Jingzhou Marathon·Race Towards Future! On the morning of March 26, the China Sports Lottery 2023 Jingzhou Marathon started. After 3 years, more than 20,000 runners reunited in Jingzhou to measure the ancient city with their footsteps and feel the greatest scenery of Jingjiang River along the Yangtse River.
At 7:30 this morning, Wu Jin, Secretary of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee, Zhou Zhihong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee and Mayor of Jingzhou People's Government, Sui Yongjun, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Athletics Association, Luo Qiyi, member of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Deputy Director of Hubei administration of Sports, Zhou Xiangyang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee and Secretary of CPC Jingzhou Municipal Political and Law Committee, Duan Changlin, Director of the Standing Committee of the Jingzhou Municipal People's Congress, Jiang Hong, Chairman of the Jingzhou Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, Liu Huiwen, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee and Executive Vice-Mayor of Jingzhou People's Government, Yan Hong, Deputy Mayor of the Jingzhou Municipal People's Government, Hu Chenghong, member of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Secretary-General of the Jingzhou Municipal People's Government, and other leaders participated in the event and jointly fired guns for the race. The 2023 Jingzhou Marathon kicked off.
Sun Yingjie, a well-known marathoner, was invited to give a live commentary on the race. Liao Hui, a Chinese male weightlifter and the champion of men's 69kg weightlifting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was one of the front-runners. The competition was composed of full marathon, half marathon, healthy run, and parent-child race. A total of 20,103 runners from China, Singapore, Kenya, and Japan signed up in the race, including 12,264 runners from Jingzhou (including the counties and urban areas), and 7,839 runners from outside the city. The participants were in high spirits and the atmosphere was upbeat.
As a gold medal marathon event, Jingzhou Marathon has been held for three times. Since its inception in 2017, the size, level and influence of the event have been continuously improved, and it was selected as one of the top 50 most influential marathon events in China in a row in 2018 and 2019. The running route this year was designed according to the idea of "One River, Two Districts and Three Cities", fully demonstrating the demeanor of the most beautiful track of Jingzhou. 42 music stations with Jingchu cultural characteristics were arranged on the 42.195-kilometer track to provide unique Jingzhou-style mass performances such as Jingzhou flower-drum opera, Guqin show, Chu-style clothing show and Jingchu folk song for the runners all the way, making it a musical feast with ancient and modern blend.
After fierce competition, Xu Le from Hefei won the first place in the men’s race with a time of 2 hours 22 minutes and 12 seconds, and Si Guosong and Mou Qiu from Jingzhou won the second and third place with a time of 2 hours 31 minutes and 0 second and 2 hours 34 minutes and 30 seconds respectively.
In the women's race, Zhu Bingying from Zhengzhou won the first place with a time of 2 hours 52 minutes and 34 seconds; Wang Xiaolu and Ma Ting from Jingzhou won the second and third place with a time of 2 hours 56 minutes and 26 seconds and 2 hours 58 minutes and 16 seconds respectively.
In the half-marathon, Cao Huan from Huangshi, Wang Bo from Yiyang, and Zhang Sipeng from Wuhan won the first, second, and third places in the men's race with the time of 1 hour 8 minutes and 42 seconds, 1 hour 12 minutes and 48 seconds, and 1 hour 13 minutes and 29 seconds, respectively. Xiong Juan and Peng Siyun from Wuhan, and Wu Jing from Shanghai were the top three in the women's race with the time of 1 hour 15 minutes and 21 seconds, 1 hour 24 minutes and 26 seconds, and 1 hour 27 minutes and 21 seconds, respectively.
Focusing on the theme of "Jingzhou Marathon·Race Towards Future", this is the first marathon event certified by the Chinese Athletic Association in Hubei Province in 2023, and also the first gold medal event with high visibility in Hubei Province this year. Jingzhou Radio and Television Station gave a live coverage of the race, and the race was broadcast simultaneously on CCTV, TikTok, Particle News and other network platforms. A marathon delighted a whole city. Jingzhou Marathon is becoming a gleaming city card of Jingzhou that embodies the essence of its historical and cultural characteristics.