Known for its highest density of historical sites and unique local traditional snacks, the Tainan Ancient Capital International Marathon kicked off at the city hall plaza at five o’clock in the morning of March 4. After Mayor Li Men-yen fired the starter pistol, over 16,000 runners from 22 countries (including Taiwan) started out in the full marathon (42.2 km), half marathon (21.1 km), and 4K run, bringing one of the most exciting races! The first three runners to complete the women’s half marathon were all from Taiwan.
At five o’clock, when the sky was barely bright, a crowd gradually formed around Yonghua Civic Center. They are here for the marathon. To help runners warm up and maintain top condition, the organizer arranged a warm-up exercise program which also livened up the atmosphere.
Mayor Li Men-yen then arrived on site to cheer on the runners. He first thanked the support from friends home and abroad, as spots for the 12th Tainan Ancient Capital International Marathon filled up very quickly; and expressed the warmest welcome to everyone visiting Tainan on behalf of Tainan citizens.
Li pointed out that the Tainan Ancient Capital International Marathon is the only marathon in Taiwan that includes major tourist and historical sites. He also thanked Taiwan International Ports Corporation for opening up Anping Port so that runners can enter the business port and take in the beautiful waterside view during the marathon. Mayor Li suggested that the runners can take a tour around the city and experience Tainan after the race, as Tainan has been named by CNN and Wall Street Journal as the Capitol or Museum of Taiwanese delicacies. Hopefully everyone will have some time to enjoy the beauty of this city.
This year’s event presented six new features: the Anping Harbor Area course, Marathon Runner’s app (which tracks the runners in real time), 100 meter delicacy lane, themed rooting squad, hybrid electric safety car, and a chip station every five kilometers along the course (as per international standards). Furthermore, there were also an English and Japanese service station for foreign runners, Tainan Ancient Capital International Marathon photo area, historical site photoshoot setups for visitors to snap and check-in on social media, and uniquely designed completion certificates exclusively for the runners. Tainan City Government was overjoyed to host this exciting event and sincerely welcomed marathon runners from Tainan, Taiwan, and all over the world to participate in this road run in our unique historical city.