Original Source: UDN
2023 Taiwan 777 Island Hopping Marathon Event Details
On June 12, 2023, the second day of the Taiwan 777 Island Hopping Marathon took place on Green Island. Fifty-two runners, including VIP participant Chairman Anderson Tsai from "Taiwan K.K. Corporation." successfully completed the race despite fatigue and intermittent rain. Chairman Tsai concluded the Green Island leg with the statement, "Marathon is never easy."
Green Island is located between mainland Taiwan and Orchid Island and is the closest tourist island to Taiwan. One of its highlights is the beautiful coastline, featuring pristine white sand beaches and magnificent volcanic landscapes with spectacular erosion formations. With such diverse and stunning landscapes, Green Island is undoubtedly one of Taiwan's famous tourist destinations!
After the challenging day at Orchid Island, the exhausted participants boarded a shuttle boat and headed to the next stop - Green Island.
Contrasting the sunny weather on Orchid Island, Green Island welcomed the runners with thick rain clouds and a sultry atmosphere, signaling the approaching rain. As dinner time approached, the rain started to fall.
Although the race started at 5 am, the sky was dark, and rain showers varied in intensity. The temperature dropped significantly. For any runner, such cool and rainy weather was considered a blessing! After enduring the previous day's scorching heat, all 52 participants clearly showed signs of fatigue, and their check-in times were later than the previous day.
This year's Green Island course design had all 52 runners starting from the venue and passing through attractions such as the pristine and delicate "Da Bai Sha" beach, the world-class underwater "Zhaori Hot Spring," the famous "Sleeping Beauty and Pekingese Dog Rock" site, volcanic rock formations shaped by volcanic eruptions and erosion, the "Human Rights Cultural Park", and finally returning to the venue through the "Green Island Lighthouse". The same route had to be completed twice, allowing the runners to appreciate the beauty of Green Island along the way, covering a total distance of 42 kilometers.
In the continuously rainy weather, the runners faced a completely different challenge compared to the scorching heat on Orchid Island. They had to navigate through waterlogged roads and deal with slippery shoes caused by getting wet from the rain. Several participants even prepared a spare pair of running shoes at the event venue in case they needed to change during the second round.
The challenge on Green Island was markedly different from Orchid Island, as runners enjoyed the route, running along the beautiful coastline while experiencing the refreshing sensation of raindrops, making it difficult to tell if it was sweat or rain. All 53 runners successfully completed the second day's Green Island race of the 777 Island Hopping Marathon.
Today's special guest was Chairman Anderson Tsai from "Taiwan K.K. Corporation." It was Chairman Tsai's sixth full marathon, and he participated as a runner in the 777 Island Hopping Marathon.
After the race, Chairman Tsai expressed his joy, saying, "I am delighted to have completed my sixth marathon. Compared to yesterday's scorching sun, we had good weather on the second day, with overcast skies and light rain, although the temperature remained high. At the finish line, a volunteer asked me, 'Was today's marathon easy?' I immediately replied, "Marathons are never easy." Chairman Tsai expressed his gratitude to the volunteers at the aid stations who took meticulous care of the runners, stating that each aid station was a redemption point for him along the race course.