According to Taiwan's China Times, despite their reputation for not being sports enthusiasts, nearly 10,000 female runners braved the early morning yesterday to participate in the Mizuno Women’s Road Race just before Qixi, turning the streets of Taipei into a "sea" of vibrant figures.
In recent years, Taiwan has been vigorously developing its marathon scene, and the number of female long-distance runners has also risen rapidly. Starting with the ASICS Women’s Road Race, which was specifically designed for women three years ago, to the third consecutive year of the NIKE “Women’s Sports Festival” road race, and then to yesterday’s fully subscribed Mizuno Women’s Road Race, these events reflect Taiwanese women’s enthusiasm for long-distance running.
In early August, a survey by Taiwan’s Department of Health revealed that among women aged 18 and above in Taiwan, as many as 75% were physically inactive, ranking among the highest in various countries and regions around the world.
But this year, it’s not hard to notice that Taiwanese women are becoming increasingly keen on participating in this sport.
In the past, it was common to see women waiting at the finish lines of road races and marathons for their partners or boyfriends; now, it’s no longer rare to see husbands and boyfriends waiting for them instead.
Chen Huaheng, secretary-general of the Taiwan Road Running Association, pointed out, “In the past (in Taiwan), for 5 to 10-kilometer road races, female participants made up only about one-tenth of the total. Now, that number has quickly grown to around one-third. Moreover, the number of women who take up running as a regular form of exercise is growing even faster than that of men.”
For example, the last two editions of the NIKE Women’s Road Race sold out on the first day of registration. Yesterday’s Mizuno Road Race also saw an explosion of interest right when registration opened. Chen Huaheng said that if it weren’t for venue and road capacity limitations, the number of participants in women’s road races could be even higher.
In addition, over the coming period, The Color Run Taiwan will hold three consecutive road races in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. The organizers have already received applications from 203,000 runners vying for just 45,000 available spots, with an initial estimate showing that women make up about one-third of the total applicants.