Latest News:  

English>>Sports

City marathons prosper in China

By Wu Junkuan (Xinhua)

13:31, January 06, 2013

(Xinhua)

XIAMEN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three and a half kilometers into run and with a long way to go, Hangzhou Marathon participant Jimmy Jiang got down on one knee in front of the girl he has been dating for three and a half years, and proposed.

Yes! The lucky guy got a "yes"!

The 28-year-old Jiang and his girlfriend went on to finish the race and disappeared into a crowd hand in hand.

Back in 1981 when China's first international marathon was launched in Beijing, less than 200 people participated in the race. And few of them could imagine that running a marathon would be a chance to win a heart.

After three decades of development, city marathons and fun runs have been enjoying an outrageous growth in China with the year 2012 witnessing some 500,000 people run in 33 marathon and fun races.

Nowadays, marathon is seen not only as a sport event in China but also a culture gala to enjoy and celebrate. For some entrants running a marathon is a chance to dress up with cosplay costumes, to fulfil a life objective, or propose to your beloved one.

"City marathons experienced a rapid growth in the past three years," said Du Zhaocai, a deputy chief of the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA), during the 2012 Chinese Marathon Annual Conference held in China's Xiamen on Friday.

【1】 【2】 【3】 【4】


We recommend:

Have fun! Look at these amusing photos

Korean beauty dons Chinese Qipao

Breathtaking! Crazy roads around the world

Lost or stolen iPhone? No need to panic: tips

Fascinating ads that catch your eyes

'Gangnam Style' hits one billion views

Really? Top ten ugliest sculptures in China

Snow-covered magnificence!

Embarrassing moments of stars on red carpet

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:杜明明、叶欣)

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. PLA's snowfield camouflage outerwear makes debut

  2. Lanzhou MAC hold actual-combat training

  3. The influential people in 2012

  4. China sees coldest weather in 28 years

  5. The 'housing' story in 2012

  6. Robots to boost China's economy

  7. 2012's most hilarious photos of cute animals

  8. The amazing optical illusion street art

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. 'Chinese Fortune Grandpa' VS 'Santa Claus'
  2. China Voice: Blind eyes are deadlier than blazes
  3. Light amidst global gloom
  4. Where should China's badminton head for?
  5. Why ‘Chinese style road crossing’ occurs

What’s happening in China

Temperatures recorded since the end of November have marked the lowest to hit China in 28 years

  1. 9 suspects caught in central China shooting
  2. Pollution cuts off water supply in N China city
  3. Fire breaks out in HK's shopping area
  4. Information transparency increases
  5. My child is … gay