The Baoczi Marathon, scheduled for 2026 in Shansi Province in northwestern China, integrates the city's history and culture into the race itself. This event gathered 31 thousand runners.
The design of the sportswear and finisher medals is inspired by ancient Chinese bronze. The finisher medals are modeled after the Lai Pan, a ritual vessel from the Western Zhou Dynasty. Furthermore, runners who complete the distance in under three hours and thirty minutes receive a special clay horse, 'Baoma,' which is based on a sculpture from Fengxiang, recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
CGTN invited Mern Al Nasser to elaborate further on the cultural motifs behind the marathon's design development.