On the 11th, the 2018 China Mountain Marathon Series "Shuangyu Island Cup" Zhangzhou Port Station in Fujian kicked off with great energy in the Zhangzhou Development Zone. Three of the world’s first mass-produced L4 autonomous buses, the "Apolong," along with Olympic champion Wang Junxia, renowned mountaineer Wang Yongfeng, and world champion Zhang Linli, led the race. The event attracted more than 4,000 athletes and mountain marathon enthusiasts from across the country.
The China Mountain Marathon Series is currently the most authoritative, professional, and high-end mountain marathon event in China. This year, there are 10 stations in total, with Zhangzhou Port Station being the only one in Fujian and also the only station in China featuring a seaside track, earning it the title of "Island Mountain Marathon." The event is organized by the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Fujian Provincial Sports Bureau, and the Zhangzhou Municipal People's Government, hosted by the Zhangzhou Development Zone Management Committee, sponsored by China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Co., Ltd. (Zhangzhou Development Zone), and co-organized by the Zhangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau, China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Co., Ltd., Fujian Yonghong Group, Fosun Group, and Zhangzhou China Merchants Port Co., Ltd. It is exclusively operated by Beijing Nantianxing Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd.
Leaders and guests attending the opening ceremony and firing the starting gun included Wu Qi, Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee Foundation and former Vice Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee; Wang Yongfeng, Deputy Director of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Mountaineering Association; Ding Yong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Zhangzhou Development Zone Management Committee; Li Wenmao, Head of the New Projects Department of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Mountaineering Association; Yang Qiaoping, Head of the Economic Division of the Fujian Provincial Sports Bureau; Olympic champion and "Oriental Deer" Wang Junxia; track and field world champion Zhang Linli; Zhu Weixian, Deputy Director of the Zhangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau; and Guo Zihui, General Manager of Beijing Nantianxing Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd.
The event featured three categories and six groups: a 42-kilometer race, a 21-kilometer individual race, and an 8-kilometer public fitness race. The 42-kilometer course had a cumulative elevation gain of about 1,200 meters, while the 21-kilometer course had an elevation gain of about 500 meters.
After fierce competition, Duan Dongjie from Yunnan won the men’s championship in the 42-kilometer individual race with a time of 3 hours, 4 minutes, and 10 seconds. The women’s champion was Lu Yangchun from Yunnan, with a time of 3 hours, 37 minutes, and 5 seconds. In the 21-kilometer individual race, the men’s champion was Zhang Huohua from Zhangzhou, Fujian, with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 15 seconds, and the women’s champion was Yao Meijie from Shandong, with a time of 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 7 seconds.
The course is a rare route in China that combines mountains, sea, lakes, islands, ports, tunnels, reservoirs, and charming towns. With beautiful scenery along the way and a variety of terrains, it comprehensively tests runners’ endurance and speed. It is highly favored by mountain marathon athletes and attracted well-known domestic trail running and mountain marathon participants such as Luo Tao.
Driverless vehicle "Apolong"
The appearance of the driverless vehicle "Apolong" leading the race excited the on-site crowd. Wang Yongfeng, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, said that having a driverless vehicle lead a marathon is unprecedented in China. What people are more familiar with are motorcycle and car leads. The innovative use of a driverless vehicle at the Zhangzhou Port Station is believed to set a trend that will lead the nation. World champion Zhang Linli also shared her thoughts, saying, "This innovation is not only particularly cool and novel, but it is also very beneficial to the natural environment and the athletes. I hope this format can be promoted."
"This place is so beautiful. I didn’t expect it to be this gorgeous," Olympic champion Wang Junxia shared her feelings about leading the race with reporters. "This is my first time participating in a mountain marathon. On Shuangyu Island, you can feel the sky is especially blue, and the vegetation and flowers in the Nanputuo Mountain Ecological Park are especially beautiful. I believe the runners from all over the country will have a wonderful experience. I recommend everyone come and feel it for themselves." Yao Meijie, the women’s champion of the 21-kilometer individual race, said, "Competing in Zhangzhou Port allows you to enjoy both the race and the beautiful scenery."
This is the second consecutive year that the Zhangzhou Development Zone has hosted the event, aiming to showcase the area’s vibrant and fashionable seaside culture and rich eco-tourism resources, and to promote the integrated development of sports, culture, and tourism industries through the mountain marathon. In recent years, the Zhangzhou Development Zone has actively cultivated five major hundred-billion-yuan industrial clusters: pan-information technology, intelligent vehicles, cultural tourism, health care, and high-end intelligent manufacturing, with initial signs of transformation success. The Zhangzhou Development Zone, along with Xiong’an New Area, has become a smart driving partner of Baidu. Two demonstration application roads have been built on Shuangyu Island, where semi-open testing of driverless vehicles has begun, striving to create a national-level intelligent vehicle-road coordination and autonomous driving application demonstration zone.
Text by Zhuang Xiaoling
Photos provided by Wu Qinghai, Zheng Youchu, Li sning, erzuo tuo, and Huo /p>
42km Men’s Individual Race Top 3 Results:
1. Duan Dongjie, Yunnan – 3:04:10
2. Luo Tao, Guizhou – 3:04:10
3. Zhang Changlin, Sichuan – 3:05:44
42km Men’s Individual Race Winners Luo Tao, Duan Dongjie, Zhang Changlin (left to right)
42km Women’s Individual Race Top 3 Results:
1. Lu Yangchun, Yunnan – 3:37:05
2. Jiang Xilan, Guangdong – 3:56:07
3. Zhou Lili, Guizhou – 4:08:01
42km Women’s Individual Race Winners Jiang Xilan, Lu Yangchun, Zhou Lili (left to right)
21km Men’s Individual Race Top 3 Results:
1. Zhang Huohua, Fujian – 1:21:15
2. Li Zhengyue, Fujian – 1:22:21
3. Lin Zeyong, Fujian – 1:24:08
21km Men’s Individual Race Winners Li Zhengyue, Zhang Huohua, Lin Zeyong (left to right)
21km Women’s Individual Race Top 3 Results:
1 Yao Meijie Shandong 1 hour 39 minutes 07 seconds 778
2 Huang Xiaoming Fujian 1 hour 43 minutes 17 seconds 710
3 Zhang Na Liaoning 1 hour 46 minutes 27 seconds 182
21km individual race female category winners Huang Xiaoming, Yao Meijie, and Zhang Na (from left to right)