Taiwan runner completes trans-Sahara marathon

Marathon runner Kevin Lin, who on Tuesday became the first Taiwanese athlete to cross the Sahara Desert's 7,500 kilometers, is the pride of Taiwan and an inspiration to its people, said Premier Su Tseng-chang yesterday.

Lin, 30, along with fellow marathon runners, Canadian Ray Zahab, 38, and American Charlie Engle, 44, completed their run across the world's largest desert after 111 consecutive days, making the trio the first modern runners to accomplish this feat of endurance.

The local athlete, who completed the final leg of the run wearing a Taiwanese flag draped over his back and warranted the United Nations to take notice and feature Taiwan on their Web site, represents the Taiwanese people's indefatigable spirit and determination to succeed, said Su.

Su had previously spoken to Lin on the phone to give him encouragement when the athlete was in Cairo. Yesterday Su called Lin again to congratulate him on his feat.

The adventure marathon runner, who also successfully crossed the Amazon rainforest in a previous challenge, is set to return to Taiwan on Feb. 24, and on Feb. 26, the Executive Yuan will hold a press conference and welcoming ceremony in his honor.

The trio of marathon runners set out on their challenge on Nov. 2, starting from Senegal, running across Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Libya, before finishing the final leg of their run at the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Lin said in the last three days of the run, he ran 350 kilometers and slept an average of four hours a day, but he was determined to finish the race, so much so that he did not rest at all during the last 112 kilometers of the run.

The trio endured drastic temperature changes which could differ by as much as 50 degrees Celsius between day and night, strong winds which created sandstorms, and the constant danger of stepping on land mines on their trek, which was originally scheduled to finish in 80 days.

According to Lin, the most difficult leg of their run was in Mali, where he lost four kilograms in a single day, and faced sweltering heat of over 45 degrees Celsius, red-hot asphalt roads, and animal carcasses that littered the roads at some points.

Lin also ran into difficulties with immigration authorities in Senegal and in Libya with entry visas, which caused considerable delays to their schedule.