Taiwan's Tommy Chen finishes 2nd in 250km Greece ultramarathon

Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) Taiwanese ultramarathon runner Tommy Chen (陳彥博) placed second overall in the 250-kilometer RacingThePlanet: Greece 2025 race on Sunday (Taipei time), completing the seven-day event in a cumulative time of 24 hours, 10 minutes and 52 seconds.

The ultramarathon, held from Sept. 28 on the Peloponnesos Peninsula, covered six stages through rugged mountains, gorges, ancient ruins and coastal areas, testing runners' endurance and mental strength.

Chen battled Japan's Hiroyuki Matsuda throughout the event, overcoming cold-induced insomnia, muscle pain and blisters. "The pain and sleeplessness were real, but the real test was whether my willpower could overcome them," he told reporters after the race.

The 39-year-old described the fifth day's 76.5-km "long march" stage as the toughest, with heavy rain flooding narrow trails and forcing runners to wade through water for long stretches.

"What I feared most wasn't the pain," Chen recalled. "It was the risk of hypothermia if I stopped moving. So I kept telling myself to keep going." His persistence paid off as he won that stage in 7 hours and 32 minutes.

Chen credited months of training and encouragement from his running partners in Taiwan for his performance. "This race wasn't just about competing with others ... It was about proving I'm stronger than I thought," he said in a social media post.