Text: Kapok
Following the return of "Tianma" to the main city last year and was rated as "one of the most anticipated marathon events" of the year, "Tianma 2.0" officially opened today.
October is traditionally the peak season for marathons. However, it has been reported that the events originally scheduled to be held in Henan, Anhui, Hunan and other cities during this period were suddenly postponed or canceled due to changes in the competition system, or on the grounds that there were potential safety hazards in the venues and tracks, or on the grounds that the number of applicants was insufficient. For this reason, some people have worried that this year's Tianjin Marathon will still be held on time?
Today, the 2024 Tianjin Marathon not only fired as scheduled, but also greatly exceeded the number of applicants last year - data shows that more than 120,000 people participated in the registration of "Tianma" this year, an increase of nearly three percent over last year, of which more than half of the applicants were from other places. Many people can't help but ask, what is the "confidence" of "Tianma 2.0" to fire the gun as scheduled, and it is getting more and more attention?
Because, Tianjin is a "running" city!
Tianjin has been an important traditional sports town in the north since ancient times. Tianjin is the birthplace of basketball in China, and it also took the lead in introducing football and vigorously promoting tennis, badminton, billiards, etc. In 1907, Mr. Zhang Boling, the founder of Nankai University, first put forward the dream of "China should join the Olympic family as soon as possible" in Tianjin, making Tianjin the first city in China to call for the Olympic Games, and the strong Olympic complex has been rooted in the hearts of the people of Tianjin.
Sports should become an indispensable part of modern urban development and an important puzzle piece of a city's humanistic background. In the struggle to build a socialist sports power, generations of Tianjin athletes have created the Tianjin women's volleyball team spirit of "forging ahead, facing difficulties, fighting tenaciously and striving for the first", and the national sports spirit with "loyalty, innovation, craftsmanship and dedication" as the core. In recent years, the construction of "sports capital", "volleyball city" and strong sports city has been accelerated, which has made national fitness a trend in the land of Jingu.
According to reports, the oldest of the "Pegasus" contestants is 81 years old, and the youngest is 13 years old. In addition, 4,090 groups of families registered, and 800 groups of families were determined by lottery, with about 2,400 people participating. From professional runners to the general public, from the elderly to primary and secondary school students, the characteristics of the marathon "convenience, benefit the people, and healthy people" will further promote the concept of enjoying a healthy life in the hearts of the people.
On the marathon field, the stories of countless runners continue to move forward along the marathon track, running with the times and witnessing the progress of the whole city together. Holding marathons in a row not only reaps the enthusiasm and reputation of the public, but also imprints the humanistic style of the next city.
Because, Tianjin is a city with "magic"!
Many people say that the marathon venue is a "running city living room", which provides a vast promotion platform for the city and is a "multi-functional" sports event. The holding of "Tianma" as scheduled will undoubtedly make the city's tourism brand promotion and city image enhanced, and play a role that is difficult to replace other sports events.
The sparkling waves on the Haihe River, the five avenues are full of styles, the Italian style area is simple and elegant, and the TFI Higher Education Science and Technology Park is full of vitality...... In terms of route design, this event not only continues the many landmark attractions along the way of the previous competition, but also makes further optimization and adjustment, which not only contains the prosperity of a modern metropolis, but also shows the charm of the old city.
Through several hours of running and dozens of kilometers of tracks, the hard and soft power of the city is shown, and the national audience can enjoy the cityscape of Tianjin through the live broadcast lens of CCTV and the circle of friends of the contestants, and understand the culture, historical style and architecture of Tianjin in a multi-faceted way. Each contestant will use their own pace to add a strong touch to the picture of Tianjin, and jointly draw a picture of the city full of strength and hope with the same frequency resonance of heartbeat and pace.
Because, Tianjin is an open city!
The holding of a large-scale event not only tests the city's planning ability, construction level and management ability, but also requires multi-party linkage, which has high requirements for event organization, logistics support, post-competition services and other aspects. Previously, in some areas, due to insufficient preparation, there were accidents in the marathon, which still made many runners feel uneasy.
The success of "Tianma" is inseparable from the enthusiastic support of every Tianjin citizen. The volunteers were meticulous in every task, from pre-race check-in and on-site guidance to material supply and medical rescue; Countless citizens waved their flags and shouted to cheer for the players they didn't know...... It shows the appearance of a modern metropolis that is suitable for living and working, inclusive and open.
We have seen that in terms of material support for the event, The Tianjin Organizing Committee will provide 32,000 race bags and 34,200 finish bags to the runners, of which the race bags are equipped with a total of 200,000 copies of 9 types of items, and the finish bags are equipped with a total of 264,400 pieces of 8 kinds of food, as well as finishing towels and finisher medals...... In addition, in terms of volunteer service, the organizing committee recruited a total of 5,500 volunteers from 13 colleges and universities in the city, an increase of 500 over last year. All these complete arrangements can undoubtedly make every participant run more at ease.
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Of course, all the effort goes both ways. By accumulating experience in hosting events and fully mobilizing urban resources, it will undoubtedly help improve the level of urban construction management and bring more space for high-quality development.
The City Marathon is not only a national fitness sport, but also a vivid portrayal of a city's passion and progress. All lofty ambitions need to be focused on their feet to avoid becoming meaningless empty talk; Only by taking a step forward, every step is progress – perhaps, this is what the marathon has taught us. Just like a runner sprinting towards the goal, Tianjin, a city that "runs", will also have an infinitely wonderful future.
Source: Tianjin Daily