Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

POTENTIAL runners in this year’s Shenzhen International Marathon, to start at 8 a.m. Dec. 17 at the south square of the Shenzhen Civic Center, can apply to register at www.shenzhenmarathon.org.

The organizer is offering a total of 30,000 spots, including 12,000 for the full length, 12,000 for the half length and 6,000 for the 6-km run. The organizer will choose applicants to participate through a lottery system. The quota for full-length runners includes 300 teams. Each team consists of five members, three male and two female.

“The routes for the full-length and half-length runners are similar to last year’s event. They will start at the south square of the Shenzhen Civic Center and go westward onto Shennan Boulevard, turning south past the Shenzhen Bay Park along Shahe West Road. The route for half-marathon runners will end at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, while full-length runners will need to backtrack along the route and run eastward to Shenzhen Grand Theater before returning to the Civic Center,” Han Xingyuan, vice director of the Shenzhen sports administration, said at a news conference yesterday.

As the organizer has adopted a lottery system, applicants can register between 3 p.m. Oct. 10 and 5 p.m. Oct. 24. The result will be released Oct. 26 and fees will have to be paid between 10 a.m. Oct. 26 and 5 p.m. Nov. 4.

For Chinese runners, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, the costs are 200 yuan (US$29.52) for the full marathon, 120 yuan for the half marathon and 100 yuan for the 6-kilometer run.

For foreign nationals, the fee is US$35 for the full-length and half-length run and US$25 for the 6-kilometer run.

“The 2017 event in Shenzhen is the last leg of the serial activity Run in China, a brand activity organized by CCTV and the Chinese Athletic Association. The popularity and influence of the event will be magnified through the only national-level serial marathon event,” said Han.

The Shenzhen annual event, initiated in 2013, won the title of gold medal event from Chinese Athletics Association in 2015 and was selected last month by Shenzhen voters as one of the top 10 local sports events.

Zhang Han, vice president of Wisdom Sports Group, the operator of the marathon, said the organizer is branding the event into a popular sport with its unique features by referring to the practices of the world’s most popular marathon activities.