2011 Kaohsiung International Marathon MIZUNO Cup / 2011 MIZUNO高雄國際馬拉松
2011 Kaohsiung International Marathon MIZUNO Cup
◎English Written by Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos Courtesy of Hung Ding-hung, Pao Chung-hui, Department of Sports
The 2011 Kaohsiung International Marathon MIZUNO Cup was held on February 20th at the National Stadium (formally known as the Main Stadium of The World Games 2009). This year, more than 260,000 runners came from all over the world to participate. Team Kenya received the best times and took the six top prizes in the men's race, including champion Alex Melly, who now holds the record of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 48 seconds. Two female Kenyan runners also won first and fifth place in the women's race. This brought the team's winnings to a combined total of 780,000 NTD (about 27,000 USD)
The 2011 Kaohsiung International Marathon MIZUNO Cup featured the following categories: Complete Marathon (42.195 km), Half Marathon (24.238 km), Challenger (10.1338 km), Roller Skates (23.1996 km) and Fun Run (3.58 km) and offers 1,500,000 NTD (about 51,000 USD) of combined prize money, providing a strong incentive for athletes to do well. Taiwanese runner Jiang Jie-wen won the 7th place in Man's Complete Marathon, with teammates Chiou Jian-shing and He Sing-yan winning 9th and 10th.
The race began at 6:00 a.m. with Mayor Chen Chu and Ms. Chiu Shu-Rong "Ultra Marathon Mama" firing the starting pistol together. Ms. Chiu was previously a marathon runner for nearly 20 years, but her passion abruptly came to an end in 2008 when she contracted necrotizing fasciitis on the final day of La Transe Gaule. This unfortunately became septic and led to a double leg amputation. However, her passion for marathons has been undaunted and although is no longer a runner, remains a passionate cheerleader for the marathon participants. This year, she converted a tricycle into a mobile supply station, with beverages, sun block, nourishment and some basic medical supplies and followed the runners throughout the course. She made sure she was still a full participant in the event.
Mayor Chen Chu mentioned that although the Kaohsiung marathon is less extravagant compared with the Fubon Taipei Marathon, where elite runners who participated received airfare and hotel sponsorship, it was by no means less attended. More than two hundred athletes from over thirty-five nations participated. Many returned from the year before, including the Kenyan stars. It was also well attended by local residents, another great affirmation for Kaohsiung.
This year, Mayor Chen Chu made the marathon a particularly high priority, due to the fact it was the first major sporting event after the Kaohsiung city-county merge. The Complete Marathon began at the National Stadium and passed by some of Kaohsiung's most scenic sites including the Kaohsiung Dome, The Heart of Love River, Formosa Boulevard Station, the Love River Water Park Lantern Festival, and Louts Pond, the Mullet Cultural Museum and Ezihliao (Oyster Shack) in the Zihguan District. The latter two were designed to give runners insight into Kaohsiung's traditional fishing industry.
This year one special feature included a prize for the best dressed runner. Many runners showed up in costumes, such as doctors, nurses, firefighters and number of bunnies. It was a lot of fun watching them run and added a kind of carnival atmosphere to the race.
2011 MIZUNO高雄國際馬拉松
◎文／葉娜慧 ◎攝影／洪定宏．鮑忠暉．體育處
「2011 MIZUNO高雄國際馬拉松」2 月20日從高雄市國家體育場（世運主場館）開跑，吸引來自世界各地約2萬6000人參加。來自肯亞的「黑色軍團」實力傲人，在高雄豔陽下，不但黝黑膚色顯得突出，成績更是亮眼，除了Alex Melly以2小時20分48秒獲得第一名，全程馬拉松男子組更包辦前6名；女子組全程馬拉松組也拿下第一和第五名的好成績，共抱走78萬元獎金，成為最大贏家。
2011 MIZUNO高雄國際馬拉松競賽組別分為：全程馬拉松組(42.195公里)、超半程馬拉松組（23.1996公里）、挑戰組（10.1338公里）、滑輪溜冰（23.1996公里）、健康組(3.58公里) 。總獎金150萬元，參賽選手無不摩拳擦掌，希望獲得最佳成績，一舉抱回高額獎金。其中，台灣選手在男子全程馬拉松組中由蔣介文獲得第7名，邱建興 、何信言則分別拿下第9名、第10名。
比賽當日一早六點，由高雄市長陳菊與活動代言人超馬媽媽邱淑容等一同鳴槍。2008年在法國參加超馬比賽，因病菌感染而不幸罹患壞死性筋膜炎導至雙腳截肢的邱淑容，雖然無法再盡情跑步 ，但她將三輪腳踏車裝備成流動補給車 ，車上配置飲料、補給品、防曬油及簡易的醫療用品，與參賽者跑友一起揮汗前進，一償參賽宿願。
陳菊市長表示，雖然高雄市無法像台北富邦馬拉松以提供機票膳宿方式邀請菁英跑者來台，但仍有來自35國200多位外籍選手報名參加，其中包括去年參賽的肯亞選手，是對高雄國際馬拉松最大的肯定；總參加人數約2萬6000人，也比去年更多。
陳市長強調，這場國際馬拉松是縣市合併後的重要運動賽事，從世運主場館起跑，沿途經過高雄巨蛋、愛河之心、美麗島捷運站、愛河燈會會場、蓮池潭等著名景點，並特別將路線延伸至梓官區烏魚文化館及蚵仔寮等具海洋特色地區，讓跑者飽覽漁鄉風情。
今年首創「跑者創意造型評選賽」，參賽隊伍中可以看到不少變裝跑者，從醫生護士、消防員到兔子，創意十足，也使跑者在這場馬拉松比賽，享受了嘉年華般的獨特趣味。