Beijing Yanqing strives to create a new name card for triathlon
2024-08-26
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Original title: 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge will start on September 7 and 8
Beijing Yanqing strives to create a new name card for triathlon
At the foot of the Great Wall and beside the Guishui River, the much-anticipated 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge will soon open in Yanqing, Beijing. Recently, a pre-race live broadcast was launched, revealing the track settings and explaining adaptive training in advance, which attracted attention. It is understood that the event will be held on September 7 and 8 at the Beijing Expo International Tourism Resort, with the half-marathon age group competition held on September 7 and the full-marathon age group competition held on September 8. While showcasing the charm of triathlon, the event will further stimulate the green development momentum of Yanqing District.
Beijing's "Old Triathlon Players" Lead the Team to Explore the Way
The main competition venue of the 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge is the site of the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition. Yanqing District makes full use of the facilities there to complete the relevant settings for swimming and running events, so that participants can enjoy garden art while competing.
Since the conditions for entering the water have not yet been met, the live broadcast will mainly cover the tracks for cycling and running, the two transition areas, and corresponding adaptive training suggestions.
This live broadcast invited many senior triathletes in Beijing, ranging in age from 40 to 73. Among them, Mu Min, former president of the Beijing Triathlon Association, is the first generation of Chinese civilian triathletes and a founding member of the Beijing Triathlon Association. He started participating in the competition in 1987 and has nearly 40 years of experience. Now at the age of 73, he is still active in the triathlon arena.
Liu Yina, 72 years old this year, has participated in various domestic and international competitions and won many championships. In 2019, she participated in the triathlon in Hawaii in 14 hours and 05 minutes, and won the fifth place in the 65-69 age group. This is the first time that a Chinese triathlete has stepped onto the podium at the KONA World Championships. She will sign up for the 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge.
Ding Minggao, 65, has 30 years of experience in competitions and has won numerous honors. He shared that in 2004, he participated in the Australian International Ironman Super Triathlon and finished the 226-kilometer race in 11 hours, 28 minutes and 38 seconds. Because he was the best and oldest Asian male in his age group in the world's Super Triathlon, he was awarded the title of "Asia's No. 1 Ironman" by the World Iron Federation.
Qi Yujie, who is over 60 years old and has 14 years of experience in participating in the competition, has a new role in this year's Yanqing Triathlon. He is not a participant but a competition manager, examining the unreasonable aspects of each link and the obstacles and inconveniences for athletes. At the same time, he personally tests and experiences the track and other facilities.
According to reports, the half-marathon age group competition held on September 7 is 27.75 kilometers long, of which the swimming track is 0.75 kilometers long, a total of one lap, and will be held in the open water of the World Expo International Resort; the cycling track is 22 kilometers long, a total of one lap, starting from the first change area, riding out of the World Expo International Resort, passing through Park South Road, Huanhu South Road, Kangzhang Road, World Grape Garden Road, World Grape Garden Branch Road, Yanxia Road, Xishuncheng Street and then returning to the World Expo International Resort; the running track is 5 kilometers long and will be held in the World Expo International Resort. After starting from the second change area, it will pass through Guiyu East Road, Park North Road, Horticultural Town West Road, Park Middle Road, Guiyu West Road, and China Exhibition Garden Road.
The full-course age group competition held on September 8th is 53.5 kilometers long, of which the swimming track is 1.5 kilometers long, with a total of one lap, which is also held in the open water of the Expo International Resort; the cycling track is 42 kilometers long, with a total of two laps. The first lap is consistent with the half-marathon track route, and the second lap turns right at the intersection of Kangzhang Road and Kanghe Road to enter Yanxia Road; the running track is 10 kilometers long and is also held in the Expo International Resort. It consists of two small laps on the east side and a large lap on the west side. It turns right when passing the intersection of Park North Road/Guiyu East Road for the first two times, and turns left when passing for the third time.
Yanqing opens swimming in Guihe River for the first time
Beijing Expo Park has the Guishui River running through it, and is backed by the Haituo Mountains, presenting beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains, making it an ideal location for hosting triathlons. The swimming section of the event will be held in the Guishui River, which is the first time that the waters are open to the public.
The water environment here is relatively calm and safe, which is very friendly to novices. Compared with swimming in a vast, boundless sea, it does not cause too much psychological pressure. At the same time, because you don’t need to go around too many circles, you won’t make mistakes in remembering the circles or being disturbed.
Even so, it is still necessary to carry the open water event safety equipment designated by the International Swimming Federation and the Chinese Swimming Association - the tail-following swimming float. The brightly colored "tail-following float" can serve as a warning, self-rescue, and rescue of others.
It is reported that after getting out of the water at the starting point, you have to run 400 meters to reach the T1 transition area. The road section between the starting point and the T1 transition area will be covered with carpet.
As for how to switch from swimming to cycling, famous triathlete Dang Qi suggested after visiting the track that you can slow down a little in the last 100 meters of swimming to calm your heart rate before getting on the shore. "If you swim too intensely in the last 100 meters, your body will immediately change from a horizontal position to an upright running position, and the blood supply to the brain may be insufficient, making it easy to feel dizzy while running."
The butterfly-shaped Guiyi Theater is the T1 transition area. Participants must first quickly find their own parking spot, wear helmets, fasten buckles, and then touch bicycles, otherwise it will be considered a foul and penalized. Ride from the boarding line to the designated road outside the park to complete the corresponding mileage.
The flagpole next to the International Pavilion in the park is the T2 transition area for switching from cycling to running. After the cycling section, find a parking spot along the flagpole, change into running shoes and compete in the final running stage in the park.
When the contestants run back to the T2 change area, they will reach the finish arch next to the International Pavilion. As the core area of the event, the post-race functional area, supply area, recovery area, award area and main stage are also located in this area.
It is understood that in order to ensure that the contestants can finish the race smoothly and safely, the event will provide multiple medical points, ambulances, supply stations and other professional race services along the track. At the same time, the event will also provide contestants with a wealth of meal benefits, including a welcome dinner on Friday night (for full and half-marathon contestants), a pre-race energy meal on Saturday night (for full-marathon contestants), and a post-race recovery meal on Sunday (for full-marathon contestants). Through a variety of nutritionally balanced delicacies, the contestants will be helped to maintain their vitality before, during and after the race. In addition, Hyatt Regency Beijing Expo will also provide preferential and convenient conditions for contestants and their families to stay.
Green waters and green mountains bring gold and silver mountains
"Here, the water is clear, the mountains are close, the grass is green, and the sky is blue. You can fully experience the fun of sports between the mountains and water." Many "triathlon veterans" believe that most of the roads outside the park are tree-lined roads, which are very comfortable to ride, and the Rainbow Trail is also worth looking forward to. They said that they had participated in many competitions before, and they often ended in a hurry and chaos. On the one hand, the environment of the host venue was not good, and on the other hand, the track was narrow and crowded. Most of the Yanqing triathlon routes are set around the World Expo. The tracks inside and outside the park are picturesque and panoramic, allowing athletes to experience and enjoy the competition quietly.
Ren Jianghao, deputy district mayor of Yanqing District, said that the holding of international events in Yanqing is precisely due to the huge advantages brought by the local ecological environment, and this work is not a one-time effort.
Yanqing is the capital's ecological conservation area, and ecology is the foundation of the district. Yanqing District has always regarded protecting green waters and green mountains as its top priority and the ecological environment as its "No. 1 indicator." In 2023, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 in Yanqing District was 27.5 micrograms per cubic meter, ranking first in the city for three consecutive years, and reaching the national air quality level 2 standard for four consecutive years. There were 307 days with good air quality, accounting for 84.1%, the best in the city. The forest coverage rate in Yanqing District has reached 70%. Due to its high altitude and being in an upwind and upstream area, it has less pollution from outside, and its air quality is unique, making it Beijing's first "Chinese Natural Oxygen Bar."
The green mountains and clear waters have brought mountains of gold and silver to Yanqing and created three golden business cards.
The Great Wall is the leading "old-brand powerhouse" in Yanqing's cultural tourism. When Chinese and foreign tourists mention Yanqing, the first thing that comes to their mind and blurts out is the "Badaling Great Wall". The Badaling Great Wall is the earliest opened Great Wall scenic spot in China and has received the most tourists so far. It is also a historical and cultural attraction that Chinese and foreign tourists must visit when they come to Beijing. Data as of December 2023 show that the scenic spot has received more than 200 million Chinese and foreign tourists. Among them, from January 1 to November 20, 2023, the Badaling Great Wall scenic spot received more than 10 million tourists annually. This is the first time that the annual reception volume has exceeded 10 million since the scenic spot was opened to the outside world in the 1950s.
Ecology + culture and tourism, Yanqing's beautiful mountains, waters and scenery are becoming more and more valuable. The number of golden business cards with "ecology +" is increasing. The World Horticultural Expo and the Winter Olympics are two rising "newcomers".
The 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition opened grandly. It is the largest international horticultural exhibition so far. The 503-hectare area of the Expo Park is far larger than other Expos in the world. The Expo attracted 9.34 million visitors from home and abroad. During the construction process, more than 50,000 large trees in the park were retained in situ to protect the ecological background to the greatest extent. Among them, the original large tract of forest land on the north side of the park originated from the large-scale plain afforestation project in Yanqing's history.
After the closing of the Beijing Expo, the park was built into an ecological civilization demonstration base and a tourist destination for citizens, and provided service support for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Along the Expo Park to the north, between the Haituo Mountains, the Yanqing competition area of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics shines brightly.
As one of the three major competition areas for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Yanqing has a unique Winter Olympic heritage and mass sports foundation, making sports an important label for Yanqing District. In the post-Winter Olympics period, Yanqing Olympic Park has held 13 international and domestic high-level competitions in succession, continuing the glory of the Winter Olympics. In terms of the integrated development of sports and tourism, Yanqing District has launched a series of high-quality routes and special events, successfully created a series of events such as ice and snow, cycling, cross-country races, hiking, bridge, etc., and realized the transformation of "cold ice and snow" to "hot resources".
A new business card is in the works
Based on its profound sports heritage, Yanqing District is making every effort to build a national sports industry demonstration base. As a bridgehead for the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Sports, Culture and Tourism Belt, it is making every effort to promote the integrated development of sports and cultural tourism.
"In winter, Yanqing's ice and snow resources are the best in Beijing. In terms of quantity, Yanqing has three ski resorts; in terms of quality, the venue resources are the best. Five international-level ice and snow events were held last year. In summer, we also hope to have some iconic events to showcase Yanqing's resources and the achievements of Beijing's ecological civilization construction to the world." Ren Jianghao said that in 2023, Yanqing proposed the concept of "building an outdoor sports city", and outdoor sports include ice and snow, cycling, hiking, swimming, camping and other activities. Since the beginning of this year, Yanqing has held three cross-country races and one marathon, and two cross-country races will be held in the fall. The implementation of the 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge will once again enrich the event resources and sports assets of Yanqing District, and provide new impetus for the continued high-quality development of Yanqing District's mass sports and sports industry.
Ren Jianghao pointed out that Yanqing District will use the 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge as a display window to tap into the huge value potential behind the event, use the event as a link to activate the integrated development of sports and cultural tourism and other industries, and strive to create a dazzling new business card in the sports field of Yanqing District.
According to reports, the International Triathlon Challenge Family was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands. It has become the world's top triathlon series IP and one of the fastest growing mass triathlon brand events in the world. Currently, the International Triathlon Challenge Family has covered more than 30 countries and regions around the world, holding 40 triathlon events of various distances each year. The event has always been committed to promoting and popularizing triathlon, and has continuously connected friendships and conveyed the spirit of sports through in-depth cooperation with the host cities.
As a "China" triathlon event, the 2024 Beijing International Triathlon Challenge has been certified as an A+ level event of the China Triathlon Association, and will invite 12 top international professional athletes to participate. At the same time, the top three players in the men's and women's age groups in this event will be eligible to participate in the "2025 International Triathlon Challenge Series Championship" held in Samorin, Slovakia from May 16 to 18, 2025. In addition, the event will randomly select 5 players from the full-course age group registrations to provide direct registration qualifications for the "2025 Challenge Roth Big Iron Challenge", allowing players to show their love for triathlon and realize their unlimited potential for self-breakthrough on the international top event stage.
The biggest difference from other similar events is that this event will hold a carnival for the public, participants and their families to have fun and relax. Jort Vlam, CEO of the International Triathlon Challenge Series, said: "In addition to hosting high-quality competitions, we also want everyone to have a sense of going home, not just leaving after the competition, but to make it a very family-friendly event."
As an international brand, the event focuses on the differences between competitions held in different places, so as to provide different experiences for athletes and participants. Jört Fram pointed out that it was a very wise decision to choose Beijing, the capital of China, to host such an event. "I understand that China's triathlon is developing very fast, and more and more people like this sport. The track conditions of the Beijing Yanqing event are very good and beautiful; Yanqing has a very deep historical culture and sports heritage. Many athletes will bring their families to participate this time, and we hope that they will take this opportunity to take a good look at Beijing, which is also something we are happy to see."
The International Triathlon Challenge Series will be held in Yanqing, Beijing, which will further strengthen the deep bond between the event and China and create a benchmark triathlon event with high level, high specifications and high standards.
Jört Fram said that the short-term goal of this cooperation is to make the first event a success and give athletes from all over the world a better experience. The long-term goal is to create a tradition of triathlon and turn it into an annual event that is very attractive to international and domestic athletes. At this time of year, everyone will think of participating in the competition in Yanqing, Beijing. On the other hand, we also hope that more local sports enthusiasts will participate, challenge themselves through this sport, and establish a healthy lifestyle.
He believes that from the perspective of combining sports and cultural tourism, the holding of the event will attract participants and their families from all over the world to Beijing to experience the local customs and history and culture. The event lasts more than just one day. In addition to the competition, everyone can ride a bicycle or run to explore the venue and the surrounding customs.
