“Chinese Race” Marathon Plans to Add “Breaking Asian Records” Related Awards to Incentive Plan
Beijing, China – In an effort to help more athletes achieve breakthroughs, the marathon’s “Chinese Racing” strategy will be upgrading its incentive plan to include “Breaking Asian Records” related awards, as reported on December 5th.
The initiative comes after Chinese marathon runner Yang Shaohui rewrote the Chinese marathon national record for the second time in Fukuoka, Japan on December 3. His new record of 2 hours, 07 minutes and 9 seconds bested the previous national record set by He Jie by 21 seconds.
The “Chinese Racing” strategy, launched in 2020 by the Chinese Athletics Association and Xtep, already offers rewards to Chinese athletes who break the national marathon record or run particular times. Now, with the addition of “Breaking Asian Records” related awards, more athletes will have the opportunity to achieve high levels of performance.
According to the provisions of the “Chinese Racing” record-breaking award, the athlete who breaks the Chinese marathon record will receive a bonus of RMB 1 million. Yang Shaohui is set to receive this reward, making him the most watched marathon runner in China this year.
Speaking on the recent improvements in Chinese marathon running, Yang Shaohui remarked, “Nowadays, young people are making rapid progress, which is what I hope to see. If everyone competes with each other, the Chinese marathon will get better and better.”
Looking ahead, the 2024 Xiamen Marathon, a platinum-label event set to begin in January, is expected to gather top domestic and foreign athletes. Strategic partner and Xtep representative Wang Jiaye highlighted the importance of inviting international platinum and gold label athletes to participate, as well as athletes who continue to create Chinese marathon history.
“The higher the level of participating athletes, the more motivation and desire they can inspire. Only by competing with masters can the overall level of Chinese marathon runners be continuously improved,” said Wang Jiaye.
In line with this vision, Xtep plans to work with the Chinese Athletics Association to promote the upgrade of the incentive plan for the “Chinese Racing” strategy, with a focus on adding “Breaking Asian Records” related awards. “I hope to help more athletes break through themselves and align themselves with Asia’s high level,” Wang Jiaye added.