2024 Gui'an Cherry Blossom Women's Marathon kicks off

The 2024 Gui'an Cherry Blossom Women's Marathon is held at Gui'an Cherry Blossom Park. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

The 2024 Gui'an Cherry Blossom Women's Marathon took place at Gui'an Cherry Blossom Park in Southwest China's Guizhou province on March 10, with a total of 5,000 runners dashing through more than 10,000 mu (666.67 hectares) of blooming cherry blossom trees.

The event was divided into online and in-person races. The online race had a total of 11,682 registered participants and featured a full marathon (42.195 kilometers), a half marathon (21.0975 km), and a fun run (5 km).

The in-person race had a total of 10,576 registered participants for the quarter marathon, which was divided into a women's team and a men's team, drawing 3,000 runners and 2,000 runners for the two teams, respectively.

The in-person race started from Gui'an Avenue and passed through the cherry blossom park's tea factory, the cherry blossom park's viewing platform, Yinguan Bridge, Hongqi Bridge, and Gaofeng Interchange, and finally reached the finish line at Gaofeng Interchange's ramp, covering a total distance of 10.54 km.

After intense competition, Fan Kaili won the women's quarter marathon with a time of 40 minutes and 12 seconds, followed by Pan Shuangxue, who finished in 42 minutes and 11 seconds, and Lu Yinxiu, who finished in 42 minutes and 32 seconds.

In the men's quarter marathon, Ding Chengxu claimed the championship with a time of 33 minutes and 19 seconds, while Zhao Guohu took the second place with a time of 34 minutes and 15 seconds, and He Jianghua finished the third with a time of 35 minutes and 5 seconds.

"The race route was surrounded by beautiful scenery and fresh air. The participants were full of energy, and there were cheers along the way. I felt really great," said Fan.

She also mentioned that the race was well-organized and had a fantastic atmosphere, leaving a good impression on the runners. She wishes to revisit the cherry blossom park when the flowers are in full bloom.

The race provided exclusive uniforms featured with cherry blossoms for more than 1,000 runners. To ensure the race went smoothly, six medical stations, six ambulances, and 11 professional cycling rescue teams were set up.

Additionally, 369 volunteers from local colleges and universities and nearly 400 public security and traffic police officers were present to provide services to the participants.