Government officials and distinguished guests jointly fired the starting gun for the event
“Bang!” On December 2, as the starting gun sounded, 10,000 runners participating in the Country Garden Clear Water Bay · 2018 Lingshui International Beach Half Marathon dashed off the starting line, competing fiercely on this beach known as the “singing beach.” After an intense race, Kenya’s KOECH JOHN took first place with a time of 1 hour, 12 minutes and 10 seconds, and Ethiopia’s TSION ABABU LEMMA won the women’s division with a time of 1 hour, 26 minutes and 47 seconds.
The Country Garden Clear Water Bay · 2018 Lingshui International Beach Half Marathon was jointly organized by the Chinese Athletics Association, the People’s Government of Lingshui Li Autonomous County, and Hainan Country Garden Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. It was guided by the Department of Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication, Sports of Hainan Province, and co-hosted by the Department of Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication, Sports of Lingshui Li Autonomous County and Shanghai Xingbo Sports Consulting Co., Ltd.
Clear Water Bay is located in the southeastern part of Lingshui Li Autonomous County, where visitors can enjoy clear waters, white sands, unique peaks, and peculiar rocks. The most fascinating feature is its crescent-shaped coastline, which is half rocky shore and half sandy beach, combining the distinctly different landscapes of eastern and western Hainan. The fine, silvery sand here produces a sound like silver bells when stepped on, earning it the title of China’s only “singing beach.”
The Country Garden Clear Water Bay · 2018 Lingshui International Beach Half Marathon was the first international event held in Hainan after the release of the “Guiding Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Supporting Hainan in Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Opening Up” in April this year. It also served as a grand tribute from Lingshui to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hainan becoming a province and establishing its special economic zone, as well as the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up. The event featured three categories: half marathon, 10-kilometer run, and 2.5-kilometer family run. Organizers created the world’s longest beach half marathon here (11 kilometers of ultra-long beach + 10.0975 kilometers along Clear Water Bay Avenue). According to incomplete statistics, the event attracted over 20,000 marathon enthusiasts and tourists from around the world and across China to Lingshui to enjoy the 11-kilometer beach scenery of Clear Water Bay.
Kenya’s KOECH JOHN wins the championship
“Running a marathon on the beach is a first for me,” said Zhang, a marathon enthusiast from Beijing. Running along the beach with the sea breeze in your face, alongside the azure waters, snow-white waves, and lush coconut groves, offers runners a completely different experience from city marathons—especially refreshing and uplifting. Although he didn’t achieve his best time due to adjusting to the terrain, he said he would definitely return to this beautiful place for another run.
Wang Zhenyu, CEO of Shanghai Xingbo Sports Consulting Co., Ltd., the organizer of the Country Garden Clear Water Bay · 2018 Lingshui International Beach Half Marathon, said that although marathon fever is booming across China, most events are too similar, taking place on urban main roads. However, the global trend for marathons should highlight a city’s unique geography and integrate the race with tourism. Therefore, this marathon was designed to showcase the distinctive features of Clear Water Bay in Lingshui, Hainan, resulting in the world’s longest beach half marathon. Compared to city marathons, beach marathons are more challenging, which is also the biggest highlight of this event.
According to a official from the Lingshui Li Autonomous County’s culture and sports department, as the first beach sports project selected for Hainan’s “Hundred-Day Major Investment Attraction” campaign, the Country Garden Clear Water Bay · 2018 Lingshui International Beach Half Marathon stands out by creating the world’s longest beach half marathon. With its unique “11-kilometer ultra-long beach track + 10-kilometer track” and the seamless integration of the Li ethnic group’s intangible cultural heritage—Li brocade—with the finisher medals, the event has drawn global attention to the singing shores of Clear Water Bay and to the sporty, healthy image of Lingshui. It not only showcases the most beautiful race scenery along China’s southern seas but also highlights the underlying strength of Lingshui’s development and rise.
Jian Yuping, regional president of Country Garden Real Estate Group’s Hainan division and title sponsor of the event, said in an interview that sports are an indispensable means of cultivating national quality, and promoting the continuous development of China’s sports industry is an important part of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Ten years ago, Country Garden focused on developing Hainan, selecting the most beautiful 12-kilometer bay in Zhuhai Coast, Lingshui, to create a dream vacation destination for the Chinese people’s “second life.” After a decade of construction and investment by Country Garden, Clear Water Bay has built a tourism-based industry and expanded into multiple industrial chains, becoming the most beautiful international resort bay. Moving forward, Country Garden will do its utmost to make this event the world’s most beautiful and joyful top-tier beach marathon brand.
Chen Chunmei, deputy head of Lingshui County, stated that 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up and the 30th anniversary of Hainan becoming a province and establishing its special economic zone. In April this year, President Xi announced that the Party Central Committee supports the establishment of a free trade pilot zone across the entire island of Hainan and supports the gradual exploration and steady advancement of a free trade port in Hainan. The “Guiding Opinions of the State Council on Supporting Hainan in Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Opening Up” also clearly encourage the development of beach sports, water sports, horse racing, and other events, and support the creation of national sports tourism demonstration zones. Against this exciting backdrop of development, Lingshui’s hosting of the 2018 International Half Marathon is a meaningful attempt to actively respond to the Party Central Committee’s Healthy China strategy, and also serves as a valuable platform to showcase the new look and image of reform and opening up through an international event.
She said that marathon running is a popular activity with high participation and strong appeal, truly embodying the concept of national fitness. By hosting an international beach half marathon, Lingshui can not only further enrich the variety of sports events in the county, but also, through the participation of athletes from countries along the Belt and Road, use this sports+culture+tourism event to position Lingshui as a link connecting countries along the Belt and Road, promoting Hainan and the beautiful Lingshui to the world in a healthy, aerobic way.
It is reported that the next step for Lingshui County’s culture and sports system will be to leverage the lasting impact of the Country Garden Clear Water Bay · 2018 Lingshui International Beach Half Marathon. With the development theme of “Firm Confidence, Building a Cultural Lingshui,” the county will implement the “Lingshui Cultural Revitalization” and “National Fitness Sports City” plans, focusing on three key areas: infrastructure construction, solidifying foundational work, and developing distinctive cultural and sports brands. This will further promote the development of the sports industry, deepen the integration of sports and tourism, enhance the vitality and depth of Lingshui’s sports culture, and make the city’s calling card even more prominent.