Taiwan athlete claims first place in Chile ultramarathon

2016/10/12

Taiwan’s Tommy Yen-po Chen took first place in the 250-kilometer Atacama Crossing ultramarathon in Chile Oct. 8, completing the weeklong, six-stage race with a combined time of 28 hours, 58 minutes and 20 seconds.

Chen’s time put him nearly an hour ahead of the second-place finisher, Northern Ireland’s Neill Weir. The Taiwan athlete has received many messages of support, including from President Tsai Ing-wen.

The event was the third of four long-distance footraces that make up the annual 4 Deserts Race Series, which consists of the Sahara Race in Namibia, Gobi March in mainland China, Atacama Crossing in Chile and The Last Desert in Antarctica. The competition is a grueling test of endurance, with each race spanning 250 km of some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain.

“It’s so, so hot,” Chen said after crossing the finish line. “That was a really difficult race.”

He suffered from dehydration and sleepless nights in the high desert, and developed painful blisters that left his feet bloody and sore. Chen said he nearly lost confidence halfway through the race, but somehow found the strength to press on.

Since securing first place in Chile, Chen now sits atop the rankings, having come second in Namibia and fifth in mainland China. He is competing against more than 130 athletes from around 40 countries.

The final leg of the race will take place in Antarctica from Nov. 18-29. Chen plans to stay in Chile to train for the contest.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=248485&ctNode=2194&mp=9)