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Marathon runners take on Hangzhou's hills
By Xu Wenwen |
March 26, 2013, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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HANGZHOU'S first big spring marathon drew more than 400 runners around West Lake and other scenic spots, but his was a run on trails with lots of hills and mud puddles.
The Spring Trail Running Marathon, including a 42km route and a 25km route, was added to the marathon schedule this year. The Hangzhou International Marathon has been run for more than a decade in the autumn. There's also a mountain marathon.
"People always snap up registration spots in the first couple of days," says Zou Jie, sectary-general of Hangzhou Leisure Sports Association, a co-organizer. Other organizers were ASICS sportswear, the Hangzhou Rock Climbing Association and FxOutdoor.
Compared with other cross-country races in the countryside, the Trail Running Marathon around West Lake follows a route in the nearby hills. Paths are narrow and hilly, so spots are limited.
On Saturday, around 250 runners challenged the 42km course, the others went for the 25km route.
Around a quarter of the runners are foreigners, with 15 percent locals among the rest Chinese participants.
West Lake itself is extremely crowded, but it's still popular for walks and biking. Paved and unpaved trails wind through the hills covered with tea plantations and quaint villages and temples. Many streams crisscross the area.
Wang Qiang, winner of the 25km course, finished in 2 hours and 41 minutes. He came from Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province.
"I wanted the feeling of running in the hills," he says, adding he will keep coming.
Gu Bing, a university student in Hangzhou, won the 42km course in 4 hours, 27 minutes.
"Because of the beautiful scenery, this was one of the best runs I've ever done," says Australian Daniel Webster who works in Shanghai and runs frequently.
"There's a trend for people in Shanghai to buy a train ticket to Hangzhou in the morning, go jogging around the lake and hills, and get back to Shanghai after running," says Rob Todd, an American designer who works in Hangzhou.
Route:
Not everybody can run a marathon, but most people can hike or bicycle along the route and enjoy the scenery. This is the season for hiking and biking around Hangzhou.
42km course
Yellow Dragon Stadium D Laohe Hill D North High Peak D Meiren Peak D Fayun Lane D Mihou Hill D Tianmen Hill D Shili Langdang (10-mile Enamel way) D Meijiawu Village D Yunxi Hill D Nine-stream Rose Village D Wuyun Hill D Linhai Pavilion D Ma'an Hill D Li'an Temple D Nine Creeks and 18 Gullies - Longjing Village D Wengjia Hill D Hongfa Valley D Upper Manjuelong D South High Peak D China Tea Museum D Lower Maojiabu Village - Yellow Dragon Stadium.
25km course
Yellow Dragon Stadium D Laohe Hill D North High Peak D Meiren Peak D Fayun Lane D Mihou Hill D Tianmen HillD Shili Langdang (10-mile Enamel Way) D Wuyun Hill D Kangwang Valley D Linhai Pavilion - Nine Creeks and 18 Gullies D Longjing Road - Yellow Dragon Stadium.
The Spring Trail Running Marathon, including a 42km route and a 25km route, was added to the marathon schedule this year. The Hangzhou International Marathon has been run for more than a decade in the autumn. There's also a mountain marathon.
"People always snap up registration spots in the first couple of days," says Zou Jie, sectary-general of Hangzhou Leisure Sports Association, a co-organizer. Other organizers were ASICS sportswear, the Hangzhou Rock Climbing Association and FxOutdoor.
Compared with other cross-country races in the countryside, the Trail Running Marathon around West Lake follows a route in the nearby hills. Paths are narrow and hilly, so spots are limited.
On Saturday, around 250 runners challenged the 42km course, the others went for the 25km route.
Around a quarter of the runners are foreigners, with 15 percent locals among the rest Chinese participants.
West Lake itself is extremely crowded, but it's still popular for walks and biking. Paved and unpaved trails wind through the hills covered with tea plantations and quaint villages and temples. Many streams crisscross the area.
Wang Qiang, winner of the 25km course, finished in 2 hours and 41 minutes. He came from Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province.
"I wanted the feeling of running in the hills," he says, adding he will keep coming.
Gu Bing, a university student in Hangzhou, won the 42km course in 4 hours, 27 minutes.
"Because of the beautiful scenery, this was one of the best runs I've ever done," says Australian Daniel Webster who works in Shanghai and runs frequently.
"There's a trend for people in Shanghai to buy a train ticket to Hangzhou in the morning, go jogging around the lake and hills, and get back to Shanghai after running," says Rob Todd, an American designer who works in Hangzhou.
Route:
Not everybody can run a marathon, but most people can hike or bicycle along the route and enjoy the scenery. This is the season for hiking and biking around Hangzhou.
42km course
Yellow Dragon Stadium D Laohe Hill D North High Peak D Meiren Peak D Fayun Lane D Mihou Hill D Tianmen Hill D Shili Langdang (10-mile Enamel way) D Meijiawu Village D Yunxi Hill D Nine-stream Rose Village D Wuyun Hill D Linhai Pavilion D Ma'an Hill D Li'an Temple D Nine Creeks and 18 Gullies - Longjing Village D Wengjia Hill D Hongfa Valley D Upper Manjuelong D South High Peak D China Tea Museum D Lower Maojiabu Village - Yellow Dragon Stadium.
25km course
Yellow Dragon Stadium D Laohe Hill D North High Peak D Meiren Peak D Fayun Lane D Mihou Hill D Tianmen HillD Shili Langdang (10-mile Enamel Way) D Wuyun Hill D Kangwang Valley D Linhai Pavilion - Nine Creeks and 18 Gullies D Longjing Road - Yellow Dragon Stadium.
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