Administrators of a forest park near the city of Changchun, capital of Jilin province, have announced that they will be holding a marathon as the opening event of this year's summer fun festival, on June 13.

The Jingyuetan National Forest Park, a 5-A national park, will be holding four games -?a full marathon, at 42-km, a half marathon, at 21-km, a mini, at 7-km, and a children's version, at 1 km - with more than 200 runners from the United States, Germany, Ethiopia, and 20 other countries expected to take part.

This special Changchun event not only differs from the standard urban street marathon. It does it in a most fashionable way?- off-road and through a forest. All the tracks have been inspected and approved and consist of mountain ramps, sandy roads, green forest roads, and a road around the forest, with slopes. The race starts at the goddess square in front of the park and the runners get to pass by tourist spots, a forest golf course, the Wasa Museum, Siberian Tiger Park, and a highway across the mountains and rivers, combining nature with sports.

The organizer Chinese Athletic Association aims to give the annual summer event a new twist by combining it with ecology, relaxation, health, leisure, and tourism. There will also be other events such as themed running and a summer musical party for a real summer feast and escape from urban life.