Endurance challenge goes the extra mile

The BMW Hood to Coast China Relay has become an annual feast for the nation's ever-growing legions of endurance enthusiasts in recent years. The news, therefore, that the 2020 edition has avoided the pandemic-enforced cancellations that befell many long-distance running events nationwide comes as a timely boost for fans of the race.

Better again, this year's edition will be bigger than ever after it was announced on Thursday that Zhangjiakou, a co-host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Hebei province will host an expanded field on Aug 28, with runners able to choose from two categories.

In previous editions, five-member teams were challenged to finish an 180-kilometer course within 24 hours. The track was divided into more than a dozen sections, with one team member required to complete each section while the other four traveled by car and interchanged at the end of every leg.

Different challenges await this year's hardy souls－a 234.3-kilometer race will be open to 37 10-member, two-car teams, while 400 five-member teams will contest a 147-km course. Organizers say that although the distance of the regular course has been shortened, it is more challenging than last year's route.

The longer relay will start at Daqing Mountain, while the regular group will begin at picturesque Senado Field. Both groups, comprising a total of 2,370 runners, will traverse tough mountain terrain and bucolic grasslands en route to the finish line at Wanlong Paradise Resort, where a grand party will be waiting for the finishers.

The original Hood to Coast Relay, founded in 1982, takes place in the US state of Oregon every August, with the race debuting in China in 2017.

Staging this year's event has been more challenging than previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers admit that they gave serious consideration to holding an alternative online event, whereby runners would record their progress on smart devices and upload their progress.

"I thought about the possibility of canceling this year's edition due to the pandemic. And we thought about organizing an online running event," Li Lu, the general manager of event organizer Starz Sports Running Culture, told China Daily.

"Even in an online event, our runners could finish the challenge in teams. Apart from the scenic views along the track, one of the primary attractions of our event is the teamwork involved."

Ultimately, though, China's successful containment of the coronavirus, allied to Li's hard work, has paved the way for the race to make a full return. "The biggest challenge has been the epidemic. At that time, no one knew what the future would hold," Li added.

"To be honest, we were really anxious in the first half of 2020, but we realized that worrying wouldn't do us any good. We needed to face the difficulties directly.

"We never thought, 'Well, we just need to cancel this year's race.' If we have to cancel it, we need to come up with alternatives. And as long as there's a tiny possibility, we will work hard to bring back this year's event."

The 2020 edition had originally been scheduled for June, however a brief resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Beijing scuppered that plan.

The setback prompted organizers to invite runners to share their experiences from previous editions of the race on live-streaming platforms. The aim, according to Li, was to "connect the runners who had no race to run and craved to return to the relay".

Local authorities have also made big efforts to help the race return.

"Since the Hood to Coast China Relay arrived at Zhangjiakou in 2017, the quality of the race has grown year by year. And the number of the participants has been increasing," said Feng Xiangqian, the deputy director of the sports administration of Zhangjiakou.

"The relay has become a flagship event in our city during the summer, and it makes a significant contribution to Zhangjiakou's sports and tourism industries.

"The year of 2020 has been unusual for all of us. Since February, running events everywhere have faced an unprecedented suspension. But now, thanks to everyone's efforts, we are emerging from those difficulties."