TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2024 EVA Air Marathon kicked off on Sunday (Oct. 27) in front of the Presidential Office, attracting 24,000 runners, with over 1,500 runners from 40 countries.
Foreign competitors won top prizes. In the men's marathon competition, Japanese runner Suzuki Satoshi was the first to cross the line in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 42 seconds. In the women's category, Australian runner Eva Mure had a winning time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, and 38 seconds, per CNA.
EVA Airways general manager Sun Jia-ming (孫嘉明) presided over the road race along with dignitaries such as Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), Taiwan Tourism Administration Head of the International Affairs Division Huang I-cheng (黃易成), Japan’s Aomori Prefecture Governor Miyashita Soichiro, and other guests who jointly fired the starter pistol to kick off the race.
To encourage international competition, EVA Air increased the prize money for competitors of the full and half marathons. Furthermore, EVA Air contributed economy-class tickets for the top domestic male and female runners.
Chou Ting-yin (周庭印) won the men's half marathon team with a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 57 seconds, while Tsao Chun-yu (曹純玉) won the women's half marathon with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 05 seconds. Tsao’s victory was notable as she won the half-marathon for the sixth consecutive year.
"I just finished the Berlin Marathon, and I am a little tired. Also, it was hot today, so I am not very satisfied with my results, but I am still very happy to complete my sixth consecutive victory," said Tsao.
The main visual of this year's marathon was created by GONZO247, a well-known street graffiti artist in Houston. GONZO247 drew upon previous visits to Taiwan as inspiration for his design, which includes well-known landmarks of Taipei and Houston.
To celebrate EVA Air's new Taipei-Aomori route, which operates three times a week starting Tuesday (Oct. 29), fresh apples for runners were specially flown in from Aomori.
EVA Air and other sponsors set up booths at Dajia Riverside Park with interactive games and gifts for runners. To move towards net-zero carbon emissions, the marathon went paperless, with the official website handling inquiries and race completion certificates.
Additionally, Nike used environmentally friendly fiber materials to produce a matcha green racing jersey for runners. EVA Air also provided meals in compostable, plant-fiber lunch boxes.
Taiwan's first domestically produced electric SUV was the lead vehicle in the road race.
