Taiwanese runner Kevin Lin finishes Silk Road run from Turkey to China

Updated: 20 Sep 2011
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Lin said his next move will be to return to Taiwan, where he will promote cancer prevention for women. (Photo/China Times)
 
Taiwanese ultramarathon runner Kevin Lin and his team on Saturday finished an extraordinary 10,000km run following the ancient Silk Road across six countries from Turkey to China. Lin, who ran the Sahara Desert in 2007, has now become the first person to cross the two driest areas on the planet.
 
Lin and his running mate Bai Bin, an experienced Chinese runner, have been running under the project "Running for the Silk Road" he cofounded with his team to raise people's awareness of the environment and the importance of water resources. They followed the ancient path that Chinese imperial envoy Zhang Qian took to explore intercontinental trade in the 2nd century BCE and ran through six countries including Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.
 
Their journey has been rough and perilous. Lin, Bai and two other runners started the challenge on April 20 in Istanbul and ran through Turkey under the protection of armed local policemen due to clashes between the government and Kurdish separatists. Despite the protection, the team had many brushes with danger, including being stopped by an armed vehicle and stalked by an unknown organization. 
 
In Iran, the team feared the project might have to be abandoned when Lin was hospitalized for delirium and shortness of breath on June 6 and other members of the team gradually fell ill as well. Fortunately, the team resume running after a few hours of rest. An Iranian driver was accused of adding the notorious "date rape" drug Rohypnol to the team's drinking water as revenge for being fired, but the organizer Home Expedition later clarified that the cause of the illness was food poisoning.
 
The team continued their epic run and weathered torrential rain, heat reaching 50 degrees Celsius, hailstorms, gales and rough terrain at high elevations. However, the harshness of the journey convinced them further that their aims for the trip were worthwhile. In Turkmenistan, Lin and Bai encountered two young girls carrying buckets to search for water and saw local residents dependent on sources of muddy water to live. In Uzbekistan, they found local schools did not have tap water. The experiences strengthened their determination to complete their journey and raise awareness about water resources.
 
The terrain natural took its toll on the team's bodies. Lin said the pain in his ankles and knees was as if they were being drilled by screwdrivers, but every time they entered a village they could forget the pain after being welcomed by the smiles of local residents. The team ran around 70 kilometers a day to finish the journey in 150 days because of a tight budget.
 
The team finally arrived at the destination Xi'an around noon on Sept. 17 after circling the 13.7km ancient wall around the city and ended their five-month journey. Lin and Bai were the only two runners to reach the finishing line, fellow runner Chen Jun and Jodi Bloomer having dropped out. The two said they deeply appreciated the support and encouragement the team gave them during the journey.
 
Lin told reporters he is a person of very small power. The journey could not have been completed without the help and sponsorships of the Home Expedition, which helped his team through many perils along the way.
 
Lin and his team have not yet returned to Taiwan but the runner has already planned his next move, to promote cancer prevention for women in Taiwan next year. He said he will plan details after returning to Taiwan with his team on Sept. 18.
 
 
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