Personalized Marathon Training Plan Guide
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bmw race hot but record broken completion rate high
The 2019 Shenzhen Bao'an International Marathon (hereinafter referred to as 'BMW') kicked off with great enthusiasm. The excitement was not only from the citizens of Bao'an but also from the weather. Today's highest temperature reached 26°C, with a sky full of dark clouds and a scorching sun that directly exposed runners to harsh ultraviolet rays.
Surprisingly, despite the high temperatures, all event records at BMW were broken. The men's marathon champion finished with a time of 2:10:46, improving the event record by nearly 4 minutes.
The women's marathon champion finished with a time of 2:35:37, improving the event record by nearly 13 minutes.
The men's half marathon champion finished with a time of 1:06:50, improving the event record by 5 seconds.
The women's half marathon champion finished with a time of 1:17:27, improving the event record by 21 seconds.
Moreover, the completion rate at BMW was exceptionally high, with a marathon completion rate of 94.19% and a half marathon completion rate of 97.58%, comparable to the Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen marathons.
Under the scorching sun, with event records broken and high completion rates, apart from marveling at the exceptional running abilities of African athletes, the significant progress of Chinese elite runners, and the increasing resilience of Chinese runners in high temperatures, are there any other reasons?
Support from domestic and international elite athletes
BMW aims to retain its 'China Athletics Association Gold Label Event' status and strive for the 'World Athletics Bronze Label Event.' To this end, the organizing committee specially invited 12 elite African athletes listed on the 'World Athletics' elite rankings. They lived up to expectations, not only achieving excellent results but also breaking the men's and women's marathon records at BMW, significantly improving the event records.
The organizing committee also invited the recently prominent Chinese marathon runner Yang Shaohui, who performed excellently at BMW, finishing with an impressive time of 2:14:12 and securing 4th place in the men's marathon and 1st place among domestic runners.
Last year's Chinese Marathon Grand Slam women's champion Li Dan was also invited by the organizing committee to run at BMW. Despite the high temperatures, she finished with a time of 3:01:16, which was not easy, ultimately winning the women's marathon domestic champion title.
The excellent results at BMW were due to the organizing committee's behind-the-scenes efforts, with many elite athletes from home and abroad invited, who also performed outstandingly.
Professional event, ample supplies
Before the race, the organizing committee closely monitored the weather conditions, knowing that there was a high probability of high temperatures on the day of the BMW race.
To cope with the high temperatures, the organizing committee added 3 more dust suppression vehicles to the original 7 cooling points, making a total of 5 dust suppression vehicles and 7 spray points, with 12 cooling points in total. Under the scorching heat, the dust suppression vehicles and spray points provided bursts of coolness to the runners, greatly alleviating the adverse effects of the high temperatures and helping the runners complete the race smoothly.
——The 'rainbow' sprayed by the dust suppression vehicles
This year, I chose to run the half marathon instead of the full marathon. Many half marathons only provide water and drinks, but BMW offered food supplies starting from 12.5 kilometers, with a variety of options, and also at 17.5 kilometers.
With 12 types of supplies including cucumbers, oranges, bananas, cherry tomatoes, chicken biscuits, energy gels, pickled mustard, and husband and wife cakes, hunger was not an issue, and I could head towards the finish line without feeling hungry.
There were also many private supply points along the way, especially from 'Love Running Superman,' who set up several private supply points along the route, providing runners with more energy to persist.
Superb atmosphere
Running on the BMW course, there were songs and drumbeats all the way, creating a lively atmosphere akin to a festival.
For many people, running a marathon is not about competition but about experiencing the different atmospheres and cultures of different cities. Bao'an is a place where tradition and modernity blend. Shenzhen is very young, with only a 40-year history as a city; however, Bao'an, with its name meaning 'peace through treasure,' has a rich history of 1,688 years as a county.
Along the way, traditional dragon and lion dance teams, with strong Lingnan characteristics, performed to the beat of drums, providing a visual and auditory feast for the runners, highlighting the rich historical sense of Bao'an.
On the BMW course, there were not only folk performance teams but also many bands singing pop music, performing inspiring songs that lifted spirits. This is a vibrant modern city. There were also foreign bands playing African drums and electric guitars, giving a sense of being in a different land.
It is said that there were as many as 30 music cheering stations along the route, plus the folk performance teams, totaling 49. On average, there was a cheering station every 1.4 kilometers, so runners could hear music or drumbeats wherever they ran, creating an excellent atmosphere.
The boundless energy of the young ladies
The gender ratio in Chinese marathons is roughly 7:3, with far more male runners than female runners, and BMW was no exception.
I personally think the organizing committee arranged a beautiful young lady at each kilometer point to motivate the male runners to run well. Each young lady at the kilometer points was pleasing to the eye, making me want to speed up to see the next beautiful young lady.
There were also young ladies at the cheering stations, dressed in youthful and vibrant clothes, cheering on the runners, but the male runners stopped to take pictures of them.
——I was one of the male runners who stopped to take pictures of the young ladies, O(∩_∩)O haha~
The organizing committee arranged 80 beautiful 'BMW Babes' at the start and finish points and along the course, adding a beautiful scenery line to the course and representing the youth, charm, and vitality of Shenzhen, bringing full energy to the runners, especially the male runners.
Compared to previous years, BMW has seen significant improvements in various aspects, with many details worth noting. The operating company, Borun Sports, has put in a lot of effort.
Organizing an event for over 20,000 people in about 40 days is more challenging than many can imagine, but Borun Sports mobilized significant resources to successfully organize BMW, making it highly valuable and commendable.
This year's BMW is, of course, not perfect, but I believe that if Borun Sports is given more time, they will do even better in the details, leaving us with more expectations for next year's BMW.
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