Taroko Gorge Marathon event is big success with 10,000 runners

Minister of Interior Jiang Yi-hua was invited to open the marathon. He highlighted the splendid surroundings and said the diverse terrain was a challenge for all participants.

Kenyan runners took first place in both the male and female categories. James Meli won in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 20 seconds; though it didn't break his personal best of 2:12:34. His compatriot Esther Mutuka won the women's race in 2:53:24.

The marathon has been taking place in Hualien for 10 consecutive years. Some 19 runners who had constantly participated in the marathon were invited for the homecoming.

The road race has become a major event in the promotion of Taroko National Park — one of Taiwan's most popular tourist destinations.

The event has always drawn too many participants. To enable the event to run smoothly, the organizers had set a maximum restriction on the number of participants this year. The marathon attracted 10,000 professionals and aficionados in 2009, including 289 runners from 26 countries.

The event was comprised of three races — a marathon, a half marathon of 21km, and a 5km run. Some 1,500 athletes competed in the marathon, while 8,500 runners participated in the other two races.

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