What’s included in the price of entering a marathon? A bib, entry into the timekeeping system and a certificate/medal of participation are all commonplace, but at one marathon in Nanjing, runners also receive free strawberries.
参加马拉松比赛的费用包括什么？号码布、进入计时系统和参赛证书/奖牌都是司空见惯的事情，但在南京的一场马拉松比赛中，跑者还获得了免费的草莓。
The 2023 Nanjing Lishui Half Marathon got underway at 08:30 yesterday, 26 March, at the foot of Wuxiang Mountain in our city’s beautiful Lishui District. All in, 12,000 runners took part along what is regarded as one of China’s most-beautiful marathon routes, with more than its fair share of challenges.
3月26日昨天上午8时30分，2023南京溧水半程马拉松赛在我市美丽的溧水区无象山麓开赛。总共有 12,000 名跑步者沿着被认为是中国最美丽的马拉松路线之一参加了比赛，挑战也超出了应有的水平。
When it was all over, Mesele Kiros Lema from Ethiopia and Huang Xin from Nanjing came first in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
比赛结束后，来自埃塞俄比亚的梅塞勒·基罗斯·莱马和来自南京的黄鑫分别获得男子组和女子组第一名。
Since its debut in 2015, the Lishui Half has thrice been awarded as a Gold Medal Event by the China Athletic Association, in the process becoming recognised by marathon enthusiasts across the country. According to the race organiser, over half of yesterday’s participants came from outside Nanjing, further proof that COVID is well and truly behind us.
自2015年举办以来，丽水半程赛已三次荣获中国田协金牌赛事，受到全国马拉松爱好者的认可。据赛事主办方介绍，昨天的参赛者中有一半以上来自南京以外的地区，这进一步证明新冠疫情已经完全过去了。
At 21.0975 kilometres, most of the Marathon’s route lies within the Wuxiang Mountain National Forest Park, with its reputation as Lishui’s top scenic spot. But its unique, natural terrain with its many gradients provides runners with additional tests of stamina. As such, on standby yesterday were nine ambulances, 10 medical providers, 30 sprint medics and more than 100 professional-medical personnel; a string of numbers which offered peace of mind for runners.
马拉松赛程全长21.0975公里，大部分线路位于素有丽水第一风景区之称的无想山国家森林公园内。但其独特的自然地形和众多的坡度为跑步者提供了额外的耐力考验。因此，昨天待命的有9辆救护车、10名医务人员、30名冲刺医务人员和100多名专业医务人员；一串让跑步者安心的数字。
As well as multiple cultural and scenic areas and more bamboo than you can point a stick at, runners also along the way passed the Fujiabian Agricultural Science and Technology Park.
除了多个文化景区和数不胜数的竹子，跑者们沿途还经过了傅家边农业科技园。
And that’s where the strawberries come in. Grown in the vicinity is an annual yield of 32,000 tonnes of strawberries, which pumps some ¥670 million into the local economy.
这就是草莓的用武之地。附近种植的草莓年产量为 32,000 吨，为当地经济带来约 6.7 亿日元的收入。
Starting from the race’s five-kilometre mark, strawberry stops were set up every 2.5 kilometres, together stocked with 500 kilograms of the delicious fruit, to give runners an energy bost. Some stopped to have a munch, while others attempted to grab a handful as they passed.
从比赛5公里开始，每隔2.5公里设立一个草莓站，共储备了500公斤美味的水果，为跑者补充能量。有些人停下来大口咀嚼，而另一些人则试图在路过时抓起一把。
Then there were the strawberry-goodie bags for finalists and a strawberry-gift box for the winners, plus many more inventive and fruity delights. It’s all helped the Nanjing Lishui Half Marathon to become known nationwide as the Strawberry Marathon.
然后还有为决赛入围者提供的草莓礼包和为获胜者提供的草莓礼盒，以及更多富有创意的水果美食。这一切都让南京溧水半程马拉松成为全国知名的“草莓马拉松”。
As reported by the Yangtze Evening News, a Mr. Wang, who had come from Shanghai to take part, said, “We come to the Lishui Half every year; it has the most beautiful ecology, the most enjoyable track and delicious strawberries. And we’ll definitely be back again next year”.
据扬子晚报报道，从上海赶来参赛的王先生说，“我们每年都来丽水半程，这里有最美的生态、最好玩的赛道、最美味的草莓，明年一定还会再来”。
For taking part, Wang also received a “Lishui Global Tourism” card, valid for a whole year. He said that after the race, he was next off to enjoy some of the local sights, such as Tiansheng Bridge, no doubt enjoying some more strawberries along the way.
参加活动，王还获得了“丽水环球旅游”卡，全年有效。他说，比赛结束后，他接下来要去看看当地的一些景点，比如天生桥，一路上无疑会吃到更多的草莓。
