On the eve of the annual Taipei Marathon, the Taipei City Government yesterday held the first ever Taipei Marathon Breakfast Run, with 5,000 participants of all ages running a fun non-competitive 3km race.
The annual Taipei Marathon is one of Taiwan’s most anticipated major races and an international marathon recognized by World Athletics, one of the largest international governing bodies for track and field, and other competitions such as road running, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said.
Chiang, who brought his two-year-old son to take part with him in the Breakfast Run, said the 3km route is not too long, not a strain to complete and suitable for people of all ages, with the youngest participant being only seven months old and the oldest being 87.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
“There are about 5,000 runners today, with many being participants in the official race tomorrow who brought their family and friends to join today,” Chiang said yesterday. “We hope everyone can enjoy the happiness of exercising through this opportunity, perhaps discover a new side of Taipei, and also use it as a warm-up for the official race.”
There are 28,000 participants registered for today’s Taipei Marathon, and all are required to be 18 or older.
This year, runners from 62 countries are taking part in the event, the most ever, Chiang said, adding that he hopes the marathon, which has been going for more than three decades, would be sustainable, and display the spirit of inclusion and hope.
The marathon medal and strap this year are made of recycled marine debris and plastic bottles, to promote the spirit of sustainability, he said.
Some of the Breakfast Run’s participants dressed up as the gingerbread man, Santa Claus and dinosaurs.
The Taipei Department of Sport said 652 children aged 12 or younger participated in the race.
Department Commissioner Wang Hung-shiang (王泓翔) invited wheelchair racers to join the Breakfast Run and the official half-marathon race.
The first Breakfast Run was held to encourage people of all ages to experience road running and develop the habit of exercising regularly, Wang said.
As the event title suggested, the participants of yesterday’s Breakfast Run were given a breakfast box with bread, a rice ball, milk tea, sweet potato crisps, cranberry juice, an energy bar, an energy drink and an apple after completing the run.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as