Half marathon to be held in Yangpu in November
Over 4,000 runners will race through a natural wetland and an international community in north downtown Shanghai as part of a half marathon next month.
Registration started on Wednesday for the 2019 Yangpu Xinjiangwan Town International Half Marathon, scheduled for November 24.
The race route is designed to feature the natural and manmade scenery of the district as well as showcase its urban management and construction highlights, according to the Yangpu sports bureau.
The runners will start from the China headquarters campus of Nike and pass through a natural wetland in the town, the only one of its kind in downtown Shanghai. The race ends at the Jiangwan campus of Fudan University.
Unlike other public green spaces, the flora of the special wetland park was developed naturally from the former Jiangwan Airport built in the 1930s for military use.
There are over 300 plant and small animal species residing in the park, including squirrels, hedgehogs and yellow weasels. More than 30 kinds of migratory birds and 11 types of resident birds have been spotted in the area.
The route features a community, an innovation park and the campus of a university. They represent the three pillars of innovation and entrepreneurship in Yangpu, said Xu Jianhua, deputy director of Yangpu.
The race also includes a health run of 2.3 kilometers, which will attract 1,000 participants. Their journey will end at an amusement park named after Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
The half marathon has been held for two years already at the rising international community in Yangpu. Previously, there were no major running races in the area.
In 2018, Wang Hongwei from Shanghai University of Sport was the men’s champion after crossing the finish line at the Jiangwan campus of Fudan University in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 12 seconds.
Li Zhixuan, also from the university and the winner in the same race in 2017, retains the title in the women’s race, clocking in at 1 hour, 12 minutes and 20 seconds.