadening the pain on their legs with pain killer sprays. Marshals on motorcycles also patrolled the course to pick up the injured. No untoward incident was reported that day.

The Food Stops Etc.
And for the hungry, there were stations along the course that were stocked with bananas and saltine crackers. I gladly obliged in a few of them as energy gels were not made available that day. Sponge stations were also set up to cool down the hot and toilets were provided to lighten the heavy. 

The Runners
And 42K participants had a heyday running the new course of Taipei, right from the very start when 42K, 21K, and 9K were all bunched up, running, and even walking together for the first 5K,

to when the 9K runners were separated from the rest of the lot on Ren Ai Road, perhaps distracted for a bit by the awesome scenery,

and to the point when the 21K runners, of which there were so many, ascended the ramp on Zhongshan North Road to finally split up from those running the 42K.

The Full Marathoners
And those of us left running the 42K event came in varied forms, shapes, sizes, and, yes, costumes!.  From the one who literally wore plastic bottles of Taiwan Beer- no doubt already dreaming of the 12-pack(s) waiting for him at home ice-cold and gulp-ready as he celebrated later that day,

to those who dressed up the runner-prim-and-proper way- compression tights, glasses, visors and all- and thus much more conservatively. 

There were those running in groups, visibly led by flag-bearing and uniformed sentinels of various teams, banners proclaiming their allegiance to the club, to running itself, and to motherland Taiwan,

to those running solo and much too deep in the zone, no doubt primed, fueled, nudged, and then pushed some more, by play lists upon play lists of running music, each egging them to run strong, to never to give up, and to rock Taipei even for only a single day.

And while the vast majority of the runners were noticeably men of all shapes, sizes, ages, and nationalities, probably more than 80% I would hazard to guess,

every once in a little while, like an oasis in a desert, a welcome drop of rain in a parched and scorched land, there would be a woman- some of them, of the beautifully strong and thus rare kind, if you ask me. 

And true enough, as advertised, the route was flat mostly, paved well, and record-breaking friendly. At some portions of the race route, the Taipei 101 would appear in the distant horizon and, as the cliche goes, would seem very near, yet so very far.  

As I discovered during the year that I actually have a liking for uphill climbs and trails, it was a downer to note that there were only a few ascents- mostly on bridges and highway embankments.

And there were equally few descents, with the notable ones experienced while traversing road tunnels near the city center, reminiscent of the GPS watch-blanking tunnel runs I had during the marathon in Hong Kong earlier in the year.

And surely the aim of the organizers- to promote the natural beauty of Taipei- was met with 42K runners given the opportunity to run on both sides of the now-being-restored river Tamsui.

The senior runner on the right could in fact not afford to miss out on any or all of the unfolding scenery. I was in the same running wave with him and witnessed his feat admiringly. I bet he broke the course record for running the marathon event- the entire 42 km- facing backwards all the way!

The Winners
The flat and paved course allowed the elite runners to break event records. Yemane Adhane of Ethiopia clocked 2:10:24 to win the men's 42K while Helena Kirop of Kenya won the women's side with a time of 2:27:36. Each pocketed a cool NT$2 million (US$66,124) or US$448 to US$506 per running minute that day!

The Finish
As for me, crossing the finish line at 5:23:58 was already satisfactory. While this would be my slowest for a purely road marathon till that day, I was glad to overcome the hobbling pain on my left ankle without experiencing the chills I was having just the previous day. Somehow, I had also set a new personal record, albeit in a totally unexpected way.

The Year 2011
The Fubon Taipei Marathon would be  my final race for 2011- a year that saw me do 18 different 42K or 50K events in 10 different countries or US states, giving me a more respectable Ruthenium 5-star status in the Insane Asylum of the Marathon Maniacs. My running year would start and end in Taiwan- with a January marathon in Tainan and this December run in Taipei. Truly a most eventful 1,762-kilometer running year, if you ask me. 


To 2011 marathon year-opener and year-ender host Taiwan and the CTRRA then, a solid 谢谢 (Xièxiè)!