2023 Yidu Half Marathon information

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

Time: The 2023 Yidu Half Marathon will kick off at 8 am on October 15.

Why October? Mid-October is the season when citrus fruits ripen, and marathon runners have the opportunity to run through the iconic orange groves!

The route: Both the half marathon (21.1 km) and the mini marathon (8 km) will start at the Yidu National Citrus Agricultural Park Cultural Plaza. The half marathon will end at Songgao Road, and the mini marathon at the Qinglin Leisure and Tourism Area.

How was the route chosen? The course for this event crosses through orange groves, the beautiful Qinglin Leisure and Tourism Area, a golf course, and the bank of the Qing River.

Yidu is known as the "Hometown of Citrus” in China. Citrus is one of the largest agricultural industries by planting area and has the largest number of farmers in Yidu.

Yidu citrus is among the top 10 famous fruits of Hubei. Citrus products are exported to Russia, Canada, and Southeast Asia. Canned oranges are exported to the United States, Japan, and the European Union. In 2022, the output value of Yidu's citrus industry exceeded 10 billion yuan (US$1.37 billion).

Participation: With a total of 8,000 runners signed up, the half marathon and the mini marathon will each have 4,000 runners.

The sponsor: Yidu HEC Group is sponsoring the event. Yidu HEC Group is a pharmaceutical manufacturing company and the only manufacturer of the patent-protected granule form oseltamivir phosphate in China.