Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN police will adopt a fluid vehicle control system for Sunday’s inaugural Shenzhen Angel International Marathon, closing Shennan Road and Shennan Boulevard section by section during the event.

    The control measures will be implemented according to the progress of the event, which starts at 7 a.m. and is expected to end at 1 p.m.

    Police suggested that residents use public transportation whenever possible Sunday. Drivers are encouraged to use Beihuan, Binhe and Binhai boulevards or Nanping Expressway.

    The route for the full-length marathon, of more than 42 kilometers, starts in the public square at Shenzhen Civic Center in Futian District and heads west to Nantou Checkpoint along Shennan Boulevard, before turning east to the intersection of Shennan Road Central and Hongling Road Central. From there, runners will turn back westward along Shennan Road Central and Shennan Boulevard before reaching the finish line, also at Shenzhen Civic Center.

    The 21.1-km half-marathon will follow the marathon route but will end at the TCL building near Shennan Boulevard in Nanshan District.

    A westbound section of Shennan Boulevard, between Jintian Flyover and Xinzhou Road, will be closed between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday for construction of facilities for the event.

    Roads in the Shenzhen Civic Center area will be closed Sunday, while underground parking will be open only to vehicles with certificates.

    To minimize the event’s impacts on traffic, police will control vehicles on the road section by section according to the progress of the races.

    The city’s first urban marathon will offer prize money totaling US$142,000, before taxes, to the top eight full-length runners in men’s and women’s divisions.

    The two overall winners will each be given a cash award of US$30,000. But the prize will drop to US$20,000 if the men’s winner fails to finish within two hours and 13 minutes or if the women’s winner takes longer than two hours and 30 minutes, race organizers said.

    Organizers have set a cap of 10,000 participants, including 2,500 for the full marathon, 2,000 for the half-marathon and 5,500 for the event’s 6-km race. The top 10 Shenzhen runners in the full marathon will each get 2,000 yuan.

    Shenzhen runners and residents showed strong enthusiasm for the event by filling registration for the marathon and half-marathon within two days after registration opened Sept. 9. More than 100 foreign runners have signed up to run.