His name is Chang, da-doo run run...
The “Chang Chia-che craze” started with the London Olympics in 2012. The marathon was the final event for any athlete on the Chinese Taipei team, with Chang the sole Taiwan runner. As the TV cameras followed Chang, he passed the water station belonging to the Chinese Taipei team, and viewers could see that it was deserted, with no one there to hand him a bottle of water. This caused an immediate uproar among sports fans, with many accusing the national team of abandoning Chang.
Commentators weighed in with this opinion and that, and many people vented their feelings at the national team’s overall disappointing performance by focusing on this single image. But Chang quickly went on Facebook and posted an explanation saying that the reason there was no one there to give him water was that not enough staff people were available, and anyway this had been his customary way of running for his whole career. He said that people needn’t feel sorry for him, and he had been very happy while doing his event. “There have long been many aspects of Taiwan sports that are in need of improvement,” he wrote, “but during this phase when we need to take it up a level, rather than bemoaning the past we should be continuing to push forward with our transition.”
Chang’s remarks, which were written in a touching and lighthearted vein, not only provided closure on this embarrassing episode, they also caused a lot of people to sit up and take notice of this little-known long-distance runner. After returning to Taiwan, everywhere he went people jokingly offered him bottles of water, and he was often asked to take commemorative photos with people who then proudly posted them online. Within a short time, Chang’s face—which looks pleasant and affable but also clearly belongs to a man who listens to the beat of his own drum—had become widely known.
Chang says that after running in obscurity for over a decade, he feels it is his duty to use the recognition that has finally come his way for good. He hopes to revive interest in track and field (also called “athletics”), which in the 1960s had briefly spiked in popularity in Taiwan with the success of decathlete Yang Chuan-kuang and hurdler Chi Cheng, two unheralded Aboriginal athletes who unexpectedly won Olympic medals for the ROC. Chang also wants to raise morale among track and field athletes themselves, and to refocus their attention less on Olympic gold and more on personal, meet, and national records.
Over the past decade or so, two distinct phenomena have characterized track and field events in Taiwan. The first is that no one goes to see them. Even if they are open to the public free of charge, attendance is sparse at best, and no broadcasters are interested in carrying them. The second is that long-distance runners compete against one another for prominence, with no one willing to take on the thankless task of pacesetter. Everyone saves their energy for the final sprint as the end of the race approaches. This is one major reason why the national record for the 10,000 meters has stood unbroken for so long.
Chang gets pleasure out of all kinds of running. This photo was taken after he participated in the race up the stairs of Taipei 101.