China’s last marathon in the first half of 2018 sets off in Lanzhou

Over 40,000 runners on Sunday set off in the Lanzhou International Marathon in northwest China’s Gansu province, marking China’s last marathon in the first half of 2018.

The game in the provincial capital has been popular among Chinese and international runners for its unique route – the course is crafted carefully along the Yellow River, which is China’s second longest river and the world’s sixth. The special location of Lanzhou, a famous summer resort in China, makes it possible for the city to host the last marathon before summer heats up most parts of China.

Many people also deliberately choose the route in Lanzhou, one of the driest city in China, to better challenge themselves.

“I have run the Lijiang Marathon and the marathon around the Qinghai Lake, which are both on high altitude, but this is my first try in Lanzhou. I want to experience the dry weather and see how my body holds up,” Yang Yi, a marathon runner from southwest China’s Sichuan province, told People’s Daily.

As the eighth Lanzhou marathon, this year’s signup system had seen a total of 130,000 applicants eager to be granted entry to the game. Like many other international marathon games, the final lucky ones were decided through a lottery system.

Many local residents reached by People’s Daily said they were not only familiar with the big event at their doorstep, but were also passionate about participating. “I signed up for myself and my son this year, but we failed again this time. One in two or three people in Lanzhou would want to run the marathon or at least the mini marathon every year,” a taxi driver surnamed Liu told People’s Daily.

The game also welcomed dozens of top international players from 28 countries and regions, including Ethiopian athlete Kelkile Gezahegn Woldaregay, who won the third place at this year’s Rotterdam Marathon, finishing the 42.195-km marathon in 2:05:56.

Thomas Muke, an athlete from Kenya, has been training for and running marathon games for five years. He told People’s Daily that he began to run in Chinese marathons this year and the first-time Lanzhou marathon experience impressed him as much as did other cities with the professional organization of the game and the city’s passion for running.

More and more Chinese cities are hosting marathons as the nation responds to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to build a healthy China. The proposal in 2016 also echoed with the rising demand on health among the public, as people switch their attention back on health and lifestyle.

Following Shanghai and Beijing marathons, the Lanzhou International Marathon is the nation’s seventh marathon to be recognized as a gold label road race by IAAF, indicating the top-standard professionalism of the game.