Off and Running
By Li Nan
The Xiamen Marathon on January 6 in southeast China's Fujian Province draws 28,208 participants
Xiamen Marathon leading the way in race planning and environmental awareness
Y e Wei's New Year was quite literally off to a running start. The 35-year-old, who works at a stateowned enterprise in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, came 12th among Chinese runners at the 2019 Xiamen Marathon on January 6, clocking his personal best time of 2 hours 29 minutes.It showed how much his physical fi tness has improved. The first time he took part in 2003, he couldn't even fi nish the marathon.
“I reached the end by taking the aid car,”Ye said of his first failed attempt. But 16 years of persistence has made him the best marathoner in Xiamen. Ye attributed his improved performance to persistent training and a newly introduced system in the marathon, the “wave start.” It is a staggered start in which the top-seeded runners get off first, with the rest following in two waves. “The wave start allowed me to run with people who are really good at pacing,” Ye told ChinAfrica. The Xiamen Marathon became the first Chinese marathon to adopt the system last year.
Bigger and better
It is among the marathon's many firsts,including the first to be part of the UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign to clear the oceans of plastic. Launched in 2003, the Xiamen Marathon, held every January is one of China's premier marathons. It has been recognized as a Gold Label Road Race by the IAAF and carries a top prize of $50,000.The aim is to upgrade to a Platinum Label Road Race by 2020, which requires a minimum of 50 participants from the top 200 runners in the IAAF World Rankings or from the top 100 of Asia.
Applicants for the Xiamen Marathon reached a record high of 81,000 this year,Wu Mingxian, Deputy Director of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Sports, said. They were shortlisted to 28,208, who took part in the race. “It shows that the Xiamen Marathon is an attractive event for runners,” Qi Bing, Chairman of the Xiamen Media Group Sports Co., told ChinAfrica.
He Yinli, the fastest Chinese female runner in the competition, echoed Debela, saying the course was well planned and that marathon is maturing and becoming more professional. “China's marathon organizers are providing more thorough services for runners,” she said.
Michael Nishi, a member of the IAAF assessment team, said the marathon was exceeded his expectations. “It has been a very good experience. Everything I saw today pointed to a great event,” he said on the day of the marathon.
群体心理学告诉我们，由于本能力量的作用，由于相互感染的作用，由于彼此暗示的作用等等，群体能消灭个人的独立意识，消灭个人的独立思考能力，消灭个人的理性。因此，一个人在群体中的言行举止很容易丧失理智，甚至做出很没有道理很荒唐的事情来。如果有了对立情绪，这种情绪更会快速在群体中蔓延，形成一种强大的力量。因此，哪怕是一位最富理性的长者，在群体中也会变得盲目和混乱，何况未成熟的正处于青春期的学生？
物联网作为我国战略新兴产业，在国民经济中有着举足轻重的地位。在新的经济背景下，物流网也迎来了前所未有的发展良机。同时，也面临了诸多的挑战。在新的历史条件下，要通过完善发展规划和产业技术标准体系，加强物联网核心技术的研发、推动技术创新，建立物联网安全保障体系，加大物联网产业财政投入力度，从而促使物联网产业实现平稳健康发展。
高压电网中，线路有功潮流间具有比较好的线性关系，方便建立预想故障前后有功潮流间的联系。通过对设备进行分组，将并联运行的线路或者并列运行的主变划分为一个组。对于同一组内的设备，只需根据载流量限值与分支系数之间的比值选择一个设备进行监视即可，从而进一步减少约束条件的个数。
“The race course is good, and the weather is really nice. I like to race in China,” said Dejene Debela, the race's defending champion. Debela, a 24-year-old Ethiopian,clocked 2 hours 9 minutes and 6 seconds this year. He has already won three marathons in China, two of them in Xiamen.Ethiopian athletes fared well at this year's race as all of the top three in both men's and women's events were from Ethiopia.
玉敏像炸鞭似的，噼里啪啦炸了一串，把许沁炸醒了，抿着嘴半天没开口。玉敏说许姐，这事的来龙去脉已经很清楚了，只要我们配合，把事情圆满解决了，不但你我能成朋友，你和我姑父之间也不会弄僵，他肯定能理解你，因为你要钻戒最终是还给我的。
Benefits for all
The marathon was born out of a letter from a sports-loving resident Ma Da. In 2002, Ma wrote to the local government, suggesting that a marathon be started on the renovated and greened Huandao Road, whose length equals the course of a full marathon. The government heeded the suggestion and the next year, the marathon kicked off with 11,988 runners.
The recent years have seen a boom in marathons in China. In 2013, there were only 39 running events nationwide, but the number surged to 1,102 in 2017, according to Wang Nan, Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA).
About 15 supply stations were set up along the route, providing free water, food, energy bars and salt tablets. Medical teams and ambulances stood by every kilometer. When the event was over, there were post-race services such as foot baths and massages.
Dejene Debela wins the 2019 Xiamen Marathon
The Xiamen Marathon engages not only runners but also non-runners, who come to volunteer. This year, there were more than 5,000 volunteers and 80 cheering squads.“More and more citizens are volunteering for the event,” Qi said. The marathon has become a local carnival where winners'family and friends can share the limelight as they are invited to put the medals around the victors' necks. All runners enjoy free transportation in Xiamen on the day of the marathon. “We hope that runners can feel the hospitality and warmth of the city,” said Qi.
The tipping point
Now more than 600,000 runners have taken part in the event since its inception and marathon visitors have become a driver of local tourism. According to Qi, in 2018, the marathon resulted in direct economic benefits worth 291 million yuan ($42.6 million).Because of the marathon, road races have become the most popular sport in Xiamen.
2008年以前，居民部门的杠杆率一直维持较低水平，而且增长较为缓慢，但是2008年之后，居民部门的杠杆率迅速上升，2008年到2017年增长了31个百分点，截止到2017年年底居民部门的杠杆率达到49%。杠杆率过快的增长意味着意味着偿付性风险和流动性风险的增加，但是由于中国居民具有大量的流动性资产可以对抗流动性风险，所以居民部门杠杆率风险并不高，横向对比可以发现，中国居民部门的杠杆率远远低于其他发达国家。因此并不需要过分担心中国居民部门的杠杆率。
At the third China Marathon Expo, held three days before the Xiamen Marathon,Wang said 2018 was “the tipping point of China's marathon development, which is switching from a high-speed boom to a trajectory of viable and quality development.”However, the rapid popularity is also bringing problems in its wake, such as unprofessional management, which has triggered a debate on marathons in China, she said.
However, Wang said the debate is neither unexpected, nor a bad thing. “It means that marathons are attracting more and more public attention in China,” she said. “Being in the spotlight helps us to improve the management of the marathons.”
In the past two years, the CAA issued several guidelines to improve marathon operations. In 2018, it offered five training workshops for marathon organizers.
A green message
The Xiamen Marathon, as part of the UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign to clear the oceans of plastic, sent out a strong green message. Biodegradable cups and barreled water were offered during the event to cut down on the use of plastic. The Clean Seas campaign, started in February 2017, urges governments to pass plastic reduction policies to minimize plastic packaging and redesign products. It calls on consumers to change their plastic throwaway habits before irreversible damage is done to the seas.
Naysan Sahba, Director of UN Environment's Communications Division, called the marathon's anti-plastic measure a significant act. He hoped the marathon would also switch to alternative materials for its badges, medals and wrist bands to set a world-class example not only as a marathon but also as a sustainable event.
“I think the organizers, the city, and sponsors of the Xiamen Marathon will take even further steps to get all the way down to zero waste,” Sahba said, calling on all marathons in China and all sporting events around the world to turn the tide on plastic usage. CA
*Reporting from Xiamen, Fujian Province
*Comments to niyanshuo@chinafrica.cn