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A half-marathon and a walking race have turned out to be a huge magnet for tens of thousands of sports enthusiasts across Jiangsu over the weekend.

On Sunday morning, the 2023 Nanjing Jiangning University Town Half Marathon began at the Jiangning University Town Sports Center, with over ten thousand marathon enthusiasts running amid the mountains and rivers, experiencing the fun of running.

To commemorate the first marathon of the New China held in Nanjing, the organizing committee also set up a special 1957 History Inheritance Group, with 17 participants participating in the race, marking the beginning of a marathon journey spanning 66 years. 17 runners participated in the first marathon of the New China in 1957.

"The host city of the first marathon has now held another marathon, which is the inheritance of the spirit of marathon sports. As athletes, we must uphold the spirit of never giving up and persevering," said Zhen Yueqing, Champion of the Inheritance Group of the Half Marathon at Nanjing Jiangning University Town.

Nantong, Wuxi, and Huai"an also held marathons over the weekend. Nearly 10000 athletes from over 20 countries and regions around the world participated in the Nantong Marathon, following the beautiful scenery of cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, and weeping crabapple flowers.

Runners of the Taihu Lake Women"s Half Marathon in Wuxi demonstrated their confidence and health through sports.

The Huai"an Marathon attracted 15000 athletes from South Africa, Australia as well as many provinces across the country.

"We hope to showcase the excellent ecological environment, cultural environment, and investment environment of the resort," said Ni Changchang, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Politics, Law and Social Affairs of Taihu Lake National Tourism Resort.

The second stop of the 2023 National Walking Grand Prix and the World Athletics Federation Walking Tour kicked off on Saturday in Taicang,a small city in the east of Jiangsu. Famous walking athletes and powerful dark horses from both domestic and foreign countries gathered in Taicang for a wonderful competition.

"We hope that the public can better participate in sports activities and feel the charm and vitality of sports," said Yan Hao, Director of Taicang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Film and Television.