2025.1.1 ~ 2025.12.31 Race-cation Reflections
[My biggest achievements in 2025 were completing the Polar Circle Marathon + 12 trips abroad across 14 countries for 15 international marathons + completing my 200th marathon + my wife completing half marathons on all seven continents + completing a 19-day, 1,046 km run around Taiwan + summiting Mt. Jade + summiting Mt. Fuji]
[2026 Bucket List: Complete the world's highest marathon @ Everest Marathon in Nepal + Summit Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia + Petra Desert Marathon in Jordan + Niagara Falls and autumn foliage viewing in Canada]
2025 Race-cation Results: (2025.12.31) 1. A record-breaking 12 overseas trips (116 days abroad). 2. Ran 15 overseas marathons (Cebu Marathon in the Philippines, Nantong Marathon in China, Vienna Marathon in Austria, Paris Marathon in France, Ottawa Marathon in Canada, Guiyang Marathon in China, Pattaya Marathon in Thailand, Angkor Wat Marathon in Cambodia, Sydney Marathon in Australia, Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland, Porto Marathon in Portugal, Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, Penang Marathon in Malaysia, Chiang Mai Marathon in Thailand, and Huangpu Marathon in China) + brought cumulative total to 49 overseas marathons + cumulative totals of 41 overseas trips across 37 countries or territories, with total overseas travel of 116 days also setting an all-time high.
3. Completed 45 marathons this year (an all-time high) + reached a cumulative total of 216 marathons (196 recorded on the Marathon Census). 4. First-time countries or territories visited for marathon racing (8 countries/territories in total): the Philippines, Austria, France, Canada, Greenland, Portugal, Singapore, and Malaysia.
5. Completed the grueling 19-day round-Taiwan run (1,046 km) during the Lunar New Year holiday (1/24–2/11), averaging an ultramarathon distance of 55 km per day, with 21 out of 69 runners not finishing.
6. In May, we took part in Canada's Ottawa Marathon: I completed my 200th marathon, while my wife achieved her Seven Continents Half Marathon milestone. This was also our family of four's fourth overseas marathon together—having run the Angkor Wat Marathon, Gold Coast Marathon, Thailand's Chiang Rai Marathon, and now the Ottawa Marathon. Photos of finishing races together as a family bring the greatest joy. After the race, we explored the Canadian Rockies from our bucket list (Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefield, and one of the world's most beautiful alpine highways @ Canada's Highway 93). The magnificent mountain landscapes and glacial lakes left us with unforgettable memories.
7. Climbed Mt. Fuji in July (my first overseas climb) + reached Japan's highest peak @ Kengamine (3,776m). 8. Completed the Sydney Marathon in August, checked off a Seven-Star race, and earned the Seven-Star arm sleeves.
9. In October, summited Yushan Main Peak at 3,952 m (single-day ascent) on October 14, 2025, finally completing the "three bucket-list feats every Taiwanese must do": climbing Yushan, cycling around Taiwan (completed September 20, 2015), and swimming across Sun Moon Lake (completed April 2–10, 2022, 9 days and 8 nights).
10. In late October, I completed the most exciting race of the year: the Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland, finishing the ice marathon + snow marathon + iceberg marathon. The most beautiful moment was running across the half marathon finish line hand-in-hand with my wife—pure white snow set against royal blue parkas, just like a breathtaking scene out of *Winter Sonata*. It was my first time running in crampons, my first time finishing a full marathon in a heavy parka, visiting the iceberg capital of Ilulissat, seeing the aurora and the Icefjord for the first time, and braving temperatures as low as -19°C. After that, I ran Portugal's Porto Marathon + explored the six bridges and colorful houses of the World Heritage city of Porto + took a Douro Valley boat cruise and Port wine tasting tour, and finally flew to the capital of the Northern Lights (Tromsø, Norway) + rode the northernmost cable car (a pricey 1,800 TWD round-trip!) and visited the Arctic Cathedral + saw the aurora for the second time + traveled to Norway's second-largest island, Senja, to admire the unique Arctic fjord scenery (Devil's Teeth + the Golden Toilet).
11. In December, I completed my first "four-in-a-row" marathon streak abroad (Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon, Malaysia Penang Marathon, Thailand Chiang Mai Marathon, and China Huangpu Marathon) along with a five-city journey, setting a personal record for the longest overseas trip (26 days and 25 nights). It left me with wonderful memories of Singapore's Gardens by the Bay (Supertree Grove); Kuala Lumpur's three iconic towers (Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower, and Merdeka 118, the world's second-tallest building) and the UNESCO World Heritage City of Malacca; Penang's Peranakan culture and the George Town World Heritage Site; Chiang Mai's bustling international crowd and its variety of nature exploration tours; and Guangzhou's Canton Tower (the 600-meter "Slim Waist") along with its incredible local cuisine.
12. The two best races I ran this year: the Porto Marathon in Portugal in November, finishing in 3:48:58 (BQ-16), which guarantees my spot for the Boston Marathon the year after next, marked my second sub-4 of the year, and was my annual PB; and the Chiang Mai Marathon in Thailand in December, finishing in 3:52:19 (BQ-12), another Boston qualifier and my third sub-4 of the year.
13. This year, I ran the Cebu Marathon in the Philippines, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, and the Penang Marathon in Malaysia, bringing my ASEAN collection to seven countries (out of ten total), leaving only three to go: Indonesia, Myanmar, and Brunei. 14. This year, I ran the Alishan Marathon, Lishan Marathon, and Hehuanshan Marathon, completing my collection of Taiwan's Four Great Alpine Marathons.
15. Completed 15 Minor Hundred Peaks, bringing the total to 35; completed 1 Hundred Peak (Baiyue), bringing the total to 5. 16. In early October, a family group of 8 took a 3-day, 2-night trip to Kinmen to celebrate my younger brother's 60th birthday. 17. Ran a full marathon every single month for nine consecutive years (Jan 2017 – Dec 2025). 18. Ran a full marathon for 113 consecutive months (Aug 2016 – Dec 2025).
Looking ahead to 2026, I hope to continue improving my physical health, run more international marathons (prioritizing countries I haven't visited yet), and travel abroad 6 to 8 times—working toward my goal of 50 overseas marathons across 40 countries. My tentative schedule includes: running a European double in March 2026 (Barcelona Marathon in Spain + Rome Marathon, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World); climbing Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia in April (completing the "1. Kinabalu, 2. Yushan, 3. Fuji" puzzle); running the Everest Marathon in Nepal at 5,364 meters in May; doing a back-to-back marathon weekend in August at the Bali Marathon in Indonesia (my 8th ASEAN country); a three-race series in September featuring the Petra Desert Marathon in Jordan (the second of the New 7 Wonders of the World); and a three-race series in Canada around the Niagara Falls Marathon in November paired with autumn foliage viewing. Beyond that, I plan to hike more (adding more Baiyue [Hundred Peaks] and Xiao Baiyue to my list) and connect with nature, complete 20 to 24 full marathons over the year, run at least one full marathon every month, break sub-4 at least once, complete at least one 100K ultra, explore different sports, keep progressing through the "319 Townships" fitness challenge, step up my core and strength training, and enjoy more long stays in different places. Time waits for no one—chase your dreams sooner rather than later.
Summary of 45 marathons completed in 2025 (Marathons #172 to #216): (172) Jan 12, 2025 (Sun) Cebu Marathon, Philippines, finished in 4:27:01, 36th overseas marathon, added <Philippines> + 5th ASEAN country. (173) Jan 24, 2025 (Fri) Round-the-Island Run Day 1: Wanhua, Taipei → Jinshan, New Taipei (60 km), ran 8:24:49. (174) Jan 25, 2025 (Sat) Round-the-Island Run Day 2: Jinshan, New Taipei → Fulong, New Taipei (56 km), ran 7:48:42.
(175) Jan 26, 2025 <Sun> Round-the-Island Run Day 3: Fulong, New Taipei → Luodong, Yilan (60 km), ran 8:04:20. (176) Jan 27, 2025 <Mon> Round-the-Island Run Day 4: Luodong, Yilan → Nan'ao, Yilan (42.5 km), ran 7:33:02. (177) Jan 28, 2025 <Tue> Round-the-Island Run Day 5: Nan'ao, Yilan → Xincheng, Hualien (52.5 km), ran 7:35:12. (178) Jan 29, 2025 <Wed> Round-the-Island Run Day 6: Xincheng, Hualien → Fenglin, Hualien (51 km), ran 8:25:15. (179) Jan 30, 2025 <Thu> Round-the-Island Run Day 7: Fenglin, Hualien → Yuli, Hualien (55 km), ran 6:50:45.
(180) Jan 31, 2025 (Fri) Round-the-Island Run Day 8: Yuli, Hualien → Luye, Taitung (60.5 km), time: 9:29:27. (181) Feb 1, 2025 (Sat) Round-the-Island Run Day 9: Luye, Taitung → Jinlun, Taitung (54 km), time: 7:28:21. (182) Feb 2, 2025 (Sun) Round-the-Island Run Day 10: Jinlun, Taitung → Fenggang, Pingtung (62.5 km), time: 8:14:42. (183) Feb 3, 2025 (Mon) Round-the-Island Run Day 11: Fenggang, Pingtung → Donggang, Pingtung (42.5 km), time: 6:47:20. (184) Feb 4, 2025 (Tue) Round-the-Island Run Day 12: Donggang, Pingtung → Neimen, Kaohsiung (59 km), time: 10:04:02.
(185) 2025.2.5 (Wed) Around-the-Island Run Day 13: Neimen, Kaohsiung → Dapu, Chiayi (64.5 km), running time 9:38:57. (186) 2025.2.6 (Thu) Around-the-Island Run Day 14: Dapu, Chiayi → Fanlu, Chiayi (54 km), running time 10:46:49. (187) 2025.2.7 (Fri) Around-the-Island Run Day 15: Fanlu, Chiayi → Tianzhong, Changhua (56 km), running time 11:02:01. (188) 2025.2.8 (Sat) Around-the-Island Run Day 16: Tianzhong, Changhua → Fengyuan, Taichung (58.5 km), running time 11:23:53. (189) 2025.2.9 (Sun) Around-the-Island Run Day 17: Fengyuan, Taichung → Toufen, Miaoli (57.5 km), running time 9:38:01.
(190) 2025.2.10 (Mon) Around-the-Island Run Day 18: Toufen, Miaoli → Longtan, Taoyuan (49 km), run time 7:19:40. (191) 2025.2.11 (Tue) Around-the-Island Run Day 19: Longtan, Taoyuan → Wanhua, Taipei (51 km), run time 7:04:49. (192) 2025.2.22 (Sat) Taipei Ultramarathon (100K Division), only ran 44.732 km (= 248m + 66 laps * 674m = 44,732m), run time 6:11:35. (193) 2025.3.15 (Sat) Dali Marathon (Organized by Shin-En), run time 4:58:44. (194) 2025.3.23 (Sun) Nantong Marathon, China, run time 4:05:06, set personal biggest negative split (7 min 18 sec) with 1st half marathon in 2:06:12 + 2nd half marathon in 1:58:54; 36th overseas marathon, 4th marathon in China.
(195) 2025.4.6 (Sun) Vienna Marathon, finished in 4:04:08, set my coldest 'feels-like' temperature record (-6°C), 37th overseas marathon, added a new country: Austria. (196) 2025.4.13 (Sun) Paris Marathon, finished in 4:02:53, 38th overseas marathon, added a new country: France. (197) 2025.4.27 (Sun) Alishan Cloud Marathon, finished in 4:46:03. (198) 2025.5.4 (Sun) Changbin Double Wave Marathon, finished in 4:17:21. (199) 2025.5.17 (Sat) Changhua Four-Faced Buddha Marathon (organized by Xin'en, 43.2K), finished in 4:41:58.
(200) May 25, 2025 (Sun) Ottawa Marathon, finished in 4:02:40, average pace 5:45/km, 39th overseas marathon + added Canada to my country count. I completed my 200th marathon, Mei-Kuei completed the Seven Continents Half Marathon, and our family of four took our fourth overseas medal group photo. (201) June 15, 2025 (Sun) Guiyang Marathon in China, finished in 4:26:20, 40th overseas marathon, 5th marathon in China. (202) July 6, 2025 (Sun) Xin-En Shigang Marathon (43K), finished in 4:31:37. (203) July 20, 2025 (Sun) Pattaya Marathon in Thailand, finished in 4:19:06, 41st overseas marathon, 3rd marathon in Thailand. (204) August 3, 2025 (Sun) Angkor Wat Marathon (self-supported marathon), finished in 4:55:17, ran the Angkor Wat Marathon for the second time, 42nd overseas marathon.
(205) 2025.8.17 (Sun) Lishan Marathon, finished in 5:08:12. (206) 2025.8.31 (Sun) Sydney Marathon, finished in 3:58:43 (fastest among my Major marathons), average pace 5'39"/km, Abbott World Marathon Majors, 43rd overseas marathon. (207) 2025.9.5 (Fri) Hehuanshan Marathon, finished in 6:23:20, completed Taiwan's Four Major Alpine Marathons (Taipingshan Marathon + Alishan Marathon + Lishan Marathon + Hehuanshan Marathon), the highest-altitude marathon in Asia. (208) 2025.9.21 (Sun) Shimen Reservoir Marathon, finished in 4:32:51. (209) 2025.10.10 (Fri) Kaiguang Cup 50K, finished in 6:11:24, took 1st place in the M60 age group.
(210) 2025.10.25 (Sat) Polar Circle Marathon, Greenland; finished in 6h 10m 59s, won 1st place in the M60 age group; 44th overseas marathon, added the <Greenland> territory. (211) 2025.11.2 (Sun) Porto Marathon, Portugal; finished in 3:48:58, sub-4 for the second time this year, achieving BQ-16 (compared to the Boston Marathon qualifying time of 4 hours 5 minutes for age 65-69); 45th overseas marathon, added <Portugal> to the country list. (212) 2025.11.23 (Sun) Daxi Bald Cypress Marathon; finished in 4:26:30. (213) 2025.12.7 (Sun) Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon; finished in 4:15:11, checked off the equatorial marathon goal; 46th overseas marathon, added <Singapore> to the country list + 6th ASEAN country. (214) 2025.12.14 (Sun) Penang Bridge International Marathon, Malaysia; finished in 4:38:43; 47th overseas marathon, added <Malaysia> to the country list + 7th ASEAN country; the longest bridge marathon in Southeast Asia.
(215) Dec 21, 2025 (Sun) Chiang Mai Marathon, Thailand. Finished in 3:52:19, my third sub-4 this year, achieving BQ-12 (relative to the Boston Marathon qualifying standard of 4 hours 5 minutes for age group 65–69). My 48th overseas marathon, and 4th in Thailand. (216) Dec 28, 2025 (Sun) Huangpu Marathon, China. Finished in 4:06:04. My 49th overseas marathon, my first time doing four consecutive overseas marathons in four weeks, and my 6th marathon in China.
