Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) The 2019 Kinmen Marathon weekend that culminates in half- and full marathons Sunday will have a military theme, with army vehicles leading the runners and bringing up the rear, according to the Kinmen County government.

The annual event, set to attract more than 8,000 runners from 19 countries this year, will open with a 5-kilometer run on Saturday and conclude with an 11.2K run and half- and full marathons on Sunday, the country government said.

Samuel Mungara Kamiti of Kenya, the 2018 men's marathon champion, and Chen Ping-feng (陳秉豐) of Taiwan, the 2018 men's half-marathon winner, will be back in Kinmen this year to attempt to defend their titles, the county government said.

National Quemoy University will be the starting and finishing point for all of the races.

The Kinmen Defense Command has thrown its support behind the event and will deploy light tactical wheeled vehicles to lead the runs and have military trucks follow behind to pick up runners who are too slow or drop out of their respective races.

The military theme reflects Kinmen's role as an important military bastion against Communist Chinese aggression, especially during the Cold War. Located within 10 kilometers of China's coast, it withstood a fierce artillery barrage from China in 1958.

(By Huang Huei-min and Chi Jo-yao)Enditem/ls