Police chief wins Penghu Marathon, envoy finishes 2nd

The chief of a local police station yesterday won first place in the Penghu Cross-Island Marathon, while Finland’s top representative in Taiwan came in a close second, both finishing the race in under three hours.

Wang Yi-hsien, chief of the Penghu Police Department’s Aimen Police Station and a frequent competitor in Taiwanese marathons, finished the full 42km course in 2 hours, 57 minutes and 44 seconds.

Finland Trade Office Director Lauri Raunio took second with 2:59:13. Only Wang and Raunio finished in less than three hours.

Aimen Police Station Chief Wang Yi-hsien, left, winner of the Penghu Cross-Island Marathon, Finland Trade Office Director Lauri Raunio, second right, silver medal winner, and other participants pose in Penghu yesterday.

Photo: CNA

Meanwhile, Yang Chiao-chu won the women’s full marathon title for the second consecutive year, with a time of 3:24:01.

A total of 4,112 runners from 22 countries took part in the race, including 137 international athletes. In addition to Raunio, Australian Office in Taipei Deputy Director Dan Stuart also competed in the full marathon.

Billed as Taiwan’s only “cross-sea and island-hopping marathon,” the race featured four divisions — a 42km full marathon, 21km half marathon, 11km run and 5km fun run.

The full marathon began at Xiyu West Fort Visitor Center on Xiyu Island. Runners crossed the Great Penghu Bridge onto Baisha Island, before continuing down to Penghu’s main island and finishing at the Guanyinting Recreation Area in Magong City.

To promote local tourism, organizers set up 10 food stations offering more than 140 local delicacies along the race route, allowing runners to fuel up on dishes including spiny lobster, cuttlefish balls and small squid.