What’s included in the price of entering a marathon? A bib, entry into the timekeeping system and a certificate/medal of participation are all commonplace, but at one marathon in Nanjing, runners also receive free strawberries.
The 2023 Nanjing Lishui Half Marathon got underway at 08:30 yesterday, 26 March, at the foot of Wuxiang Mountain in our city’s beautiful Lishui District. All in, 12,000 runners took part along what is regarded as one of China’s most-beautiful marathon routes, with more than its fair share of challenges.
When it was all over, Mesele Kiros Lema from Ethiopia and Huang Xin from Nanjing came first in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
Since its debut in 2015, the Lishui Half has thrice been awarded as a Gold Medal Event by the China Athletic Association, in the process becoming recognised by marathon enthusiasts across the country. According to the race organiser, over half of yesterday’s participants came from outside Nanjing, further proof that COVID is well and truly behind us.
At 21.0975 kilometres, most of the Marathon’s route lies within the Wuxiang Mountain National Forest Park, with its reputation as Lishui’s top scenic spot. But its unique, natural terrain with its many gradients provides runners with additional tests of stamina. As such, on standby yesterday were nine ambulances, 10 medical providers, 30 sprint medics and more than 100 professional-medical personnel; a string of numbers which offered peace of mind for runners.
As well as multiple cultural and scenic areas and more bamboo than you can point a stick at, runners also along the way passed the Fujiabian Agricultural Science and Technology Park.
And that’s where the strawberries come in. Grown in the vicinity is an annual yield of 32,000 tonnes of strawberries, which pumps some ¥670 million into the local economy.
Starting from the race’s five-kilometre mark, strawberry stops were set up every 2.5 kilometres, together stocked with 500 kilograms of the delicious fruit, to give runners an energy bost. Some stopped to have a munch, while others attempted to grab a handful as they passed.
Then there were the strawberry-goodie bags for finalists and a strawberry-gift box for the winners, plus many more inventive and fruity delights. It’s all helped the Nanjing Lishui Half Marathon to become known nationwide as the Strawberry Marathon.
As reported by the Yangtze Evening News, a Mr. Wang, who had come from Shanghai to take part, said, “We come to the Lishui Half every year; it has the most beautiful ecology, the most enjoyable track and delicious strawberries. And we’ll definitely be back again next year”.
For taking part, Wang also received a “Lishui Global Tourism” card, valid for a whole year. He said that after the race, he was next off to enjoy some of the local sights, such as Tiansheng Bridge, no doubt enjoying some more strawberries along the way.
