Marathon runners race to visit Yancheng

A full marathon that integrates coastal, forest, wetland and rural scenery attracted more than 12,000 runners from home and abroad in late April.

The first full marathon staged in Jiangsu province's Yancheng city was organized by the Chinese Athletics Association, Jiangsu's provincial sports bureau and the Yancheng government.

Its aim is to encourage the public to participate in sporting activities and to attract more visitors to the area to appreciate the local history, culture and urban vitality.

Geoffrey Kipkoech from Kenya took the first place in the men's full marathon, completing the course in two hours and 29 minutes, while Bilen Tafesse from Ethiopia topped the ranking in the women's full marathon with a time of two hours, 52 minutes and 51 seconds.

"It's my first visit to Yancheng," says Kipkoech, who was among the roughly 170 foreign runners from a dozen countries, including the US, South Korea and Japan, who participated.

Kipkoech has entered six full marathons in China over the past four years and was still impressed by what the city had to offer.

"People here are very friendly and enthusiastic, and the race service is very well organized," he says.

At the same time, a half marathon, a mini leisure run and a specially designed team race were staged to encourage the highest possible public participation and to spice up the running experience.

The course for the 42-kilometer race passes through major scenic spots, including Yancheng Botanical Garden, Julong Lake Park, Dongting Lake Park and Dayang Bay Scenic Area.

It allows runners to fully take in Yancheng's culture and ecology.

The marathon is also part of the local government's efforts to put Yancheng on the tourism map and boost visitor numbers.

The city received 33.34 million tourist visits in 2018, up 13.7 percent year-on-year, the city's statistics department reports.

Tourism revenue rose 16.9 percent to 37.42 billion yuan ($5.57 billion) during the same period.

Yancheng is hailed as the Wetland of the Orient and is home to both deer and the red-crowned crane. It is also steeped in red culture. A Communist Party armed forces headquarters was established in the area back in 1940.

The local government has also staged peony and cherry-blossom festivals for travelers who visit during spring.

At the Dayang Bay scenic spot, the end of the race course, over 50,000 cherry trees belonging to more than 50 species have been planted in an area of 0.33 square kilometers. They cover almost all blossoming cherry species in China.

City-tour buses, including a special line to the red-crowned crane reserve, have also been deployed, allowing travelers to feast their eyes on even more of Yangcheng's splendid landscape.