Kinmen: Around 7,000 people took part in competitive foot races at the 2025 Kinmen Marathon on Sunday, according to the Kinmen County government, which organized the annual event. Around 1,400 runners from at least 20 overseas countries pounded the pavements on full-marathon, half-marathon, and 10-kilometer routes in the outlying island county of Taiwan, data from the organizer showed.

According to Focus Taiwan, the non-Taiwanese endurance racers included about 900 individuals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau – the first time Chinese athletes participated in the Taiwanese event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Race results released by the Kinmen County Department of Education indicated that in the full marathon, both the men’s and women’s divisions were won by Kenyan runners, though neither beat event records for their gender categories this year. Joseph Mwangi Ngare came first among the male runners on the 42-kilometer route with a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 5 seconds, while Jemimah Wayua Musau outperformed her female peers with 2:46.05. The two Kenyan runners will each take home prize money of NT$150,000 (US$4,554), according to the 2025 Kinmen Marathon website.

Huang Xuemei, a Chinese amateur runner who previously won the women’s division of the 2024 Paris Olympics’ public marathon, came first in the women’s 21-kilometer race on Sunday – her first time participating in the Kinmen Marathon. Huang completed the course with a record-breaking time of 1:15.46, beating the 1:18.46 record time held by Taiwanese athlete Hsu Yu-fang since 2014. Meanwhile, in the men’s half-marathon, Taiwanese runner Tien Jui-hsiang claimed gold with 1:09.16 – his first time participating in the annual event.

The main route of this year’s marathon passed landmarks including Juguang Tower, Lake Shuangli, and Guningtou Archway. “Sports, education, and other exchanges [between China and Taiwan] are all good things,” Kinmen Deputy County Magistrate Lee Wen-liang told the media on Sunday. “I hope Kinmen can become a bridge and play a role in communication between the two sides of the strait,” Lee added, hinting at currently fraught relations between China and Taiwan. Chiu Chui-cheng, head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) which is responsible for relations with China, also participated in the 10-kilometer category. The minister told CNA that he hoped the event could create a “healthy, fun, mutually beneficial and peaceful atmosphere” between the two sides of the strait.