A Scenic Marathon in Qianjiang

By Ma Yalun, Wang Benlun, Xiangshi Junzi & Su Zhuolin

返湾湖湿地公园鸟瞰图 A bird view of Fanwan Lake Wetland Park

潜江籍奥运举重冠军吕小军举着“奔跑中国”城市会旗领跑（苏卓琳 摄）Lyu Xiaojun, a native of Qianjiang and 2012 Olympic weightlifting champion, takes China” flag (Photo by Su Zhuolin)

The Qianjiang Fanwan Lake Wetland International Marathon kicked off in Qianjiang City of Hubei Province on April 21 of 2018.Enthusiastic runners, countless volunteers, strict traffic control, exciting onlookers and a lively awarding ceremony were just a few of the highlights of the day.As alert participants, we could strongly perceive how influential the event was—and how it would significantly help to promote Qianjiang both at home and abroad, and how this event will contribute heavily to the development of Qianjiang.

A Joint Effort for a Successful Game

To prepare for the first marathon in the city, Qianjiang spared no effort to ensure its success.

A quick online search will tell you a few facts about Qianjiang: It occupies an area of 2004 km2, with a population of a million, of which only about 200,000 to 300,000 people live in the urban area.The marathon race was held within the city’s Fanwan Lake Wetland Park, almost 20 km away from the downtown area.

Accommodations were a huge challenge for the city. To avoid causing inconveniences to participants, organizers and staff visited over 300 hotels in advance to find out their capacity and check up on their facilities. Unqualified hotels were ordered to make rectifications and upgrade their services. Starting on the morning of April 20, runners began to arrive in Qianjiang from all over the world, and checked in hotels. At the end of the event, no complaints on hotel services were filed.

4月21日，“2018潜江返湾湖湿地国际马拉松”在中国湖北省潜江市举行。过万跑友，无数安保人员，无数志愿者，热情的观众，紧张的竞争，激动人心的颁奖礼，所有这些似乎和别处的马拉松赛事没有太大区别。然而，作为带着思考的亲历者，在我们眼中，无论是对国内还是对国外，这次潜马都有着特殊的影响力，对潜江市的对外开放和国际化将起到巨大的推动作用，值得浓重记下一笔。

倾城为潜马

为办好潜江历史上第一次马拉松，潜江可谓举全市之力。

上网查一下就知道，潜江是个面积2004平方公里、人口仅百万的省直管市。以园林办事处为主体的主城区，人口也不过二三十万。这次马拉松的主赛场设在潜江市返湾湖国家湿地公园内，主会场离中心城区还有近20公里。

接待压力是潜江面临的第一大难题。为了把赛事办好，不给参赛者造成不便，潜江市政相关部门，对全市300多家宾馆酒店，进行接待能力调查统计，并对酒店和酒店客房存在的问题进行全面整改。从20号上午开始，参赛选手陆续从四面八方赶到潜江，并顺利入住各自预订的酒店。直到赛事结束，没有一例抱怨住宿服务质量的投诉。

由于赛场离主城区还有一段距离，更因为交通管制，所有私家车辆不得进入赛场，赛事相关人员、参赛选手只能通过400多辆大巴分批到达赛场。参赛选手和赛事相关工作人员共15000多人，相当一个军的兵力。这么多人要在5个小时内完成转移，其指挥和调度能力可见一斑。

No private vehicles were allowed to enter the race area for the sake of traffic safety. All participants, staff, volunteers,and runners could only take the official 400 buses to arrive at the starting line. More than 15,000 people had to be transported and scattered into four directions in 5 hours. What a tough task it is to coordinate and cooperate such a huge number of people!

Yet, Qianjiang did it. Soon after checking into our hotel, we received messages from the staff to inform us where and when to get on the bus and the plate number of the bus. At 3 am, we left the hotel for the gathering point. Traffic control had already started and police officers were busy coordinating vehicles. On our way, we saw buses parked at different locations. There were about 8 buses where we were to gather. At 3:30 am, the bus left on time with no delay. When we arrived, the place was a sea of people. We found out later that three groups of people had been transported there before we arrived.

We will never forget that there was a pouring rain the morning we left for the destination.We found out later that the meteorological administration had used cloud seeding in order for the event to be held at the best weather conditions.

At about 6 am, we were informed that all runners had arrived and they should go to their designated gathering points.The movement of over 15,000 people in an orderly and errorless manner was again achieved by Qianjiang people.

Everything went as planned.The onlookers crowded in from towns and villages to the site.CCTV and other media were gathered at interviewing points.I suddenly recalled the afternoon of January 19, when the Hubei Provincial Government held the press conference to announce the marathon in Qianjiang, the leaders of the city, on behalf of all Qianjiang residents, had expressed their excitement about the event—“Finally Qianjiang people can run a marathon in their homeland.” They also promised to showcase Qianjiang’s beauty to people around the world. “We invite everyone to run here, eat crayfish, and experience Qianjiang!” The policemen and security staff hadn’t been home for 2 days. The game finished at 2:30 pm, so they didn’t even have time for lunch.

热情的观众人山人海（何定科 摄） Numerous exciting onlookers (Photo by He Dingke)

然而，潜江做到了。我们刚入住酒店，对口工作人员的短信就发过来，告诉我们集合地点、时间和车牌号等。凌晨3点我们离开住地，向集合地点出发，这时，街上重要路段已经实行交通管制，警察不停地指挥着过往车辆。一路上，我们看到很多大型巴士，分停在不同的地方，我们集结的地方也有七八辆。三点半，大巴准点出发，一分钟也没耽搁。我们到达时，现场已是人头攒动。后来才知道，在我们之前，已经有三批人被运送到这里。

临行前的一场倾盆大雨尤为令人难忘。后来我们才知道，气象部门为了保障赛事在理想的天气条件下进行，提前进行了人工降雨。

六点左右，主持人用喇叭告诉大家，所有参赛选手均已抵达赛场，并请大家在指定地点集结。15000多人的转移，高效有序，无一差漏，潜江人又做到了。

一切按计划顺利进行。观众也从各村各镇涌到赛场。中央电视台等各媒体记者们纷纷汇集到指定采访区域，从空中到地上，一切都进入调式准备。写到这里，想到1月19日下午，在湖北省人民政府新闻发布厅举行的潜马发布会上，潜江市领导表达了全市人民的心声：潜江人终于能在家门口跑马拉松啦！同时承诺，“让全国乃至全世界人民看看我们潜江有多美！”“请参赛选手们跑马拉松、吃小龙虾，感受潜江风情，体验龙马精神！”警察和安保人员已经两天没回家，由于比赛2点半结束，他们甚至连中餐都来不及吃。

这是潜江人第一次办如此隆重的国际赛事，他们没有经历过，一点经验都没有，凭着敢想敢干敢担当的潜江精神，全市全民全身心投入，一切考验都挺过来了。的确令人感动，果然龙马精神，真了不起。

返湾湖流彩

清晨，一阵暴雨过后，返湾湖湿地公园及其周边，主会场的音响打破四周的静谧，湖渠的水面映照着乌蒙蒙的云天，绵延数公里的水杉在经历雨雾的洗礼之后，抖擞精神，准备迎接新的一天。灯前翻飞的蝙蝠不见了踪影，偶尔可以看到一群或三两只水鸟，从头顶飞过。返湾湖国家湿地公园具有历史意义的一天即将开始。

马拉松比赛现场，彩旗、彩虹栈道、水杉林、沟渠护坡、观众、演职人员的表演、不同颜色服装的参赛队员、穿不同颜色服装的志愿者队伍、安保人员等等组成各条彩龙，在万顷田野间游弋。随着中国中央电视台向全球直播比赛实况，全世界的马拉松爱好者都将目光投向这里。

潜江，拥湖而美，因江而名。境内江湖相连，似乎只要一转身，就能与江湖之美撞个满怀。返湾湖是这些湖泊的代表，汇集潜江所有湖泊之美。

大约六年前，我采访过返湾湖。记得湖中有个小岛，岛上还有个小湖，湖上有亭，宛若仙境。我女儿听说湖中有野菱角，非拉着我带她用树枝捞采。水鸟在芦苇荡里穿行，白色的居多，也有灰色的、棕色的、黑色的，它们偶尔落在苇梢，轻盈飘逸，自由自在，羡煞游客。我还看过“接天莲叶无穷碧，映日荷花别样红”的盛景，至今仍鲜活地闪现在眼帘。

Cheering onlookers (Photo by Chen Mengyun) 加油（陈孟云 摄）

This was the first time for Qianjiang to host such an international sports event.The city had no experience,but their confidence and spirit in confronting challenges was palpable. Every citizen played a part and all difficulties were overcome. It was touching how they collaborated as one and achieved success.

The Beauty of Fanwan Lake

Dawn came with a torrential downpour. The loud speaker at the site broke the silence of the morning at Fanwan Lake Wetland Park. The lake reflected the clouds in the sky. The redwoods were washed and stood refreshed by the rain, welcoming a new day.Bats disappeared while birds surfed the sky. A historical day for Fanwan Lake Wetland Park was unveiled.

The marathon site was an ocean of colors: the flags, the rainbow walking path, the redwoods, the riverbanks, the onlookers, the performances,the runners in costumes, the volunteers in their own outfits,and the security staff… CCTV broadcasted the event live to a worldwide audience of marathon lovers.

Qianjiang is named after the river it is on and is known for its lakes. The river and lakes intersect each other, and beautiful water views await at every corner.Fanwan Lake is the most famous and representative among all the lakes in Qianjiang.

About six years ago, I covered a report on Fanwan Lake. I remembered there was an island in the middle of the lake, above which, a pavilion stood. It was a fairyland. My daughter heard about the wild water chestnuts growing in the lake and insisted on picking them up with tree branches. Birds, most of them white mixed with some grey, as well as brown and black ones,flew through reeds, occasionally making stops on top of the reeds.Such grace and freedom made us jealous. On summer days, endless lotus leaves were like a huge green carpet linking the lake to the sky,and lotus flowers in sunshine are typically beautiful. I could see the view vividly through my mind’s eye.

Female champion reaching the finish line (Photo by He Dingke)女子冠军到达终点（何定科 摄）

Friends told me Fanwan Lake was no longer the same as before. A few decades ago, locals started filling up the lake in order to create more farmlands. The lake once shrank to about 5 km2.However, in recent years, the Qianjiang Municipal Government has adhered to the principle of sustainable development and has given priority to the protection and restoration of its wetlands.The Fanwan Lake restoration projects have been carried out—some farmlands were restored to lake, fishermen’s houses were relocated, and fishing nets were taken out. The area of wetlands was enlarged to 13 km2. The Ecological system was also improved, with fish and shrimp species re-introduced, and over 20,000 birds of different species returned. Last year, photography lovers came here to shoot baer’s pochard, a critically endangered type of duck.

朋友介绍说，返湾湖大变样了。上世纪，由于大面积围湖造田，返湾湖面积曾一度缩小到7000亩。近些年，潜江市坚持绿色环保的发展理念，高度重视湿地保护与修复，对返湾湖实施湿地生态修复工程，通过退田还湖、渔民搬迁、水上拆围等措施，扩大湿地面积到2万亩，改进生态，鱼虾资源逐渐恢复，鸟类种群数量已增加到2万多只。去年，摄影爱好者还拍到世界极危动物青头潜鸭。

多维度品味

潜马更多的不同，要通过身临其境的人，用眼睛、鼻子、耳朵、舌尖甚至全身心去感受。参加潜马的人一定会有共同的感受，潜马之旅，不仅仅是运动之旅，更是文化之旅、美食之旅、观光之旅和休闲之旅。

由中国田径协会和中国中央电视体育频道联合主办、智美体育集团独家运营的“奔跑中国”马拉松系列赛的重要一站——中国首届乡村湿地马拉松将在这里举行。潜江马拉松是继省会城市武汉之后，该项系列赛事的第五站。

刚刚跑过或经历过汉马的人，跑潜马的感觉是特殊的。环境是最大的不同。这里的乡间赛道，两边都是绿树和田野；这里的空气更加纯净，富含负氧离子，还带着泥土的芬芳和鱼虾的腥味。一路清草野花，让运动员心情舒畅，耐力倍增。会场主持人称这次马拉松为“绿色生态的马拉松”。

一周之前，在中国西南部城市昆明，“美丽中国”马拉松系列赛第一站的比赛刚刚结束，本次潜江返湾湖湿地马拉松，也是“美丽中国”系列赛的第二站。能够排在世界有名的春城之后作为“美丽中国”系列的潜江，为此感到自豪，这足以说明，潜江的美是全国公认的。

Kelai John Ekiru, male champion in full marathon, after crossing the finish line (Photo by He Dingke) 全马男子第一克拉义冲过终点后百感交集（何定科 摄）

至于舌尖上的感觉，当然要数潜江小龙虾。一阵奋力的奔跑下来，约上队友，来一盆油焖的、一盆蒜蓉的、一盆清蒸的……，和着美酒下肚，美美睡上一觉，其乐也哉！醒来之后，再去曹禺公园和曹禺纪念馆参观，领略一番“东方莎士比亚”的风采，了解些花鼓戏、皮影戏等非物质文化遗产方面的知识，你就会感觉到潜江的文化自觉和精致。

这次参加潜马的国际选手多来自肯尼亚、埃塞俄比亚、乌干达等非洲国家，他们几乎囊括本次比赛的男女前三。在问到他们对这个城市的感觉时，他们几乎异口同声，潜江太美了，跑在这样的赛道上非常轻松。

Marathon runners (Photo by Ma Yalun)选手风采（马亚伦 摄）

希望读者看过报道后，会产生对潜江的向往，来这座水乡园林之城，感受2500年大楚文化，嘬一回小龙虾，当然，还要到返湾湖国家湿地公园去观鸟、赏莲、吃螃蟹……◆

Tasting Qianjiang

The Qianjiang Marathon was much more than just a sports match. Participants had a full taste of it through their eyes,noses, ears, and tongues. The marathon was less a journey of sports than a journey of culture,cuisine, sightseeing, and leisure.

Co-organized by the Chinese Athletics Association and the CCTV Sports Channel, and solo operated by Wisdom Sports, the Qianjiang Marathon was the first marathon race taking place in a rural wetland. It was also the fifth event in a series of “Running China” events, after the Wuhan Marathon.

Runners who had just participated in the Wuhan Marathon would have had a different experience in Qianjiang.Here, the routes were village paths—different from asphalt roads. Along the route were green trees and fishy farmlands. The air,full of oxygen and muddy odor,smelled more pure, which boostedrunners’ stamina. No doubt the host of the marathon could not help dubbing it an “ecological marathon.”

Dragon dance (Photo by Su Zhuolin)大龙舞起来（苏卓琳 摄 ）

Wide-angle lens (Photo by Ma Yalun)广角镜（马亚伦 摄）

A week ago, Kunming, the “City of Spring” in southwestern China,hosted the first event in the“Amazing China Eco-Marathon Series.” The Qianjiang Fanwan Lake Wetland Marathon was the second one. The people of Qianjiang were proud that they could parallel Kunming,which is a token of recognition of Qianjiang’s beauty across the country.

As for tasting Qianjiang, the crayfish was the first option. After strenuous running, runners met together and ordered crayfish in different cooking styles: stewed,stir fried, steamed… What a good life it was to eat the delicious food with a couple of drinks before going for a nice sleep. The next morning, runners could pay a visit to Cao Yu Park and Cao Yu Museum to learn more about Cao Yu, who is widely recognized as the Shakespeare of the East.Visitors could also learn about flower drum opera and shadow plays, in which Qianjiang’s local culture specializes.

The foreign runners in the Qianjiang Marathon mostly came from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda,and other African countries. They garnered the top three spots for both men and women. When we interviewed them about the event, they all said Qianjiang was beautiful and that they enjoyed it very much.

I sincerely hope this report will arouse further curiosity about Qianjiang on the parts of our readers. I invite all to visit this city of crayfish, rice, and water gardens, to experience a 2500 year-old culture. So come watch birds, see lotus flowers, and eat crabs in Fanwan Wetland Park…◆