On the afternoon of November 13th, 2018, the 14th Annual GZU Sports Festival & National Fitness Mini Marathon took place at Yuehu Square on the West Campus of GZU. This event was hosted by the Sports Committee of GZU and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Co., Ltd (ICBC). The College of Physical Education of GZU and the Guizhou Branch of ICBC jointly organized the activity. The opening ceremony was attended by Wang Fangheng, vice president of GZU; Wang Dufu, president of Peony Card Center of ICBC; and Shirley Yu-Tsui, Group Country Manager for Visa Greater China; and Jiang Yunzhi, vice president of ICBC Guizhou Branch. They were also invited to serve as the marathon starters.
Long before the start of the event, participants arrived at the activity venue, where they were provided with sports equipment and energy drinks from the organizers. The participants were divided into two groups: competition and experience. They would wear either red-orange or bright yellow sports T-shirts. Chips were used on T-shirts for recording the results; this also helped to prevent any violations of the competition rules during the competition. The organizers provided the runners with a small portable backpack with a route map and energy drinks in it; GZU also arranged rescue teams in case of life-threatening emergency in an effort to offer the best service for the runners.
Along the running route, the competition and experience runnings stood by, waiting for the start of the race. At the sound of the starting pistol, the marathon officially kicked off. The participants, wearing T-shirts specifically designed for the activity, looked young, energetic, and excited. A total of 3,000 people, including the runners and guests, all departed from Yuehu Square; they returned to the starting point after passing 27 stops including the Jinzheng Building, Yawen Building and Yuxian Plaza. The whole journey is 5 kilometers.
After a fierce competition, Xie Yongtong from the competition group, a sophomore from the College of Physical Education, crossed the finishing line in 15 minutes and won first place. Other runners made it to the finishing line some 30 minutes later.
Mr. Wang Fangheng and Mr. Mei Liang presented medals and certificates to the top ten runners, including 500 yuan for the first place runner, 400 yuan for second place, 300 yuan for third place, and 100 yuan for fourth to tenth place finishers.
The runners from the experience group and guests were also awarded certificates for completing the mini marathon. Each college involved in the marathon competition will be scored team points; the team score will be multiplied by 2; and the result will be added to the total score for the 14th GZU Sports Festival. The tally is based on the performances of the female and male participants respectively. The top 50 male and female participants will be awarded. The award is distributed as follows: first place will score 50 points, second place 49 points, third place 48 points, and so on.
Text: Wu Zhaoxia (Reporter Group), Zhao Junhao (Intern), Qin Shiqi (Intern), Zou Qihong (Intern)
Photography: Xiao Jingzhe, Peng Rou, GZU News Center
Chief Editor: Fan Jiajia
Senior Editor: Tang Juan
Translator: Li Xiaorong
Proofread: Zoe Novak, Zhou Jie
