Sponsored by the village of Urugimura, Nagano , marathoner Takayoshi Shigemi won the April 13-15 Run Across Taiwan Ultramarathon . Covering a 246-km course almost the length of six back-to-back full marathons across the center of Taiwan, the one-way course started at sea level and reached a peak of 3275 m before dropping back to sea level. Shigemi's winning time of 30:01:45 took two hours off the course record. A native of Okazaki, Aichi, Shigemi came to Urugimura six years ago after accepting an offer to become an ambassador for promoting the area . He currently works in the village office while training at specified times. Every day that he goes out to face the mountains is a day on which he feels fulfilled. In winter the roads are so covered with snow that it becomes a difficult environment in which to train. Even so, he adapts his training to suit the demands of the terrain. Shigemi's victory in the mountainous Taiwan race was a product of his everyday training, whic...
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