What does it mean for a city to hold a marathon？

　　The contestants run in the Taoyuan of Linjia Village, Xiaowangmiao Street, Fenghua District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. Photo by Hu Xuejun (People’s Vision)

　　Luo Shujian pushed his son Xiao Bai to the finish line in the race. Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi photo

　　Running is a good way to know a city. In mid-spring, runners from all over the world ushered in a marathon tour of "measuring the city with their feet".

　　On March 19th, 2023, the Peach Blossom Marathon on both sides of Fenghua Strait (hereinafter referred to as "Peach Blossom Horse") started in Fenghua District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, and 12,000 runners gathered together to participate in a spring date among green mountains, green waters and burning peach blossoms.

　　Draw a poetic picture with the track

　　Wearing a red balloon with the words "2: 15", Jin Yiyu is one of the many "rabbits" in this marathon.

　　"Rabbits" are pace setters in marathon. Their duty is to guide runners to run at a steady pace and finish the race within a predetermined time. This means that as long as "follow" Jin Yiyu, the runner can complete the half marathon in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

　　"I am 50 years old this year. I started running in 1992. All horses and half horses participated in it for nearly 20 times, doing ‘ Rabbit ’ I am confident to have a steady speed and lead everyone to run together. " Jin Yiyu said.

　　At the starting line, Thomas Cliff from England is sorting out the equipment for the competition. He is an English teacher who works in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province. He has been in China for three and a half years, but it is the first time to participate in the full marathon in China. Cliff said that his future goal is to challenge the more difficult mountain marathon.

　　In the interview, many runners praised Fenghua’s "Peach Blossom Horse" track with "picturesque scenery". March is the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom. In Taoyuan, north of Daolinjia Village, Xiaowangmiao Street, flowers and bones are full of branches. Looking at Qingyun Village, the clear river flows through the village, and the old houses in Liang Shi are patchwork; In the newly-built village of Xikou Town, nearly 100 acres of plum blossoms and green hills reflect each other … … On the way to running, a rural poetic picture is panoramic.

　　According to the relevant person in charge of the competition, this year’s competition has optimized and adjusted the track, and the starting and ending points of the three groups of full horse, half horse and happy run are all set in the main city. The newly-added urban track makes the coastal city and the quiet countryside string together, providing runners with a unique competition space.

　　"Coming to the competition this time is like having a class reunion. Everyone meets old friends in the beautiful scenery, and there is no feeling of being unfamiliar at all." Chen Dahei, a runner from Taiwan Province, said.

　　Run to convey perseverance and courage.

　　It took 1 hour and 57 minutes for Luo Shujian to push his son into Fenghua Sports Center with a tricycle. He put a peach-blossom medal on his son to share the joy of finishing the race.

　　Luo Shujian is a courier in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. When his son Xiao Bai was born in 2009, he suffered from severe brain injury due to severe asphyxia, and suffered from the most difficult "Lannox syndrome" in childhood epilepsy. Today, although Xiao Bai is 13 years old, he is only one or two years old.

　　The heavy blow of life made Luo Shujian suffer for a time. In 2010, Luo Shujian was very shocked to see the story of Dick Huo Yite, an American, traveling all over the United States with his son with cerebral palsy and completing more than 1,000 road races.

　　"I also want to run and take my son to see the world!" Since then, Luo Shujian has started long-distance running training. In 2015, he took his son to participate in the marathon for the first time. In the following eight years, they "ran" over more than 20 cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

　　In Ningbo, the father and son ran the 57th marathon together. To this end, the organizers specially prepared a number plate with the tail number "57" for Luo Shujian.

　　Pieces of finished medals bear witness to my father’s love and tenacity, and interpret the perseverance and courage of the marathon. "As long as conditions permit, I will push Xiao Bai to continue running." Luo Shujian said that he hopes that through his own running, more people will pay attention to the vulnerable groups such as children with cerebral palsy and autistic children, and encourage more people to run to their own spring.

　　Broaden the space of cultural tourism with sports events

　　What does it mean for a city to hold a marathon?

　　With the deep integration of national fitness and national health, outdoor sports have gradually become a popular sport for the masses. According to the data of National Physical Fitness Monitoring Center, running is one of the most popular sports for adults in China, with a participation rate of 19.8%.

　　On the marathon track, you can see both professional long-distance runners and newcomers who have just come into contact with road running; There are elderly people with gray hair and children who compete with their parents. All-horse, Half-horse, Happy Run and other tracks with different distances and forms allow more people to run and run happily.

　　After the race in Ma Shunli, Mr. Wu from Guizhou said that in addition to participating in the race, he also brought his wife and daughter and a family of three to Fenghua for a spring outing. "I have heard about the beauty of peach blossoms here for a long time, and finally I have the opportunity to meet them."

　　The insiders believe that in the "economic account" of marathon events, in addition to direct income such as broadcasting, sponsorship and registration fees, derivative income such as hotels, transportation, tourism, shoes, clothing and equipment is also considerable. According to the data, half of the marathon runners have the experience of competing in other places, of which about 70% will taste local food and special snacks, and more than 60% will choose to travel locally.

　　Many places also hold marathons as a window for city publicity. Take "Peach Blossom Horse" as an example. In addition to natural scenery and urban features, there are historical and cultural landscapes such as Wulingmen and Wenchang Pavilion on the 42km track. In 2021, the Games will incorporate non-legacy elements, and add non-legacy food supply points on the basis of 19 regular food supply stations to provide special foods such as peach gum drinks. This year, the organizers set up a variety of recreational activities along the way, such as waist encouragement and martial arts performances, to tap the local cultural heritage with the help of competitions.