Official Release | 2019China Mountain Marathon Series·Guangyuan Station-“ICBC Cup”The Great Shu Road International Mountain Marathon Successfully Held

    On May 19, the 2019 China Mountain Marathon Series · Guangyuan Station — the Great Shu Road International Mountain Marathon, jointly organized by the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Sichuan Provincial Sports Bureau, and the People’s Government of Guangyuan City, and hosted by the Guangyuan Municipal Sports Bureau, the People’s Government of Jiange County, the People’s Government of Zhaohua District, and the Guangyuan Cultural Tourism Group, with exclusive operation by Beijing Nantianxing Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd., execution by Guangyuan Great Shu Road Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd., and media promotion by Paonair Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., commenced at Jianmenguan.

Opening Ceremony

    The event featured three categories — a 42km individual mountain marathon, a 21km individual mountain marathon, and a 10km mass fitness race — across six groups. It attracted over 3,000 mountain marathon enthusiasts from 13 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Malaysia, as well as from across China, all gathering along the ancient Shu Road to share in this grand sporting event.

Leaders’ Speeches

    At 8:30 AM, the race officially commenced at the Jianmenguan Tourist Center. The leaders and guests who led the starting ceremony included Wang Yongfeng, Deputy Director of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice President of the Chinese Mountaineering Association; Xu Qingyuan, Head of the Mass Sports Division of the Sichuan Provincial Sports Bureau; Olympic champion “Oriental Goddess of Speed” Wang Junxia; Olympic champion Zhang Shan; Liu Suying, Director of the Guangyuan Municipal Sports Bureau; Li Sai, Standing Committee Member of the Jiange County Party Committee and Deputy County Head; Zhu Yongguo, Standing Committee Member of the Zhaohua District Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission; Ying Chenghua, Deputy Head of the ICBC Guangyuan Branch; and Peng Shiyang, Chairman of the Guangyuan Cultural Tourism Group.

Leaders Fire the Starting Gun

Liu Peng, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee

Yang Xingping, Vice Governor of the Sichuan Provincial Government

Wang Fei, Secretary of the CPC Guangyuan Municipal Committee

    At 9:00 AM, Liu Peng, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee; Yang Xingping, Vice Governor of the Sichuan Provincial Government; Zhang Yudong, Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Song Ming, Deputy Director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Yang Limin, Deputy Director of the Sichuan Provincial Sports Bureau; Wang Fei, Secretary of the CPC Guangyuan Municipal Committee; Zou Zijing, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangyuan Municipal Committee and Mayor of Guangyuan; Deng Guangzhi, Director of the Guangyuan Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee; Yang Kai, Chairman of the Guangyuan Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; and Guo Zihui, General Manager of Beijing Nantianxing Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd., jointly sounded the starting gun. Finally, Liu Peng, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, announced the opening of the 2019 China Mountain Marathon Series · Guangyuan Station - "ICBC Cup" Great Shu Road International Mountain Marathon. Over 3,000 athletes then set off toward the challenging ancient Shu Road, saluting the mountains, recalling the historic paths, and enjoying the rivers of Shu along the way.

Leaders Lead the Run

Leaders Lead the Run

Runners Start

Runners Start

    The race started at the Jianmenguan Tourist Center and finished at the Zhaohua Ancient Town Tourist Reception Center. The course passed through the Jianmenguan Scenic Area, Qianyun Ancient Shu Road, Dazhao Township, and Niutou Mountain, ending in Zhaohua Ancient Town. The 42km individual race featured an elevation gain of over 1,400m, and the 21km individual race over 700m, offering significant challenges and truly reflecting what Li Bai described as “the difficulty of the Shu roads, harder to climb than the blue sky.”

Ancient Town Meets Marathon

Looking back, the Qin passes grow distant; taking a step, you realize how hard the Shu roads are

Songning Bridge is shaded by imperial cypresses and ancient pines on both ends, creating a timeless atmosphere

    In the end, Guan Yousheng from Guizhou Province won the men’s championship in the 42km individual race with a time of 2:38:27; Luo Tao from Guizhou Province and Yin Shunjin from Qinghai Province took second and third place, respectively.

    Zheng Wenrong from Yunnan Province won the women’s championship in the 42km individual race with a time of 3:27:37; Zhu Bingying from Henan Province and Yang Guangmei from Guizhou Province secured second and third places, respectively.

Award Ceremony

    Edea Feyissa Begna from Ethiopia won the men’s championship in the 21km individual race with a time of 1:21:25; Qi Chao Hai from Sichuan Province and Zhu Jiali from Guizhou Province took second and third place, respectively.

Zhou Lili from Guizhou Province won the women's championship in the 21KM individual race with a time of 1:43:35; Xia Wei from Sichuan Province and Mo Xiaoyan from Hubei Province took the women's runner-up and third place respectively in the 21KM individual race.

Scenery of Jianmenguan

    Jianmenguan is a national 5A-level tourist attraction, located at the northern edge of the Sichuan Basin within the fault-fold zone, at the midpoint between the Greater and Lesser Jian Mountains. The area features steep cliffs on both sides, with peaks resembling swords and cliffs standing opposite each other like a gate, hence the name "Jianmen" (Sword Gate). It is one of China’s most famous natural mountain passes, renowned as the "Most Precipitous Pass Under Heaven," "The First Pass Under Heaven," and "The Gateway to Shu." It forms the core scenic area of the Jianmenguan-Shu Road National Key Scenic Spot and the main part of the Jianmenguan National Forest Park. Its main characteristics are grandeur, danger, seclusion, and depth. Jianmenguan is a gap in the middle section of the hundreds-of-kilometers-long Greater Jian Mountain, presenting a terrain of "one man guarding the pass can hold off ten thousand." It holds extremely important strategic geographical value. Over a hundred battles have taken place here, more than ten emperors have visited, and countless literati have left nearly four thousand works.

Scenery of Zhaohua Ancient City

Zhaohua Ancient Cityis located in Zhaohua Town, Yuanba District, Guangyuan City. Formerly known as Jiameng, it has a history of over 4,000 years and a continuous county establishment history of 2,244 years, making it the best-preserved ancient Three Kingdoms city in China to date. Initially built during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Zhaohua was anciently called "Xi" or the State of Ju Hou; after the Qin conquered Shu, it was established as Jiameng County under Shu Commandery, often referred to as "the First County of Bashu and the Second Capital of Shu." The Jialing River flows here in a swirling pattern, forming a natural water system and a spontaneous Taiji formation, earning the reputation of the "World’s No.1 Landscape Taiji." Occupying a unique geographical position described as "to the east, the Jiebai Ferry blocks the way; to the west, the Tianxiong Pass guards the exit; to the south, heading toward Canglang, the Meiling Pass lies in between; to the north, crossing Yinping, the Baishui Pass stands for defense," it became a vital land-and-water hub integrating "pass" and "city." It is hailed as the "Throat of All Shu and the Lock of Northern Sichuan," serving as an ancient military stronghold heavily garrisoned and also the political, economic, and cultural center of northern Sichuan.

Running on the Ancient Shu Road

Peng Shiyang, Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Guangyuan Cultural Tourism Investment Group Co., Ltd., stated that the start of the 2019 China Mountain Marathon Series – Daxu Road Mountain Marathon in Guangyuan greatly promoted the cultural tourism of Guangyuan’s Daxu Road and advertised the Jianmenguan and Zhaohua Ancient City scenic areas. It played a significant role in boosting Guangyuan’s tourism development. Guangyuan Cultural Tourism Group and its subsidiary, Daxu Road Sports Industry Company, together with the municipal and county governments of Jiange and Zhaohua District, will continue to cultivate the Daxu Road brand. We aim to make the Daxu Road Mountain Marathon a top-tier domestic and internationally renowned branded event within three to five years, delivering a brand-new, most charming, and distinctive marathon for runners, tourists, and sports enthusiasts.

Highlights of the Race

Enthusiastic children high-fiving and cheering for the runners

The race route passes through Zhaohua Ancient City, offering participants the most authentic experience

"Go for it!Go for it!You’re the best!"

The clash between the Ancient Shu Road and international runners

Running toward victory