by sportswriter He Leijing

NANJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- After having retired from athletics for nearly three decades, Wang Junxia, China's celebrated Olympic long-distance champion, dedicated her debut marathon run to a picturesque town in the city of Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province.

The 2025 Yangshan Half-Marathon, held on March 30, saw nearly 12,000 runners streaming through 1,667 hectares of blooming peach orchards in Yangshan, fondly known as China's "home of honey peaches."

"This is my first half-marathon since my retirement almost 30 years ago," said 52-year-old Wang, visibly moved. "I was invited to lead the participants in Yangshan for just 500 meters, but the breathtaking scenery of blooming peach blossoms alongside inspired me to finish all 21 kilometers."

The 1996 Olympic women's 5,000m gold medalist expressed instant affection for Yangshan's poetic landscape and charming architecture. "It's an exquisite town. You arrive enchanted and leave longing to return," Wang noted.

For local runner Lu Xiaowei, a peach farmer, the marathon has become more than just an athletic event. "When peach blossoms bloom in spring, tourists visit for the marathon and enjoy the flowers in the countryside. They then return in summer to order our peaches," he said.

Statistics show that Yangshan produced 35,000 tonnes of honey peaches last year, with the entire peach industry generating over 2 billion yuan (276 million U.S. dollars).

"Marathons have invigorated our town, driving booming business for local homestays and eateries," said Yang Yunyan, a government official in Yangshan, adding that the town also hosted a variety of cultural activities, including specialized food and photography exhibitions to further enrich visitor experiences.

In China, the arrival of spring signals the beginning of what has come to be known as the "Super Marathon Weekend," with various marathons taking place nationwide nearly every weekend.

These races, often infused with local flavor, are no longer merely athletic competitions and platforms promoting healthy running culture. They have evolved into a vibrant travel trend, helping heat up local economies.

Participants of the Hangzhou Marathon, for instance, can enjoy routes passing the iconic West Lake, while the Chengdu World Heritage Marathon highlights the scenic Dujiangyan area and features panda motifs.

The Wuxi Marathon took place on March 23, with blooming cherry blossoms and stunning views of the Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake, as major attractions for the 420,000 participants.

"Wuxi Marathon's course is so beautiful, passing through numerous scenic spots. I arrived a few days early with my family to tour around the city. It's a great way to combine the race with a family trip," said Zhang Qian, a runner who traveled 1,500 kilometers from Guangdong Province to participate.

To enhance the visitor experience, Wuxi offered more than 160 performances and exhibitions during the marathon week, along with over 400,000 discount vouchers for local attractions. The strategy reaped significant rewards: the marathon boosted local consumption in fields like dining, lodging and transport by 505 million yuan, up 78.2 percent year-on-year.

According to the Chinese Athletics Association's latest report, China hosted 749 road-running events in 2024, drawing around 7.05 million participants - up by one million compared to 2023. Leading events like the Shanghai Marathon saw average direct economic benefits of 419 million yuan.

"For running enthusiasts, choosing a city to run a marathon in has become a cultural trend," said Wang Zongping, a professor at Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

"And for host cities, delivering excellent experiences both on and off the racecourse is crucial. The indirect and ripple effects generated by these marathons are even more significant," he added. Enditem

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