2018 Haikou Marathon kicks off Year Of 'Health and Joy'

HAIKOU, China - China's "Coconut City", the resort city of Haikou, a vacation paradise on the island province of Hainan, will launch its 2018 tourist season on January 14 when the starting gun fires for the 2018 Haikou Marathon. Organizers have been overwhelmed with people who are eager to "run joyfully on the healthful island," having received nearly 1 million applications for entry. The race is just the first in a planned a series of events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hainan's founding.

The Haikou Marathon, boasting an improved course and upgraded services, will start in the landmark Meishe River Fengxiang Wetland Park, which embodies the city's efforts to repair its ecosystem. The course then zig-zags through the city's most beautiful spots, including Riverside Avenue, Baishanmen Park, Century Bridge, Evergreen Garden, and Xixiu Beach. The route will create a unique racing experience that will immerse athletes in Haikou's natural ecology and poetic landscape.

Marathon enthusiasts will find themselves running shoulder-to-shoulder with a diverse range of athletes from around the world and from all walks of life. Official race T-shirts are made of cozy fabrics and are woven with Hainan's unique elements of naturalness and joy, highlighting the event's mentality of running for health and happiness. Each T-shirt has five Chinese characters printed on the back, which spell out "I love you, Haikou" in the local dialect - a tagline that expresses participants' passion toward the city.

To ensure success of the race, government agencies at all levels are working hand-in-hand to provide superior services including medical assistance and traffic control, said Xie Xiaoping of the Hainan government's Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Publication and Sports.

The 2018 Haikou Marathon has received support from China's leading developer, R&F Properties, which has been actively promoting athletics and a healthy lifestyle by sponsoring the event every year since 2015.

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