Chongqing- When the horns rang out at 8 am for the 2021 Chongqing Bishan Half Marathon on April 11th, more than 12,000 runners from home and abroad set off from the starting line at Bishan People’s Square.

District party secretary Lan Qinghua participated in the competition. Zhang Yongwu, director of the Municipal Government’s Foreign Affairs Office, and District Mayor Qin Wenmin attended the opening ceremony and sounded the competition's horn.

The Chongqing Bishan Half Marathon was founded in 2018 and is the first marathon in the district to be registered with the Chinese Athletics Association. The event this year featured a half marathon (21.0975 kilometers), a mini-marathon (7 km), and a parent-child run.

Participants in the half marathon numbered 6,000, while 3000 entered the mini-marathon, and another 3000 took part in the family run.

Gab from France took part in the Bishan Half-Marathon for the second time, an event he likes the best in Chongqing for the good organization and friendly volunteers.

‘I prepared really hard for the race, and my goal was 1 hour and 45 minutes. However, I think I was a bit too aggressive over the first 10 kilometers and couldn’t keep pace for the last 6km. I still finished with a new PB of 1 hour 49 minutes and 49 seconds, and I’m already looking forward to the 2022 Bishan Marathon!’

Zak is a long-term British resident and running enthusiast in Chongqing. He ran the Bishan Half Marathon and commented following the race;

‘It’s a delightful course that traverses the beautiful city of Bishan. Aside from Chongqing International Runners, we all took competed with local runners and made new friends. We all managed personal bests in perfect conditions for this half marathon. It was definitely worth it, and I can’t wait for next year’s race!’

Bishan is known as the back garden of Chongqing thanks to the beautiful environment and cultural history, and so the course took runners past many iconic attractions, including People's Square, Xiu Lake, Shuwang Park, Fengxiang Lake Children's Park, and Dongyue Sports Park.

Following a keenly contested race, Chen Ruixuan won the men's half marathon championship with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 18 seconds, while the women's champion was Jia Yaya, with a result of 1 hour 23 minutes and 16 seconds.