Local cop wins Penghu Marathon, Finland office director finishes 2nd

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) The chief of a local police station won first place in the 2026 Penghu Cross-Island Marathon on Sunday, while Finland's top representative in Taiwan came in a close second, both finishing the race in under three hours.

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

Finland Trade Office Director Lauri Raunio took second with the marathon's only other sub-3-hour time, finishing in 2:59:13.

Meanwhile, Yang Chiao-chu (楊喬筑) 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 Sunday, including 137 international athletes. In addition to Raunio, Dan Stuart, deputy director of the Australian Office in Taipei, also competed in the full marathon.

Billed as Taiwan's only "cross-sea and island-hopping marathon," the race featured four divisions -- a 42-kilometer full marathon, 21-km half marathon, 11-km run and 5-km 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.

(By Chen Chi-ching and Matthew Mazzetta)

Enditem/ASG

Taiwan says China has 'no jurisdiction' after coast guard patrol claims

Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes off coast of northeastern Taiwan

Teahouse chain Chun Shui Tang hikes prices by an average of 12%

Local cop wins Penghu Marathon, Finland office director finishes 2nd

Taiwan Air Force to kick off annual Sky Dragon drills

Source: Focus Taiwan