【New of New Taipei City】 Thousands of steps for green sustainability! New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-Yi, WA observer Alessio Punzi, Director-General of Sports Administration Zheng Shi-Zhong, and CTTFA president Yeh Chen-Yen fired the pistol for the start of the 2023 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon for 11,000 runners at Green Bay, Wanli, today (the 19th). The first-ever LED starting arch with the trending visual design of the year brought brand new sensations to runners. Only Wan Jin Shi Marathon can surpass its own standards!

 

 2023萬金石馬拉松，萬人見證臺灣首場金標賽事(照片來源©︎Allsports創星影像)

According to New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-Yi, the WA observer finally returns to New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-Yi after three years, representing that New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-Yi will achieve another milestone! I have been participating in the organization of the race from the Copper Label, Silver Label, and to Gold Label. Special appreciation is also extended to WA, Sports Administration under the Ministry of Education, and CTTFA for their support to and assistance in the race. I also appreciate all the police officers, volunteers, staff, and local residents who join the event each year! The success of the Gold Label race is attributable to the efforts and contributions of everyone so that the world can see New Taipei City!

As emphasized by Mayor Hou, the 2023 Wan Jin Shi Marathon is the first environmental-friendly Gold Label race in Asia. The vest on a runner is made from three cups of coffee and five bottles, the completion kit bags are made from residual fabrics and cloths, and the supply after the race was made from local food ingredients; the kit bags may also be used as designated garbage bags. Reuse and waste reduction are the first step to sustainable environments; it is hoped that the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon can become the pioneer in making progress toward sustainable environments.

侯友宜市長與跑友互動(照片來源©︎Allsports創星影像)

The race of the year initially adopts the establishment of LED arches at the starting and ending points to replace large canvas that can only provide single information, together with animation, photos, and punchlines of jokes to help runners to ease their tension before the start and promote the atmosphere at the site. Completion encouragement delicately designed by the organizer also shows on the arch when runners finish the run to make all understand that achievements in running are through accumulation.

According to the Sports Office, 12 international elite runners from Bahrain, Spain, Ethiopia, and Kenya were invited to visit Taiwan for the race, and over 11,000 runners (including 300 foreign runners from 33 countries) participated in the race. Regarding the performance of the Wan Jin Shi Marathon this year, the top three runners in the male marathon group are runners from Kenya; the champion is KIPTUM (2 hours 11 minutes 57 seconds), who visited Taiwan for the first time, his final sprint, unfortunately, failed to rewrite the record of the race (2 hours 11 minutes 17 seconds). After the race, he said that there were many people cheering for him during the run, which made him very happy and proud, and he also congratulated Wan Jin Shi Marathon for obtaining the Gold Label! “Black Tornado” Jian Jie-Wen (2 hours 23 minutes 06 seconds), a domestic master runner, won the championship of the domestic male group! After the race, he said that he achieved the target he set for himself and rated himself a score of 90! The first trophy from a Gold Label race is particularly meaningful.

 
肯亞選手KIPTUM拿下2023萬金石馬拉松全馬冠軍(照片來源©︎Allsports創星影像)

國內好手「黑色旋風」蔣介文拿下2023萬金石馬拉松國內男子組冠軍(照片來源©︎Allsports創星影像)

The top three runners in the female marathon group are runners from Ethiopia. The champion is BORECHA (2 hours 29 minutes 25 seconds); she successfully broke the record of the race; apart from the award of US$30,000 for being 1st in the total ranking, she also received the award of US$10,000 for breaking the record. According to BORECHA, she prepared for five weeks for Wan Jin Shi Marathon; she ran 40 kilometers in the morning and ran five to ten kilometers in the evening on a daily basis for foot training. Lisa Ries, a domestic master runner, won 7th place in the total ranking (2 hours 46 minutes 24 seconds) and won the champion of the domestic female marathon group.

 
馬拉松女子組第一名BORECHA衝線(照片來源©︎Allsports創星影像)

馬拉松好手雷理莎拚盡全力拿下國內女子組冠軍(照片來源don1don)

Wan Jin Shi Marathon continues to join hands with runners to implement environmental-friendly and sustainable practices. For example, the 21 Challenge Run, a plogging event, was organized in different districts of New Taipei City. With a cumulative distance of 1,082 kilometers, over 1.26 garbage was cleaned out; Wan Jin Shi Marathon continues the cooperation with Fubon Holdings to respond to “Run for Green,” which provides planting services for runners who finished the race to jointly make contributions to the environment. The completion certificate of the run is also provided via electronic means. Runners who completed the race may directly scan the QR Code on their bibs for inquiries. For more information related to the “2023 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon,” please visit the website and Facebook fan page of the “2023 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon” for inquiries.