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More than 20,000 runners compete in the 2020 Shaoxing Marathon on Nov 8. [Photo/IC]

The annual Shaoxing Marathon was recently recognized as a national pilot event by the General Administration of Sport of China, local media reported on June 12.

Official statistics show that the 2020 edition attracted more than 20,000 runners from across the country.

Star participants included Asian 200m record holder Xie Zhenye, two-time Olympic canoeing champion Meng Guanliang, and Wang Liping, champion of the Sydney 2000 Olympics women's 20km race walk.

 Shaoxing yellow rice wine is given as a gift to runners who reach the finish line, regardless of their ranking. [Photo/WeChat account: sxfabu]

"With an investment of 23.51 million ($3.5 million), the event generated 264 million yuan in revenues," said a staff member of the municipal sports bureau.

He introduced that in 2021, over 2,000 sports activities were held in Shaoxing, over 250,000 people participated, and 1.8 billion yuan of revenues were generated.

Residents spent 15.07 billion yuan on sports in 2021, with their per capita consumption on sports reaching 2,859 yuan, up by 11 percent year-on-year,