Sports

Running Around the Globe

• Byline:KELLY HER
• Publication Date:05/01/2011

Taiwanese athlete Tommy Chen nears the finish line to take third place in the 2010 North Pole Marathon, which was held in near blizzard conditions. (Courtesy of Tommy Chen)

Emerging star Tommy Chen is finding his feet in the world’s most extreme marathons.

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent on the planet. It has an average altitude of about 2,100 meters, with the South Pole situated at nearly 2,900 meters. Early tales of Antarctic exploration are filled with stories of how men battled to survive amid extreme weather, while the subzero temperatures, strong winds and brutal storms continue to be an enormous challenge for modern explorers.

Given these hardships, the sight in December 2010 of the national flags of five competitors at the finish line of the Antarctic 100K Ultra Race touched many people throughout the world. Among the flags fluttering not far from the South Pole was that of the Republic of China (ROC), which was there because of 24-year-old Tommy Chen. Chen finished second in the ultramarathon with a time of 15 hours, 15 minutes and 58 seconds and became the first Asian ever to have completed the grueling event.

Adding to Chen’s achievement is the fact that the Taiwanese runner jumped into the 100-kilometer race just 16 hours after completing a standard 42-kilometer marathon and on less than four hours of sleep. He also had to contend with a sprained left ankle and frostbite on his face and toes, in addition to extreme temperatures, which fell as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius.

 

Tommy Chen at the finish line of the Antarctic 100K Ultra Race in 2010. Chen finished second in the grueling race with a time of 15 hours, 15 minutes and 58 seconds. (Courtesy of Tommy Chen)

“Oftentimes, there was no one around in the expansive icy wilderness. I was running alone and close to being burnt out from a deep sense of physical exhaustion as well as solitude. It was the constant thought of my family, instructors, friends and all the people who’d helped me participate in the race that enabled me to overcome moments of weakness and keep moving,” Chen recalls of his Antarctic adventure. “In the last 200 meters, when I saw the finish line, I burst out crying. My tears did not turn to ice though because I kept crying the whole time. I was so delirious with joy to make it!”

Chen is widely perceived as the heir apparent to Taiwanese ultramarathon champion Kevin Lin, who together with teammates Charlie Engle of the United States and Ray Zahab of Canada, set a world record on February 21, 2007 for crossing the Sahara Desert on foot. The three athletes ran 7,500 kilometers in 111 days, in a United Nations-backed campaign to raise awareness of the burgeoning global water crisis, with a special focus on Africa.

A natural all-around athlete, Chen’s main sport was inline skating until he entered Taipei Municipal Cheng Yuan High School, where he met his first marathon coach and mentor Pan Ruei-ken, the same coach who trained fellow Cheng Yuan graduate Kevin Lin. Pan inspired Chen to take up running, and under his instruction, the young athlete gradually developed ability in the sport. He went on to win a national championship title in the 10,000-meter race in his senior year.

“Chen is a talented runner with good physical fitness, particularly in regard to his cardiopulmonary function. He can achieve a stellar performance as long as he is willing to put in the work,” says Pan, who has been a physical education teacher for 30 years. “In my teaching, I emphasize not only the cultivation of sports skills, but also discipline and a positive attitude toward life. I’m glad to see many of my students, including Lin and Chen, developing these qualities in the process of growing up.”

 

Tommy Chen, right, and a fellow competitor cheer after they cross the finish line of the 2009 Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race in India. (Courtesy of Tommy Chen)

Chen credits Pan’s training, as well as Kevin Lin’s many feats in international ultramarathons, as motivating him to pursue long-distance running. As part of that pursuit, in 2005 he entered an undergraduate program in the Department of Sports Training Science-Athletics at National Taiwan Sport University (NTSU) in Taoyuan County, northern Taiwan. He is currently a graduate student at NTSU’s Institute of Coaching Sciences.

Up at Dawn

In recognition of his potential as a runner, NTSU coach Chang Yong-zheng has formulated an intensive training program for Chen. The program sees the young athlete start his daily exercises at 5:30 a.m. and includes running mountain trails, cycling and weight training until late in the afternoon from Monday to Saturday. He has also joined a local running club to increase his knowledge of and experience in the sport.

In 2005, Chen attended his first marathon overseas at an event held in Fukuoka, Japan, where he won the championship title. He went to Japan again in 2006 to take part in a relay race held at Lake Biwa, which is located northeast of Kyoto, and took first place there as well. Chen says the results encouraged him to stay focused on running.

During his junior year at NTSU, Chen happened to learn of a project sponsored by Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., a local online game provider, to select a participant for the 2008 Polar Challenge, a competitive 650 kilometer race across the Arctic to the geographic North Pole. The project, dubbed Through Polar Lights, began with a call for athletes interested in joining the race and Chen was among the 20 hopefuls selected to take part in preliminary fitness tests and an interview. Following the trials, he was one of the three athletes chosen to compete in the 2007 Rock and Ice Ultra, a competition organized by the Northern Canadian Adventure Racing Team, for firsthand experience racing under extreme conditions. The team, which was headed by Albert Liu, chief executive officer (CEO) of Gamania and also included Kevin Lin, headed for Canada, where Chen won first place in the 5 kilometer race at the event. As a result, Chen was invited to take the third spot in the Polar Challenge team along with Liu and Lin.

 

From left, Tommy Chen, Albert Liu, and Kevin Lin summit a mountain peak as part of their training in Taiwan. The trio took third place in the 2008 Polar Challenge. (Courtesy of Tommy Chen)

The annual Polar Challenge takes place in one of the world’s most hostile environments, where temperatures can drop as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius. Competitors, in teams of three, race on skis, pull their supplies in sleds and stop en route at three manned checkpoints to resupply. They need to endure the tests of severe cold and storms, as well as be alert to possible attacks by polar bears.

To prepare for the tough race, Liu, Lin and Chen traveled to Oslo, Norway and Ottawa, Canada, where they took part in training programs including skiing, canoeing, cold resistance and survival on the ice, as well as cultivating team spirit.

Still, the race proved to be a punishing event that pushed Chen to his limits. “After running for eight hours, I started to suffer hypothermia ... I felt so cold, thirsty, hungry and exhausted. The thought that I might die filled me with great fear. Just when I felt faint, I heard familiar voices from the front—‘Go for it, Tommy! We’re almost there!’ It was brothers Liu and Lin calling out,” Chen reminisces. “Liu asked me if I wanted to finish the race. He said if I did, it would depend on how much passion I had. I kept his words in mind, and just kept telling myself to hang on for another day.”

The Taiwanese team took third place, completing the race in 15 days, 10 hours and 25 minutes. “When we crossed the finish line, there was no audience; no applause. But I experienced an unprecedented sense of achievement. What I’d conquered was my own fear and doubt in myself,” Chen says.

Intensely Alive

The young athlete says that the first time he truly understood the magnificence of Mother Nature was at the North Pole, especially the times when he was surrounded by nothing but ice and snow. “While running in the deep snow and in strong winds, I felt my every movement was resonating with the pulse and rhythm of nature and I had a fuller, more intense feeling of being alive from moment to moment,” Chen says. “I’m inspired to learn from nature with humility, as well as appreciate its sublime beauty.”

Following the 2008 run, Chen felt an urge to explore the world and interact with people of different cultures, which led him to seek out other extreme marathons. He also decided it was time for him to be more independent in facing and resolving problems on his own. As a result, he started working many odd jobs to save money, studied English and searched the Internet for marathon race information.

 

Tommy Chen, center, poses with his parents. “I still can’t help but worry about him whenever he’s competing,” his mother says. (Courtesy of Tommy Chen)

The first difficulty that he encountered was the steep registration fees required for extreme marathon events. Such events routinely involve an extensive support network of staff and equipment in some of the world’s most remote and inhospitable areas, and can include airlifting runners into or out of a race, for example, or in the case of the Polar Challenge, a week-long training camp. The costs to participants therefore usually run in the thousands, and sometimes in the tens of thousands, of US dollars. Chen’s solution was to seek corporate sponsorship, so he put together an information package about international marathons and his goals and motivations and started knocking on doors.

“I screwed up my courage and picked up the phone, calling companies, one after another, introducing myself and my goals. I made so many phone calls and sent out emails and letters but was either hung up on, rejected or got no reply. Those failed attempts caused me a lot of frustration,” Chen says. “Still, the dream that I held pushed me to keep trying. Later on, I received responses from a few companies and was asked to visit them to give a briefing. An opportunity finally came along!”

The first company that offered sponsorship to Chen was L’OCCITANE Taiwan, a global cosmetics and skincare products manufacturer. With funding of NT$300,000 (US$9,100) from the France-based company, Chen signed up for the 2009 Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race in India.

The competition involves five days of back-to-back running between altitudes of 2,000 meters and 3,700 meters on rough tracks with steep uphills and downhills. Overcoming severe headaches and nausea induced by the high altitude, as well as leg cramps and finger numbness caused by the subzero temperatures, Chen finished the race in 18 hours and 8 minutes, which was good for fourth place.

“We’re touched by Chen’s courage and determination, and admire what he wants to accomplish—keeping vital records of the environmental changes that he sees on his marathon expeditions and bringing public attention to how the changes will affect humans and other creatures on Earth. His emphasis on environmental protection matches our brand spirit,” says Rachal Chang, public relations manager of L’OCCITANE Taiwan. “Also, we hope Chen can share his experiences in schools with young Taiwanese people. We believe that he is a good role model and positive influence.”

L’OCCITANE Taiwan continued to finance Chen by providing NT$500,000 (US$15,800) to pay for his entry in the 2010 North Pole Marathon, dubbed “the world’s coolest marathon,” in April that year. The 2010 event was held in near-blizzard conditions, but despite the challenges, Chen took third place. The company put up another NT$500,000 for the 2010 Antarctic Ice Marathon. In addition, the cosmetics maker also provides Chen with skincare products to combat the cold weather. Moreover, L’OCCITANE recommended Chen to the local publishing house that in December 2010 published the runner’s autobiography, which is entitled Courage at -40 C.

 

Tommy Chen, left, and his first marathon coach and mentor Pan Ruei-ken (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

Camperland International, the exclusive Taiwan agent of The North Face, Inc., an American supplier of outdoor apparel and equipment, is another of Chen’s sponsors. Camperland has provided Chen with high-performance outerwear and equipment including backpacks, tents and sleeping bags during his North Pole and South Pole marathons, as well as subsidies for accommodation and transportation.

“Our company has long sponsored professional athletes from the worlds of running, climbing, skiing and snowboarding. We want to promote the ideal of ‘never stop exploring,’” says Nine Chen, vice president of Camperland. “While most young men tend to spend their leisure time in cyberspace, we admire Tommy Chen’s enthusiasm to explore nature’s wonders in the spirit of adventure, fortitude and readiness. We’re sure that his example will encourage more people to go outdoors and embrace nature.”

In addition, the vice president says Camperland supports Chen’s focus on environmental protection, adding that, by carrying the ROC flag with him wherever he runs, the young athlete’s achievements in international races have helped increase Taiwan’s visibility in the international community.

Perseverance, Skill

Eric Chen, CEO of Ga-
mania Cheer Up Foundation, a charitable organization set up by Gamania Digital Entertainment, says he is most impressed by Tommy Chen’s perseverance. The CEO says that as an international ultramarathoner, Tommy Chen not only requires good physical strength, but also wilderness survival skills and competency in a foreign language along with the ability to make contact with overseas organizations and carry out fundraising.

“Like many other young men, Chen has passion, confusion, excitement, frustration and fear toward the things that he dreams of and wants to do. Nevertheless, he never gives up,” the CEO says. “He simply keeps trying until he reaches them.”

Eric Chen says his foundation was established with the aim of encouraging youths to pursue their dreams by accepting challenges. “We appreciate his incredible willpower and down-to-earth character, so our foundation invited him to be our spokesman and we’ve provided financing for him to attend ultramarathons in 2010 and 2011,” the CEO says. “Tommy Chen certainly can be acclaimed as one of Taiwan’s finest. If one believes in himself and strives to do his best, he stands a good chance of realizing his dream—that’s the inspiration that I find in Chen.”

A Daring Spirit

Li Wan-ni, the ultramarathoner’s mother, says Tommy, the youngest of her three sons, was a timid child who was afraid of coldness, darkness and loneliness. He was even scared to sleep alone if he watched a horror film, she recalls. “Over the years, he has grown strong both mentally and physically and developed a daring spirit,” she says. “And he does things with patience, good planning and in a step by step way. I feel comforted by the way he’s transformed and grown.”

 

Tommy Chen and fellow competitors in the 2010 North Pole Marathon. Chen, center, enjoys meeting people from different cultures as well as exploring the world by participating in international races. (Courtesy of Tommy Chen)

Still, Li says initially, she strongly opposed her son’s venture into the dangerous world of extreme marathons. Besides constantly trying to dissuade the young man from such events, she refused to give him any financial support, thinking that might be a way to force him to give up his ideas of adventure. Chen went ahead with his planning, however, and eventually gained corporate sponsorship. “Like most parents, I hoped that my son would finish higher education, find a good job and lead a stable life. But later on, I came to realize that he has his own thoughts and dreams, and I have to let him go,” she adds. “Although I now support him in whatever he chooses to do, I still can’t help but worry about him whenever he’s competing.”

As for Tommy Chen, the athlete remains an inspiration to people everywhere who are committed to fulfilling a dream. He is eager to continue traversing less-traveled lands, saying that when he runs he feels his own existence more keenly, while wilderness events also allow him to appreciate the beauty of nature. Sometime in the next five years, he also hopes to join the ranks of the Marathon Grand Slam Club, so named for members having taken part in eight major marathons across seven continents. To date, the elite group of athletes counts just some 60 members. “So far, I’ve only completed races in three places: Asia, the North Pole and the South Pole,” Tommy Chen says.

The environment is also prominent among the athlete’s concerns. “These three areas are suffering the consequences of environmental and wildlife damage done by mankind. The rise of tourism has produced 550,000 tons of garbage a year in the Himalayas, where deforestation is also a serious problem. At the North Pole, permafrost is melting fast due to global warming and at the South Pole, seals are being slaughtered as a source of omega-3 products,” Chen says. “On the rest of my journeys, besides realizing my own dreams, what will I witness? What can I do for the Earth? I keep thinking about those questions.”

Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw