Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Mayor Ko Wen-je presided over the opening ceremony for the 2016 Taipei Marathon at Civic Plaza in the early morning of December 18.

The annual marathon event attracts participants from across Taiwan and abroad, taking in many of Taipei’s landmark along the route. The mayor also traveled to North Gate to cheer for the runners along the route.

The mayor pointed out that the route this year will bring runners to the sites of Taipei’s old city gates, including North Gate, East Gate, South Gate, and Xiaonanmen (Lesser South Gate), offering them a taste of the city’s diversity and rich history.

Ko remarked that the marathon this year attracted nearly 2000 foreign participants hailing from 40 countries, as well as a team from Shanghai for friendly exchanges stemming from the MOU signed during the Taipei-Shanghai Forum.

At the end of his address, the mayor expressed his gratitude to the staff members of the event, volunteers, cheerleading squads, and the police officers and volunteers helping to maintain the traffic. Their efforts allow the marathon to progress smoothly.

Responding to media questions on which team – Taipei’s or Shanghai’s – he believe is stronger, the mayor replied that the answer will appear once the race starts. As for whether he plans to run, the mayor noted that he’s not participating the event due to knee problems. Marathon is not his strength.