Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) The 2006 24-hour World Challenge will be a test of will for runners from 27 countries this weekend in Taipei as 229 participants will run for a day and night to vie for the honor of world's best ultrarunner.
Also known as the World Ultramarathon Championship, the 24-hour World Challenge requires runners to run around the Yuan Shan Park for 24 hours from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday. The male and female winners will be the ones who run the longest distance within that time.
Russia is regarded as everyone's toughest competitor, featuring three runners ranked in the world's top three -- Anatoliy Kruglikov, who is No.2 in men's world rankings; Lyudmila Kalinina, No.2 in women's world rankings; and women's No.3 Irina Reutovich.
Taiwan is sending 10 runners to the competition -- five men and five women -- with Chen Jun-yan leading the way. Chen, 40, holds Taiwan's 24-hour marathon record of 244 km.
A six-hour relay competition of public officials will start at 6: 30 a.m. Saturday, in the run-up to the ultramarathon. Each team
comprises 12 runners, with each one running for 30 minutes.
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou and Deputy Mayor Yeh Ching-chuan, who will run the first and second leg respectively for Taipei City, are among more than 80 public officials from seven districts that will participate in the competition.
Yeh is also hoping to run as a candidate in Taipei's mayoral election and has been endorsed by Ma.
In addition to the 24-hour marathon, more than 2,000 local runners will participate in the open race group. A 12-hour open race and a 10-km open race will also be held.
The event, organized by the Chinese Taipei Road Running Association, is the first world ultramarathon championship held in Asia. The first three took place in Europe.