China half marathon offers cow, wild fish and chickens as prizes

Weibo

10/12/2024 04:56

HONG KONG, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A half marathon in China's
northeast province of Jilin announced an unusual selection of
prizes, with first over the line winning a cow and other runners
getting wild fish, geese or roosters, in a bid to attract more
participants and promote local produce.
    The organisers of the Nong'an Taipingchi Ice and Snow half
marathon on Dec. 29 said in a WeChat post that male and female
champions of the half marathon would be awarded a cow. The farm
animal could also be exchanged for 6,000 yuan ($827.81).
    Second place gets wild fish from Taiping pond, while other
prizes were geese, ducks and roosters from the same pond. Ten
kilograms (22 pounds) of rice and wheat would be given out to
other finishers. 
    "Grand prizes are coming and the champions are so proud. The
organising committee is full of sincerity," the post said. 
    The notice was widely circulated on Chinese social media and
ranked as one of the hottest topics on platform Weibo on
Tuesday. 
    "If the first place person lives overseas, do you need to
buy a high speed train ticket for cattle?," asked one user.
    The event is due to take place in the Wetland Park in
Nong'an County, Jilin, which is a major agriculture producer.
    Marathon running has grown rapidly in China in recent years
with a total of 622 marathons and half marathons held across the
country in 2023, with events taking place at a rate of nearly
two per day on average, according to the Chinese Athletics
Association.
    Smaller cities and counties with populations of a few
hundred thousand have also begun organising different kinds of
running events.  
    Chinese social media is teeming with comments on marathon
events, sportswear, equipment, training and diet tips. 
    More than 30 marathons and other road-running events were
held across China between Nov. 2 and 3, drawing approximately
400,000 participants, the Xinhua official news agency said last
week.   


($1 = 7.2480 Chinese yuan renminbi)

 (Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by
Michael Perry)
 ((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))