Excitement recently came to the idyllic water town of Xinghua, located in East China's Jiangsu province, in the form of the Jiangsu Xinghua Rural Commercial Bank · 2024 Xinghua Half-Marathon.

It took place on Oct 27, attracting the participation of 7,569 runners, including competitors from countries such as Japan and Sweden.

The race featured men's and women's half-marathons (21.10 kilometers) and a fun run (5 km).

The running course was located on Qianduo Beautiful Road and it crossed noted landmarks including Wujindang Bridge and Qianduo Cole Flower Scenic Area.

This allowed contestants to fully appreciate the charms of the water town, covered 30 percent by water and 70 percent by land.

After spirited competition, Chinese runner Mao Huajie won the men's half-marathon with a time of 1:05:50 and Chinese runner Liu Jingjing won the women's half-marathon with a time of 1:17:44.

To ensure a successful and exciting event, the organizing committee made careful preparations in safety, medical assistance, transport connections, volunteer services and other aspects of the competition.

Runners take in Xinghua's superb scenery along the course. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghuafabu]