The 2024 Hunan (Nanxian County) Luowen Sea Flower Marathon will kick off at the Dongting Heart Square in Nanxian County, Yiyang, according to the Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television, and Sports of Nanxian County. A total of 4,500 runners from across the country will participate in the race, following the footsteps of spring through the canola flower fields.

The race will feature three categories of men's and women's marathon, men's and women's half marathon, and a fun run. Running through a vast of canola flowers fields, the course will lead participants past various rural landmarks and scenic spots, including the Statue of Dongting Dragon King's Daughter; Luowen Village – an artistic graffiti village; ring roads in Luowen Village; Ouchi River East Tributary Dyke; and, Sanxian Lake Reservoir. Runners will have the chance to enjoy the charm of culture and landscapes of Nanxian County.

In recent years, Nanxian County government has attached high importance to sporting events and national fitness. With a focus on the strategy of "building a sports powerhouse", the Nanxian county authority has vigorously promoted the initiative of building a healthy Nanxian County, resulting in a fitness boom. Nanxian County has also leveraged the popularity effect of sporting events to promote its culture and natural scenery. The integrated development of sports and tourism has been a new engine to drive high-quality economic and social development of the county. The Dongting Heart sports travel route was included in China's top 10 sports travel routes in 2019 and honored as one of China's quality sports travel routes in 2023.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday