Lushan Mountain to welcome marathon runners

About 7,000 marathon runners are going to compete in one of China's most popular scenic spots and a world renowned geology parks.

The Lushan half marathon will take place in Lushan Moutain scenic area in Jiujiang city of East China's Jiangxi province on Sept 21, sources from a news conference said on Friday.

Li Jun, deputy mayor of Jiujiang, said the run will be rich in both nature and culture in the world cultural heritage landmark. CCTV Sport will broadcast the run live.

The half marathon quota was so popular that 5,000 vacancies were signed within 48 hours. Another 2,000 runners will run a 4 km mini race.

The city pledges more efforts in the fitness-for-all campaign pushing for more sport institutes, facilities, events and health education.

Running is emerging as one of the most popular sport, and more Chinese cities are supporting the fitness campaign by hosting marathon events.