I'm so excited, yet quite nervous. On one hand, I keep organizing my luggage, fearing I might forget something. On the other hand, I keep reminding myself to rest, knowing I need a good night's sleep.

Recalling the training of the past half-year, although it was exhausting, my heart is now filled with gratitude.

Atacama, here I come!

我好興奮，也很緊張。

一方面不斷整理行李，深怕漏帶某些東西；另一方面又不斷告訴自己該休息了，因為需要有充足睡眠。

回憶著這半年多來的訓練，雖然很累，但是如今心中滿是感謝。

Atacama，我來了！

Running, in a way, is a form of acceptance. It's the recognition that I'm just a tiny individual, slowly moving through vast space.

In a race, the distance is predetermined. There are no shortcuts, and giving up won't bring it to an end any sooner. So, individuals must accept that they are essentially bodies, material bodies. They have to acknowledge that they can only progress little by little, accumulating tiny distances through repeated exhaustion and pain until they reach the finish line.

But in this exhaustion and pain, what can one truly gain? Some might say a sense of achievement; others might say the ability to surpass their limits. However, from my point of view, running isn't about gaining anything or striving for something; running itself is the purpose.

Running is a form of reverence and humility: respect for nature, respect for the track, and respect for one's own body. We measure this earth with our own bodies, push ourselves through pain to unimaginable distances, only to discover that there are even farther places to go.

That’s the meaning of running for me.

The first attempt at an ultramarathon - the Taipei-Yilan Pathway Ultramarathon.

跑步說起來也算是一種認命。

認識到自己不過是一個渺小的個體，在偌大的空間中緩慢移動著。

在比賽當中，距離就是固定的。沒有一蹴可幾的辦法，放棄也不會讓它提早結束，因此跑者只能接受自己是個軀體，一個物質的軀體；只能接受自己每次僅能前進一點點，在反覆的疲憊與痛苦中累積出來的數個微小距離持續前進，直到抵達終點。

而在這種疲憊與痛苦中，究竟能夠得到什麼？

或許有些人會說成就感、有些人會說能夠超越自己的極限。但我想更多時候，跑步無法得到什麼、也不是為了得到什麼，跑步本身就是目的。

跑步本身就是一種敬畏與謙卑：對著自然、對著賽道、對著自己的身體。我們親自用身體丈量這個大地、在疼痛中將自己帶向無法想像的遙遠的地方，然後才發現，還有更遠的地方。

對我而言，這就是跑步的意義。

My partner Bo-Cheng and I joined the Taiwanese team initiated by Kevin Lin to participate in Atacama Crossing 2023.

On the evening when I was hesitating whether to participate, I had just finished fieldwork and was on the train back to Taipei. Bo-Cheng called me and asked, "Do you want to join?"

"How is that even possible! It's way too ridiculous!" I originally intended to reply to my old friend like this, but the words were held back before they were spoken.

I realized that even though it seemed impossible, there was a faint desire deep inside me to participate.

I am currently studying in graduate school, writing a thesis, without a stable income, and still searching for a job... Countless practical circumstances seem to be advising me to give up this idea.

But I agreed, feeling uneasy.

Then, suddenly, I felt like I had made an important decision in my life—important enough to potentially change my life. I know that this competition will bring me not just an "experience," but a "transformation."

What kind of transformation will it be?

Perhaps I'll have to ask the me after October.

I hope that by then, I can say to the me who made a significant decision on that train: "Hey, you did well."

My partner,  Bo-Cheng, and I. Together we have been through a lot of challenges.

我和夥伴博丞加入由林義傑發起的臺灣隊，參加這次比賽。

在猶豫不定是否參與的那個晚上我正剛結束田野工作，在返回臺北的火車上。博丞打電話來問我：「你想參加嗎？」

「怎麼可能！太跨張了啦！」我原想這麼回覆我的老朋友，但話還沒說出，卻又吞回去了。

我發現，雖然覺得好像不可能做到，但在心底卻有那麼一絲絲參加的渴望。

我正在讀研究所、寫論文、還沒有穩定的收入、還在找工作…無數的現實情況似乎都在勸我放棄這個念頭。

但是我答應了，忐忑不安地。

然後我突然覺得自己好像做了一個在人生當中很重要的決定──重要到可能會改變我的一生。我知道這場比賽將帶給我的不僅僅是「體驗」，而是「轉變」。

只是會有什麼轉變呢？

恐怕要問10月以後的我了。

希望到那時，我能跟在那列火車上做出重大決定的我說：「嘿，你做得很好。」

When everyone around me heard that I was going to participate in this competition, they either expressed concern for me or advised me to think twice. It's not surprising, as I don't come across as someone who would engage in extreme sports.

I enjoy traveling, hiking, walking, and reading; however, perhaps I don't particularly enjoy running? So why do I want to join this competition? It's because I want to set foot in a desert that I would probably never have the chance to visit otherwise. I want to test how far I can go.

And then, I want to see the stars.

Yes, the starry sky. It prompted me to fly across half the globe to Chile, almost the antipode of Taiwan.

Maybe this is somewhat romantic and audacious, but I am eagerly looking forward to everything that will happen in that vast desert.

Best wishes.

Sunrise at Chai Lo Lake - an alpine lake in Yilan, Taiwan.

當我身邊的所有人聽到我要來參加這場比賽的時候，如果不是為我感到擔心，就是勸我再多考慮一下。這也難怪，因為我感覺起來就不像是會參加這種極限運動的人。

我喜歡旅行、喜歡爬山、喜歡散步、喜歡讀書，但或許沒有特別喜歡跑步吧？但是為何會想要參加這次的比賽，是因為想要踏足這輩子幾乎不可能造訪的沙漠，想要試試看自己究竟能夠走到多遠。

然後，我想要看星星。

對，就是星空，促使我飛越半個地球，來到幾乎是臺灣的對蹠點的智利。

或許這是某種程度上的過於浪漫和不自量力，但是我很期待在那片褒廣的沙漠中所發生的一切。

祝好。