The Mediterranean air must have been cool and dry when the legendary Athenian soldier ran the 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, from the Plains of Marathon to Athens bringing news of victory over the invading Persians on that September day in 490 B.C. The legend doesn't relate how much time the runner took to cover his distance. Some accounts indicate that he died of exhaustion as soon as he had accomplished his mission.
Thus began the marathon as a traditional test of speed and endurance. Taiwan is not unfamiliar with marathons. So far it has sponsored six international marathons since 1986 in addition to numerous local, mini, and highland marathons. However, the 1995 Chinfon Kaohsiung International Marathon, held on October 8, was the first one recognized internationally. Its course was evaluated by Prof. Zhao Xuehong of Beijing University, a marathon course surveyor for the International Track and Field Association.
The course began at the front gate of the Chungshan Stadium in Kaohsiung--the largest city in tropical southern Taiwan--followed streets for eight kilometers, curved around most of scenic Chengching Lake, passed through two more kilometers of street, then turned back along the same route to the finish line at Chungshan Stadium to make a total of 42,195 meters.
The streets were generally wide and straight and the asphalt road surface was in fairly good condition, while the road along the lake was somewhat narrow but well shaded by trees. A section of it was considerably steep for a marathon course, constituting a challenge to the runners' strength and stamina. Traffic control, water supply, first aid, judging, and escorting were managed professionally.
Although in October, the day was hot and humid with a temperature ranging from the upper 20s to 30 centigrade; humidity ranged around 78%; there was a light breeze and a largely clear sky. The weather became a common enemy to each runner and was especially hard on athletes coming from temperate or cold countries.
Rolling and Running
More than 5,500 people took part in the event, including 450 men and 24 women for the top marathons, 5,100 men and women for the 10-kilometer races, and 11 men and women for the 10-kilometer wheelchair races. Although the foreign contingent representing 16 countries constituted a small minority, its members were among the most competent contenders in the races.
The athletes congregated at Chungshan Stadium at dawn. At 6:05 a.m. the wheelchair sportsmen rolled out first, followed by the marathoners and the 10-kilometer racers a few minutes later. Thousands of people rolling and running on the street together made a spectacular sight.
Surrival of the Fittest In the men's marathon, a lone native athlete, forged ahead for 30 kilometers but finally gave the race up somewhere along the rest of the way. He was first followed by a bunch of 21 runners--most of whom were foreigners--who stuck together for about half of the whole distance. Poland's Zbigniew Nadolski (best previous record: 2 hours, 11 minutes, 57 seconds) and Russia's Ryjov Fedor (best record: 2 hours, 13 minutes, 1 second) were considered, before the race, to be the best runners. Nadolski retired halfway, and Fedor didn't finish well. For the last eight kilometers, it was a showdown between Hsu Gi-sheng of the Republic of China and Joao Batista Pacau of Brazil.
The first-place win went to Hsu Gi-sheng at 2 hours, 20 minutes, 7 seconds. A 32-year-old from the island of Quemoy (Kinmen), Hsu was the first Chinese to ever win any of the championship international marathons held in Taiwan. An experienced runner with 30 marathons behind him, he had won four championships previously and had won the best men's marathon record for the Republic of China at 2 hours, 14 minutes, 35 seconds in Beppu, Japan, at the beginning of this year. (He should be qualified for next year's Olympic marathon in Atlanta--the qualification for men is 2 hours, 16 minutes.) Hsu had been in Japan since 1988 as a student and was working and training, appropriately, with Kyubin Sagawa, an express company.
The second-place win went to Joao Batista Pacau at 2 hours, 20 minutes, 41 seconds, and the third to Vladimir Epanov of Italy at 2 hours, 20 minutes, 57 seconds. The 100-kilometer marathon went to a Mr. Sakashita of Japan, who previously had finished the distance in around four and a half hours.
In the women's marathon, 11 foreigners from 11 countries competed with 13 locals. Again, the foreigners had the upper leg. Two of them, once leading runners, one Italian and one Austrian, withdrew halfway. Violetta Kryza of Poland crossed the finish line alone to take first place at 2 hours, 43 minutes, 33 seconds. The 27-year-old owes her success to six weeks of training at high altitudes before the event. This was her second international marathon championship; she won her first in Montreal, Canada, in 1992. The second place went to 38-year-old Lutsia Beliaeva of Russia at 2 hours, 46 minutes, 47 seconds, and the third to Nina Kovrizhkina of Ukraine at 2 hours, 47 minutes, 32 seconds.
There were pecuniary awards for the marathon winners--10 men and five women. For first, second, and third place, they were US$15,000, US$10,000, and US$7,000, respectively, for men; and US$5,000, US$3,000, and US$2,000, for women. In the 10-kilometer races, the men's champion was Chang Chao-nung at 28 minutes, 41 seconds, and the women's was Wu Chia-yen at 33 minutes, 56 seconds. In the wheelchair races, the men's champion was Lu Hai-ning at 22 minutes, 4 seconds, and the women's champion was Wang Su-chun at 34 minutes, 49 seconds.
The times didn't look impressive; but considering the terrain and weather, the best contestants did well. Runners had to drink water and cool themselves with wet sponges constantly. Many serious contenders either gave up before reaching the finish line or failed to do as well as expected, and several collapsed on the way or at the finish line. They were defeated mainly by the heat. Perhaps future marathons here should be held in November or some other cooler month.