An estimated 10,000 runners are expected to swarm into Taroko National Park for the 11th Taroko Gorge Marathon Saturday. The event's organizer, the Chinese Taipei Road Running Association, said Friday that the number of runners will be about the same as last year. Some 294 international runners from 22 countries will compete in a field with 1,600 Taiwanese participants in the full 42.2-kilometer marathon, while another 5,100 runners will join the 21-km half marathon. The remaining 3,000 runners will take part in a 5-km fun run. The winners of the men's and women's categories of the marathon will each receive NT$80,000 (US$2,666) in prize money. Following the closure of Suhua Highway, the main roadway from northern Taiwan to Hualien, the event's organizer asked the Taiwan Railway Administration to provide extra train cars so that runners could arrive in Hualien without a hitch. For the safety of the runners, the association said there will be traffic control measures at the 190.5-km marker and at the 169-km marker on provincial highway No. 8 from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vehicles will not be allowed in that zone during the period. The Taroko National Park Administration Center said it would carefully monitor the road for falling rocks, which occasionally plague the area, and would suspend the race if needed. 