Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Although none of them are ranked in the world top 50, Taiwanese marathoners still had high hopes on the eve of the 2006 24-hour World Challenge and believed the warmer weather would be an advantage for Taiwanese runners.
"The weather has been getting warmer in the past two days. I believe it will be an advantage for us, " said 45-year-old Wu
Sheng-ming, who set his goal for the competition at 240 km, 14 km more than his personal best.
Last year in the Soochow 24-hour marathon, which was also held in Taipei, the temperature dropped to as low as three degrees Celsius, which hurt the performance of local runners, Wu said.
More than 200 runners from 23 countries were participating in the 24-hour marathon, which began in the Yuan Shan park Saturday.
Not every runner is as ambitious as Wu. Yang Hsin-fu, 60, said he would be satisfied to break his personal best of 184 km.
"The most gratifying moment for me in the 24-hour marathon is seeing the sun come up. It's worth everything, " said Yang Mei-lian, who entered the event against her son's wishes.
"My son, a medical college student, thinks the marathon is not good for my health, " Yang said, adding that she will be proud to finish the run.
The key to running for 24 hours, Wu said, is to take the proper nutrition supplements at the appropriate time.
"As the host team, we will do our best. Hopefully we will not let the local fans down, " Wu said.