2017 Xiamen Jimei Half Marathon ends

Participants at the starting line of the 2017 Xiamen Jimei Half Marathon Photo: Courtesy of the 2017 Xiamen Jimei Half Marathon

Three thousand Animation, Comic and Game (ACG) enthusiasts came out in their numbers to participate in the 2017 Xiamen Jimei Half Marathon in Jimen district, Xiamen, Fujian Province on November 19. 

A marriage between sports and ACG, the marathon drew numerous participants dressed in costumes that reflected the ACG genre.

The 2017 Xiamen Jimei Half Marathon consisted of a half marathon relay race and half marathons for men and women respectively.

After hours of competing, the team dubbed Wild Call won first place in the relay race to collect the 10,000 yuan ($1,516) prize. Teams Jimei Zuhe and Zhuifeng won second and third place respectively. Chen Haiyang won first place in the men's half marathon, and Hai Kaimei won in the women's race. Both were given 10,000 yuan in prize money.

Hosted by the Xiamen Sports Bureau, the Jimen district government and Migu Culture and Technology Group Co., Ltd (Migu), the marathon was created to promote health and wellness in a new and fun way by allowing participants to dress up in cosplay costumes. 

The event also served to boost the development of the local sports and tourism industries by highlighting tourism brands and making sports an important element of the regional tourism industry.

In addition to its ACG theme, the competition also featured a spectacular route that highlighted the best the Jimei district has to offer. The course took runners through the central public square and showed off riverways, garden views, the water sports center and many other aspects of Jimei district to the participants in the race.

The local government also held the 2017 Xiamen International Martial Arts Competition at the same time. Some 4,000 participants from 27 countries and regions participated in the competition which enabled them to showcase their skills and make friends through martial arts.