In the first list of sports and recreational town pilot projects released by the Chinese General Sports Administration, Lvhua Town, marathon-based town located in the Chongming District of Shanghai will become one of the main priorities of Shanghai's sports industry.

Located 150 km from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Lvhua Town has become a popular place for local sports enthusiasts engaging in outdoor activities. The town which covers a 70,000 square meter sports area includes a 30km cycling route around a lake, an 8km running route and two public sports grounds. 

In the future, the mass-running participation industry will be marked as the main feature of this town along with cycling and water sports industries. Notably, the first ever marathon museum in China will be set up in Lvhua Town, as well as a professional marathon running and coaching academy. This academy “Wisdom Marathon Academy in Chongming, China” will be jointly set up by the Chinese sports company Wisdom Sports and the Shanghai University of Sport to offer professional marathon training to the national team and local clubs, as well as for amateur runners. Furthermore, the Marathon Gala China, an annual marathon conference hosted by the Chinese Athletic Association, will also reside in Lvhua Town.

In terms of marathon races, Lvhua Town will use the current running routes to organize 10km races with over 1,000 participants each week and a half-marathon distance race with over 2,000 runners each month. They also have a plan to organize a full-distance marathon race with the goal of attracting over 5,000 runners each year. 

Source: sohu

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick