Hainan Danzhou International Marathon 2017 comes to a successful close

DANZHOU, China, Dec. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Evergrande Ocean Flower Island" Hainan Danzhou International Marathon 2017 kicked off at Danzhou Cultural Square on December 24. Over 15,000 runners participated in the competition. Launched seven years ago, the competition has become the sole Silver Label race held in Hainan province. The eight Chinese characters that, when translated into English, signify "Run the Marathon with Passion While Experiencing the Wonders of Danzhou" and serve as the tagline for the event, are meant to combine the city's unique natural ecology with its rich culture and history with the aim of crafting a poetic message describing the competition that embodies the landscape of Hainan and everything that Hainan stands for.

The gate installed at the finish line was slowly closing, when the exhausted runner Zhang Zhiqian was still a dozen meters away. With his last bit of energy, he finally crossed the finish line and, almost simultaneously, the gate closed. He finished the race with a time of 6 hours. This very scene took place on December 24 during the final moments of "Evergrande Ocean Flower Island" Hainan Danzhou International Marathon 2017. Notably, a uniquely conceived ceremony for those who completed the marathon was held. Danzhou government leaders and famous CCTV host Han Qiaosheng met the last runner to make him past the finish line and awarded him with a souvenir medal. Hainan Danzhou International Marathon 2017 is the first marathon in China to hold such a ceremony, showcasing the competition's aim to get everyone in China more involved in public fitness.

Sideshows and performances of all kinds were staged alongside the race track, including renditions of Danzhou folk songs, jazz dance routines, drum solos and groups of drummers playing in unison, traditional fan dance numbers and songs played on the Chinese zither. The folk songs, which the runners could hear as they passed in front of the various groups of singers, transformed the race track into a culture-themed scenic route, helping to raise public awareness of the many unique aspects of the culture of Danzhou, as well as keeping the excitement and maintaining the enthusiasm in high gear for runners and spectators alike. The Danzhou municipal government is doing its bit to implement the program, the main objective of which is to get everyone in China more involved in public fitness, under a plan that was described in a report delivered to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The program also provided support for Hainan Danzhou International Marathon 2017 in the form of multiple resources with the aim of embracing the next stage of development for the country by promoting increased participation in sports by the general public and making the Chinese Dream come true.  

Each edition of the annual Hainan Danzhou International Marathon helps drive the sales of sports and fitness products which are on display in the lobbies and shops in Danzhou's leading hotels, delivering observable economic and social benefits to the city. Under the current nationwide banner for all marathons in China, "Run in the New Era and Turn the Chinese Dream into a Reality", this year's Hainan Danzhou International Marathon came to a successful close, showcasing the city's efforts in promoting participation by the public in sports as it continues to accelerate local economic and social development. The event gave visitors, some of whom came from far and wide, an opportunity to get to know and fall in love with Danzhou by experiencing the city's unique culture and landscape. The event also helped raise the stature of Danzhou as a venue for international sports events and took it one step further in transforming Danzhou into a new sports, tourism and cultural destination.   

Under the guidance of the Department of Culture, Radio, Television, Publication and Sports of Hainan Province, this year's competition was organized by the Chinese Athletic Association and the Danzhou Municipal Government, and co-organized by the Culture, Radio, Television, Publication and Sports Bureau of Danzhou and Baishi Hudong Sport Beijing Co., Ltd., with the support of Evergrande Ocean Flower Island Co., Ltd.

SOURCE The Organizing Committee of Hainan Danzhou International Marathon