After eight years, the Kunming Half Marathon (abbreviated as "Kunming Marathon") returned to the main urban area, igniting the spring city with a full-run-of sports event and making "Yunnan" bloom brilliantly. On September 22, the 2024 Kunming Half Marathon and Kunming Yuxi Twin Cities Marathon (Kunming Station) started at Kunming Tuodong Sports Center.

Let's go!

At 8 a.m. that day, with the sound of the starting gun, 15,000 runners rushed out of the starting line and moved forward. From Tuodong Stadium to Kunming Dianchi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Centre, passing through Sanshi Street Business District, Yunfang Commercial City, Wanda Plaza, Kunming Flying Tigers Museum, Panlong River, Desheng Bridge, Jinma Biji Fang, Jinri Tower, Dongxi Temple Tower, Haihong Wetland, Wujiatang Wetland, etc., this is not only a marathon feast, but also a journey to deeply experience Kunming's urban culture.

The scene of race 

The runners marched forward on the track, and many Kunming residents cheered for the runners beside the track. Their smiling faces and shouts made the whole city excited. The 16 cheering points along the way each had its characteristics. Volunteers performed a series of special art performances, such as dragon dance, lion dance, folk dance, cheerleading, street dance, and Chinese-style band performances, showing the hospitality and the cultural and historical heritage of Spring City.

Award Ceremony  Photo by reporter Shangguan Yanjun

After fierce competition, the Ethiopian athlete MOHAMMED ABDILMEJID ABDELA won the men's championship of the 2024 Kunming Half Marathon and Kunming Yuxi Twin Cities Marathon (Kunming Station) with a time of 01:06:16; the athlete Wang Chao came second with a time of 01:06:37; and the athlete Jiang Jinzhi won the third place with a time of 01:06:54.

Award Ceremony  Photo by reporter Shangguan Yanjun

GEBRESLASIE BERIHA GEBREYOHANES from Ethiopia successfully won the Women's Group Championship of the 2024 Kunming Half Marathon and Kunming Yuxi Twin Cities Marathon (Kunming Station) with a time of 01:15:28, SEBA LAKECH GIRMA came second with a time of 01:17:24, and Luo Xia won the third place with a time of 01:20:04.

During the race

"I ran all the way here; the scenery was beautiful, the track was great, and the audience was very enthusiastic." As a first-time half marathon runner, Wang Chao was very satisfied with his result and hoped to make a bigger breakthrough next time.

Children participating in the fun run

"The marathon is exciting! Kunming Marathon, No. 1!" "I participated in this marathon to improve myself and challenge myself." "This year's marathon is very lively and has a distinct highland character of Yunnan Province." Participants Zheng Xianwan and Yu Xiangbo praised the event.

The scene of the 2024 Kunming Half Marathon and Kunming Yuxi Twin Cities Marathon (Kunming Station) 

"We feel that today's weather is particularly pleasant, and the entire track has a slight downhill slope, which is a good opportunity for us to get a 'PB'." "The overall feeling is excellent. I like running in this kind of environment. Today, I successfully broke my record." "The scenery along the way is beautiful, and the cultural heritage is vibrant. I ran the best results here." "The flowers along the way are gorgeous." "At every supply point,  young ladies are wearing ethnic costumes, which shows a strong ethnic flavor." Speaking of this competition, the Honghe Prefecture Lvchun Border Running Group praised it highly.

The race is Finished.

In addition to participating in the race, many out-of-town runners also enjoyed an unforgettable short trip in the name of the marathon. Ms. Zhang from Chongqing said that since she knew she had won the Kunming Marathon lottery, she planned to take a short trip to Kunming. Last Friday, she came to Kunming with her friends, climbed West Mountain, visited Dianchi Lake, explored the flower market, and savored Yunnan cross-bridge rice noodles. "Kunming's climate is perfect and comfortable. I will come again next time!"

The race is Finished.

This year's event has three categories: half-marathon (21.0975 km), 5 km fun run, and parent-child ecological run (5 km), attracting runners from all over the country to apply. After the lottery, tens of thousands of runners became the "protagonists" of this event. They enjoyed the beauty of Spring City with their footsteps and felt the charm and vitality of Kunming up close.

Wonderful moments

Wonderful moments

This tournament also provides technological empowerment for each participant. It introduces 3D technology to detect the route of the real track before the race so that the competitors can know the panorama of the track in a more comprehensive and detailed way in advance; it also introduces AI short video technology. With the combination of camera acquisition information technology, cloud computing, AI detection, and license plate recognition, participants can quickly obtain personal short videos of the marathon one hour after finishing the line without bringing their own video shooting equipment.

Highlights of the race

The design of the medal is highly ingenious.

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(Editors: Jennifer, Reena)