Nature and outdoor recreational activities are becoming increasingly valued by Taiwan's citizens in the past few years, which have led to the organization of many marathon races; besides the use of standard roadways, some private organizations have also moved their races into the mountains. The Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters have received multiple applications for hosting cross-country races on steep, narrow footpaths or mountain trails in the Park. However, high-density travel resulting from racing activities would have a considerable impact on trail pavement and surrounding vegetations. Considering the high number of hikers and visitors during holidays, racers can create psychological stress for regular visitors or even cause collisions and accidents in addition to risking the safety of other visitors; rescue efforts will also be more difficult to conduct if accidents occur during a race. Competitive or racing activities are therefore strictly prohibited on all footpaths or mountain trails within the Park area. 

The Headquarters has recently received information regarding the "2016 Qixing Mountain Trail Running Challenge" to be hosted by Charming Sports Co., Ltd. on April 30. Several citizens have expressed disapproval of the racing event for fear of its impact on the Park's ecological environment and potential danger to other visitors. During the coordination meeting called by the Taipei City Government Department of Sports on December 31, 2015, the Headquarters has expressly stated that permission for racing events is granted exclusively to those hosted on vehicle lanes, while footpaths and mountain trails are open to non-competitive hiking activities only. However, Charming Sports has failed to revise its proposal or obtain permission from the Headquarters while accepting event registrations based on its original plans. To effectively prevent damage to Park ecology and risk the safety of Park visitors, any competition or racing event held on the Park's footpaths or mountain trails without the Headquarters' permission will be charged for each violation against the National Park Law and Regulations Governing the Activities Prohibited in the Domain of Yangmingshan National Park. We advise all companies to be forewarned! 

The protection of national park resources will require the efforts of everyone to ensure that precious resources remain sustainable for generations to come.