Japanese runners once again dominated at an annual 24-hour marathon in Taipei, winning both the men's and women's titles on Sunday.
Last year's winner, Yoshikazu Hara, defended his title in the men's division of the Soochow International Ultra-Marathon 24 Hours Race by covering 285.366 kilometers.
In the women’s division, the unbeatable Mami Kudo picked up her sixth consecutive win by covering a distance of 222.431 km on Soochow University's 400-meter track. She was seventh overall and the only woman in the top 10.
Other strong finishes included Ivan Cudin from Italy (255.499 km), Florian Reus from Germany (253.899 km) and Ryoichi Sekiya from Japan (241.099 km), all in the men's category.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese competitor with the best record was Lee Fang-chi, who ranked 8th overall, running a total of 221.743 km.
A total of 42 runners including world and regional record holders from ten countries competed in the grueling event, which started 9am Saturday, and finished at 9am on Sunday.
The competition, first held in 1999 and certified by the International Association of Ultrarunners, is the oldest ultra-marathon race in Taiwan.