"We're really surprised to have 23,000 people registering for the event." said Mr. Long Jiang, Director of Zhejiang Sports & Competition Centre on the press release of 2011 Hangzhou International Marathon Competition.

    The record-breaking 23,000 participants from 37 countries and regions for the upcoming 2011 Hangzhou International Marathon from Yellow Dragon Sports Centre on 6th Nov will definitely reach a new summit in its 25th year.

    Rather than a professional sport, Marathon running is becoming more and more popular for the new generation in recent times. If you ask anyone in your office or your school, someone may proudly tell you that he/she will be running in the Marathon on 6th Nov.

    Running route extended from West Lake to Qiantang River

    From West Lake to tea plantations, all the way to Qiantang River, the running route of Hangzhou International Marathon is regarded as one of the most scenery routes in the world.

    Mr. Long Jiang explained that the full route of this year's marathon extended from West Lake to Qiantang River for the first time. With the Citizens Centre located in Qianjiang New Town as new destination, the running route is Huanglong Road - Shuguang Road - Baochu Road - Beishan Road - Shengtang Road - Hubin Road - Nanshan Road - Santaishan Road - Longjing Road - Meiling Bei Road - Meiling Tunnel - Meiling Nan Road - Zhijiang Road then make a U turn from there back to Zhijiang Road - Qianchao Road - Fuchun Road and terminates in the South Square of Citizens Centre in Qianjiang New Town.

    The complete competition will be recorded this year as a warming up exercise for next year's direct broadcasting.

    Mr. Long Jiang also mentioned that among the participants, most of them are from younger generation from the school and offices. 13km and 6.8km are most popular that have attracted about 18,000 people.

    It's a tradition to have 1.2km family run and 3.5km couples run to encourage more people to participate in this running event. This year, we have 637 couples and 300 families registered.

    Challenge for amateurs not only the long distance but the uphill and downhill sections

    This year, journalists and editors of City Express will participate in the Run as well. Wang Lei from local news department is going to run the complete journey this year. He was No. 84 in the half-journey run last year at 1'42"02. Just a few days ago he had a trial run on the new complete route and below is what he told me.

    "Last year I joined the marathon for the first time and achieved number 84 in the half-journey. I was greatly encouraged to run the complete journey this time. Just 5 years ago, I couldn't finish 800m on the treadmill, but I've been trying to keep fit by running in the last five years, like most of my friends and colleagues. This year over a dozen of my friends are participating in the marathon. I tried running on the new route for this year. The distance of uphill and downhill is very long, which is a challenge to amateurs. I suggest runners to run in a slower pace over the distance and at a faster pace on the uphill and control the speed on the downhill.

    It's important to have adequate supply of water and energy if you're running half or complete journey. Last year, I was afraid of wasting time to drink water and felt really difficult to finish the last few kilometers. This year I'm going to stop at each water station after 10km.

    It's also important for amateurs like me to control the pace. If you run too fast at the beginning, it's likely to have a cramp on your legs later on."

By Zhao Song