China returns to ‘old normal’ with 6,000 runners at Chongli trail race despite the coronavirus
- The event includes a range of distances with a ‘fantastic’ atmosphere after months of restrictions and coronavirus woes
As most of the world tentatively begins to host trail races with social distancing rules and restrictions, China hosted an event as big as any in the pre-Covid-19 landscape.
The Chongli 168 event had over 6,000 participants and a deep field of competitive runners starved of races in recent months. There were several distances, including 30km, 50km, 70km, 100km and the signature 168km race.
The International Trail Running Association has recommended a number of preventive measures. For other races in China, the same new standards are being applied.
“The field of runners was so deep at Chongli, many elite athletes, probably all the Chinese runners missed racing so much they came,” said Grigory Maksimov, a China-based Russian runner who finished fifth in the 168km race. “The whole atmosphere was fantastic. It was great.”
“It’s been ages since an actual race happened. Everything was normal, there was so much hype and media. It was special in these conditions.”