By Andrew, iChongqing

Chongqing -Thousands of runners participated in the first ever Jiangxiaobai 2019 Chongqing Jiangjin International Half marathon, April 21. The races took place on a course along the Yangtze river backdropped by the distant green countryside.

Zhojia Mao, design student, win the 5k in just over 22 minutes.

More than 10,000 runners strapped on their shoes to compete in the two events: a mini-marathon of 5km and half marathon of 21 km. 8,000 of the runners came from Jiangjin and other cities of Chongqing, while the additional 2,000 came from across China and abroad to race.

The Speaker of the Chongqing Sports Bureau says that bringing new people to Chongqing is one of the main reasons for creating the event this year. “The race serves to connect Chongqing with the rest of China and the world,” proof of which can be seen in the handful of foreign runners participating in the marathon. “ The race also gives the people of Chongqing a great reason to come to Jiangjin, and check out their neighboring city.”

Zhojia Mao, A local, 23year old, design student, said that during the last 7 years “I have come to really enjoy the sport of running.” His enthusiasm for the sport must have translated into speed helping him win the 5k in just over 22 minutes. Besides winning the race he agreed that it was an excellent day for a run along the Yangtze river.

In the main event, the half marathon, Edea Feyissa Begna finished first with a time of 1:06:31 winning 8000 yuan for his achievement. Sammy Kibet Chuba finished second with 1:08:19 and Dawa Dereje Neda finished third with 1:09:08 each winning 6000 and 4000 yuan respectively. The foreign runners said that it was their first time running in China and that they look forward to racing again here soon.

Zhao Hao, 26, who works in the Chongqing media industry and placed 4^th in the half marathon said that he enjoyed the foreign competition. As an avid runner for the last 5 years, Zhao has been training 5 to 6 times a week in preparation. He said he enjoys the heightened competition of racing against foreigners and hopes to race other international runners in the future.

The Jiangjin international marathon also included a "love oriented" race category for the runners. In the spirit of the city’s nickname, the City of Love the mini marathon included a special race category for couples. Couples that wanted to compete together could compete but were required to finish the race at the same time to qualify.

Jiangjin marathon included a special race category for couples.

The marathon also gave people from around Chongqing a reason to come down to Jiangjin, the “City of Love” to check out some of the local cultures.

Why was the marathon called the “Marathon of Love” and why do they call Jiangjin city the “City of Love?” The origins of the name come from a hand-carved staircase of 6,000 steps and a love between a young man and a widow 10 years his senior. To avoid unwanted attention, the two decided to live away by themselves up in the mountains. Eventually, the aged his wife Xu ZhaoQing had trouble traveling up and down the steep slope. So with chisel in hand Liu Guojiang set out to carve the staircase which still exists for visitors to see today. Look out for future articles on other attractions around Chongqing and in the City of Love.

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