TAIPEI—Kevin Lin, Taiwan’s most accomplished marathoner, ran 7,300 km (4,536 mi) over 111 days to become the first Taiwanese to run across the Sahara Desert.
He arrived at the finishing line, a beach on the Red Sea in Egypt, on Feb. 20. Together with two teammates from North America and Canada, they all achieved the world record for crossing the Sahara Desert on foot for the first time.
Starting on Nov. 2, 2006, Kevin Lin, American contestant Charlie Engle, and Canadian contestant Ray Zahab ran across the Sahara Desert. They set out east from western Senegal, then went on to Mauritania, Marley, Nigeria, Libya and finally arriving in Egypt on Feb. 19. Their original plan was to cross six countries for a total of approximately 6,500 km (4,038 mi).
However, midway through the crossing, they encountered armed forces and found themselves straying dangerously close to minefields. To make matters worse, they were in danger of contracting a contagious disease such as malaria or dysentery. As a result, they were forced to detour their route, which resulted in an additional 900 km (560 mi) to the trip.
On Feb. 20 at 4:30 PM, they arrived at the Red Sea beach, They then soaked their hands in the sea, for them, an act symbolizing finally reaching the finishing line.
During the entire 111-day trip, the three marathoners spent a considerable portion of the day running—about twice the standard distance for a marathon, which is 42 km (26 mi). Lin wore out 11 pairs of running shoes by the end. Because his feet became swollen, he had to adjust from a size 7 to a size 8, then later a size 8.5.
Lin, Engle and Zahab have been on expeditions around the world as ultimate marathon athletes. They frequently face harsh environmental conditions. But never had they faced a challenge like crossing the Sahara Desert, which tested their physical and mental limits in a new way.
Hollywood Actor Matt Damon sponsored a production company named Live Planet to shoot the entire crossing. The film crew chosen for the trip was led by director James Moll, winner of an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
During the course of this hundred-day challenge, the camera crew operated around the clock. From 4:00AM in the morning when the runners woke up, until they went to bed late at night, the crew followed them everywhere and tried to capture every moment. The footage they came back with included everything from fights between the runners to laughter. Damon himself plans to record the narrative for the final cut of the documentary, named “Running the Sahara.”
The documentary will be published with Chinese, English and French subtitles. The premiere is scheduled for the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007. The documentary will compete for the Oscars in the coming year.
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