Both Scenery and Race Deserve Tribute! Over Ten Thousand Runners Race in the Capital of Chinese Baijiu

SUQIAN, China, Apr. 2, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

On March 31, in the “Capital of Chinese Baijiu,” Suqian, where spring is in full bloom, the 2024 JINGDONG Suqian Marathon and the Grand Canal Marathon Series (Suqian Station) kicked off. 12,000 runners from all over the country raced in the bright and splendid “Beautiful Waters and Baijiu Hometown”, according to Suqian City Marathon Organizing Committee.

Suqian, as the youngest prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Yangtze River Delta region with the most significant improvement in comprehensive strength. The 42.195 kilometers race course, including the ancient canal that has flowed for thousands of years, the shimmering Luoma Lake, and the picturesque Santai Mountain, connects Suqian’s most renowned spring scenes. Particularly in the latter half of the race, a “most beautiful race course” became extremely popular among many runners’ social circles. At this time, the Santai Mountain National Forest Park’s brought endless romantic fantasies, allowing runners to breathe freely in the natural oxygen bar and sprint to the finish line in their best condition.

The surprises for the runners were not only the nature. The 2024 JINGDONG Suqian Marathon also innovatively introduced a musical race course, with 24 “music cheer stations” set up at the starting point, along the race course, and at the finish line, including traditional opera, band rock, dragon and lion dances, perfectly combining traditional culture with modern sports events. This allowed the runners to feel Suqian’s profound cultural heritage while sweating it out.