National Games to see first cross-border marathon

The first cross-border marathon in the history of China's National Games, spanning Shenzhen of Guangdong and the Hong Kong special administrative region, will take place on Nov 15, as announced by the organizing committees of both regions on Wednesday.

It is one of two cross-border events in the ongoing 15th National Games, alongside a road cycling race held on Nov 8.

The marathon will include both men's and women's events, featuring 23 teams and 71 athletes from 22 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, including six athletes from Hong Kong and Macao. Participants include top domestic athletes such as He Jie, Wu Xiangdong, and Zhang Deshun.

The course will run through Shenzhen's Nanshan district and Hong Kong's Yuen Long district, with the Shenzhen segment covering 20.345 km, or 48.2 percent of the total route, according to the announcement of the organizing committees.

Runners in Shenzhen will pass through key landmarks, including Shenzhen Bay Port, Shenzhen Bay Park, Shenzhen Talent Park, and the Dasha River Ecological Corridor, offering views of the development of Shenzhen-Hong Kong integration and innovation, it added.

To ensure smooth operations, Shenzhen and Hong Kong are closely collaborating to implement a "zero delay, zero contact, zero waiting" seamless smart border crossing for personnel, vehicles, and materials. The event will employ facial recognition technology, in-transit vehicle monitoring, and real-time tracking to comprehensively manage and monitor participants and event vehicles.

On race day, temporary traffic controls will be in place on some roads in Shenzhen's Nanshan district, and Shenzhen Bay Port will halt passenger and cargo clearance from 2 am to 11 am, according to the organizing committee of Shenzhen. Travelers are advised to use alternative ports like Liantang, Huanggang, and Wenjindu, based on their operating hours.

Contact the writer at chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn