On December 15, the 2019 National Mountaineering Fitness Trail League Finals (China? Panzhihua), hosted by the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Sichuan Provincial Sports Bureau, and the People's Government of Panzhihua City, and organized by the Panzhihua Education and Sports Bureau and the People's Government of Renhe District, Panzhihua City, and executed by Ningbo Zhuoao Sports Co., Ltd., was held at the National Mountaineering Fitness Trail in Renhe District, Panzhihua. Over 1,500 participants competed in the event (380 professional athletes, over 1,000 mass participants, and 120 parent-child participants), including 416 professional athletes and contestants from 15 provinces and cities such as Shanghai, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou.
At 8:00 AM, the opening ceremony was held at Puda Mango Park in Renhe District. Attendees included Zhang Zhijian, Deputy Director of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China; Jia Ruiyun, Secretary of the Panzhihua Municipal Committee; Wang Bo, Deputy Secretary of the Panzhihua Municipal Committee and Mayor; Xue Yun, Director of the Outdoor Sports Department of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China; Kong Wei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Panzhihua Municipal People’s Congress; Ma Xiaofeng, Vice Mayor of the Panzhihua Municipal Government; Li Ming, Vice Chairman of the Panzhihua Municipal CPPCC; Dong Zhiyun, Director of the Panzhihua Education and Sports Bureau; Ren Chujun, Secretary of the Renhe District Committee of Panzhihua; and other invited guests. At the ceremony, Jia Ruiyun declared the event open, Zhang Zhijian presented the National Mountaineering Fitness Trail League flag to the Panzhihua Municipal Government, and Wang Bo delivered a speech. Zhang Zhijian, Jia Ruiyun, Xue Yun, Wang Bo, Kong Wei, Ma Xiaofeng, Li Ming, Dong Zhiyun, and Ren Chujun jointly fired the starting gun to commence the competition. Also present were relevant officials from the event’s organizing committee and the Panzhihua Mass Fitness Guidance Committee. All participants and media reporters attended the opening ceremony. Prior to the ceremony, displays of local mass sports activities in Panzhihua brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
This event is yet another vibrant showcase of the city’s identity as “Heroic Panzhihua, a Sunny Health Resort” and its dynamic character of “sunshine, passion, vitality, and health.” The successful hosting of the competition will surely inject positive energy and new momentum into Panzhihua’s accelerated development into an “international sunny health tourism destination,” guiding the public to engage with the event, participate in sports, improve fitness, embrace health, and further satisfy the growing cultural and sports needs of the people as well as their aspirations for a better life.
The competition featured five categories: individual speed (long and short), team relay, mass fitness, and family-parent-child. On the trails, professional athletes chased the sunlight, racing forward and leaving firm footprints along the route; hiking and fitness enthusiasts ran amidst floral scents and through blossoming forests, enjoying the enchanting scenery of the Flower City; members of the family-parent-child group worked together in an atmosphere full of love and encouragement to complete various fun challenges, turning the event into a sports education activity that builds character through physical activity.
After four hours of intense competition, the 2019 National Mountaineering Fitness Trail League Finals (China·Panzhihua) concluded successfully. The men’s and women’s champions of the individual speed long-distance (25 km) category were Luo Tao and Zheng Wenrong, with times of 1 hour, 57 minutes, 05 seconds and 2 hours, 23 minutes, 10 seconds respectively; the men’s and women’s champions of the individual speed short-distance (9 km) category were Ye Zhaoyang and Long Yan, with times of 41 minutes, 36 seconds and 53 minutes, 44 seconds respectively; and the team relay champions were the Guizhou Century Runners, with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes, 18 seconds.
