On the land of Heluo, figures chasing their dreams are leaping forward, and the city’s vitality is blooming with the paces of progress. On the morning of January 1st, facing the first ray of sunlight in the New Year, the “Zhongyuan Bank Cup” 2025 New Year’s Day Long-distance Running and Half Marathon Race in Luoyang City started passionately at the Luoyang Sports Center. More than 10,000 contestants from home and abroad welcomed the New Year in the way of running.
The New Year’s Day long-distance running race is a brand event for the national fitness campaign in Luoyang City. It has been held for the 45th session. Every year, the number of participants is over 10,000. It is the national fitness activity with the largest number of participants and the widest influence in Luoyang, and it is also the preferred way for sports-loving citizens to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. Since 2020, the Luoyang New Year’s Day long-distance running race has explored and reformed the mode of holding the event, adding a half-marathon event to create a marathon feast that combines professionalism, ornamental value and a sense of experience for runners.
With the theme of “Always Moving Forward in the New Year”, this New Year’s Day long-distance running event set up six project categories, including the half-marathon, the group of municipal organs, the fun run group, the parent-child run group, the student group, and the disabled group. The shortest distance was 3 kilometers, and the longest was 21.0975 kilometers, attracting more than 10,000 contestants to sign up for the event. Among them, the athletes participating in the half-marathon set off from the Luoyang Sports Center and went all the way north, passing through famous scenic spots or urban landmarks such as the Sui and Tang Dynasties City Ruins Botanical Garden, the Luoyang Museum, the Luoyang City Balcony, the Site of the Emperor’s Six-horse-drawn Chariot, the Paradise and Mingtang, and the Ying Tianmen. The finish line was located at the Dingdingmen Site Museum. During the running process, runners not only felt the joy of sports but also experienced the cultural deposits of Luoyang, an ancient capital with a history of thousands of years, as if traveling through time and space and having a dialogue with history.
Taking the event as a medium, cultural tourism prospers together. A marathon invites people to Luoyang City. This event has also officially kicked off the prelude to the “Traveling Through the Flourishing Tang Dynasty in Luoyang for the New Year” – Luoyang City’s cultural tourism activities for the “Double Festivals” in 2025!
During the “Double Festivals”, Luoyang has carefully created three theme scenes based on the new concept of cultural tourism development. When you come to Luoyang, you can travel through the Sui and Tang Dynasties Luoyang City and immerse yourself in experiencing the ritual sense of “Celebrating the New Year in the Palace”, such as having the imperial court’s New Year’s Eve dinner, the Grand Court Ceremony on New Year’s Day, Nuo Opera performances, and lighting the courtyard torches. You can also go to the Luoyi Ancient City to feel the hustle and bustle of “Celebrating the New Year in the Neighborhoods”, like making wishes and praying for good fortune, receiving blessings from the God of Literature, sending off the God of Poverty, and attending Hanfu weddings. Moreover, you can enjoy the magical atmosphere of “Celebrating the New Year on the Heavenly Street”, such as the imperial guards clearing the way, wandering performers singing songs, thousands of lights shining on the lamp trees, and the glorious splendor filling the air. Besides, there are also characteristic cultural tourism activities like the “Fireworks over Luoyang in the First Month of the Lunar Year” Spring Festival fireworks show and the “Mysterious Night at the Museum”. More than a hundred cultural tourism promotional activities that benefit the people, such as the Longmen Market and the Spring Festival New Year Goods Market, will unlock more new ways to enjoy the Spring Festival in the Divine Capital for you!
After more than an hour of competition, the champions and runners-up of the highly anticipated half-marathon event were announced.
The top three in the men’s half marathon.
【The top three in the men’s half marathon】
Champion: Abraham Kipruto Soi (Kenya), with a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
Runner-up: Zhu Jialin (China), with a time of 1 hour, 9 minutes and 12 seconds.
Third place: Sun Yuxiang (China), with a time of 1 hour, 10 minutes and 57 seconds.
【Top Three Women in the Half – Marathon】
Champion: Nemika Kori Mamure (Kenya), with a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes and 54 seconds.
Runner-up: Yu Hongfang (China), with a time of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 26 seconds.
Third place: Yang Linlin (China), with a time of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 27 seconds.
