Xishui reports that the “Yihubaiying — Running Towards a New Journey” Shiping Yilong Lake Marathon kicked off on April 30 with more than 5,000 participants from 18 countries.
After intense competition, the women’s full marathon championship was won by famous domestic marathon runner Yao Miao with a net score of 02:38:03, while the men’s full marathon championship was won by Qin Zhongfu with a net score of 02:19:39. During the race, Yao Miao’s most memorable impression was the scent of flowers and the stunning scenery along the track. The race took place during the blooming season of blue jacaranda and yellow laburnum flowers, which made her run with a joyful and carefree spirit. Despite narrowly missing out on first place in the race, well-known marathon athlete Yang Dinghong praised the Yilong Lake Marathon route as the “most beautiful special plateau lake race track” recently awarded by China City News. He believed that Yilong Lake was a deserving recipient of this title, and that this race route was the most beautiful one he has ever run on. As a professional marathon runner from Yunnan, he is also proud of his hometown’s achievement.
The event was organized by the Shiping County People’s Government. The race was exclusively planned and operated by Yunnan Fairyland 100 Marathon Cultural Industry Co., Ltd, as part of the Yunnan “Nine Plateau Lakes Marathon Grand Slam” series of events. The event included four races: full marathon, half marathon, 5km fun run, and 2.5km parent-chid mini-marathon, with a total of 5,000 participants.
Yilong Lake is the first plateau lake in Yunnan to complete the construction of an ecological corridor around the lake, with the fitness trail completed and opened to the public in 2019. The lake has hosted events such as the China Shiping Yangmei Festival Yilong Lake Bicycle Invitational, the “Yima Dangxian-Running Embracing the New Era” Yilong Lkae Marathon, and the “Colorful Yunnan National Fitness” demonstration series of activities. Since 2020, it has been awarded the title of Yunnan Sports Tourism Boutique Route for three consecutive years.
In recent years, Shiping County has insisted on the protection and management of Yilong Lake as the leader in promoting green, high-quality development, striving to create a channel for transforming “green mountains and blue waters into gold and silver.” It has fully completed the “China’s Most Beautiful Special Plateau Lake Race Track,” which allows visitors to “walk amidst the mountains and waters, and appreciate the scenery with each step.”
