Chongqing- The Gobi 16 Team of Chongqing held a grand return ceremony on June 11th to mark a successful conclusion to the national long-distance running competition held in the desert of Gansu Province.
Competitors faced harsh challenges from the elements, terrain and exhaustion during the 121-kilometer run. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Nearly 150 attendees including leaders of Chongqing University, members of the Chongqing Gobi 16 Team, special guests, and friends from various universities and media organizations were extended invitations.
Teams A, B, C and D from Chongqing University collectively numbered over 100 runners to match the total number of participants from all previous editions.
Competitors held group training on over 100 occasions over half a year, in addition to over ten acclimatization exercises to prepare for the harsh race conditions.
The race entailed a 121 kilometer run over four days and three nights, which all members completed safely to win a number of accolades including the Model Team and Shackleton awards, making this year’s event the most successful for Chongqing University in the Gobi challenge to date.
Leaders of Chongqing University, the regional manager of Buick Southwest Marketing Center Lu Tong, and Gobi-16 team leader Lu Hong were in attendance to deliver speeches live on stage.
Hou Bin, three-time high jump champion of the Paralympic Games and world record holder, torchbearer of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, and vice president of the Paralympic Games Committee, was also in attendance to share his personal experiences in the Gobi challenge over the past decade.
The Gobi 16 return ceremony concluded successfully with a half-hour forum and a range of exciting performances given by team members. Their glorious achievements this year have raised greater expectations for which participants will join hands to write a new historical chapter in the competition.
All competitors and organizers posed for a whole group photograph before an evening of performances began.
Zhou Weifu, team leader of the Gobi-16 team from Chongqing described their emotions when they successfully crossed the finishing line, and the extreme challenges they encountered during the race. "We were all very emotional and everyone hugged each other. We had just completed an extremely arduous challenge, and felt very proud of our achievement."
He added, "We had to push our physical limits to overcome the harsh challenges posed by the elements, terrain and long distances involved. We used every ounce of determination to overcome the exhaustion, but we made it past the finishing line gritting our teeth and offering each other help and encouragement."