| July, 8 2004 | ||
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| The “2003 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon” will
be held as the opening event of the Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion
Festival on Saturday, November 13, 2004 in Shanghai, China’s largest city
which is rapidly growing to be one of the major financial centers of the world.
This event will be organized by the China Athletic Sports Association and the
Shanghai City Sports Federation under the special sponsorship of Toray Industries,
Inc. and Toray Industries (China) Co., Ltd. The Toray Cup Shanghai International
Marathon Organizing Committee will begin accepting applications from runners
who wish to participate in the marathon from Monday, August 2, 2004. |
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The Shanghai International Marathon is a citizens’ marathon welcoming more than 15,000 runners from Shanghai and abroad as befitting the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai. It will enable participants to run through Shanghai and enjoy the sites of China’s largest city where the old and the new come together. The event will again offer three races: full marathon (42.195 km), half marathon (21.0975 km), and fun marathon (4.5 km). Runners will start from the historic Peace Hotel symbolic of Shanghai, and run through “Nanjing Road,” the city’s largest main street, from east to west. The Shanghai Stadium is the goal for the full and half marathons, and Jing An Park is the goal for the fun marathon. With only a few ups and downs, runners should be able to run the courses comfortably, while enjoying the sites of Shanghai. The vast number of runners from around the world running en masse through the city of Shanghai promises to be a spectacular sight. China is today experiencing an “Olympics boom” in anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and its people are showing increasing interest in marathon as an Olympic event. Therefore, as one of the major citizens’ marathons in China and as an opening event of the Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival to enhance Shanghai citizens’ mental and physical health, the Shanghai International Marathon is again expected to draw the participation of a large number of people this year. Owing to the many attractions of Shanghai and Shanghai’s proximity with Japan, the Shanghai International Marathon is also gaining interest in Japan, and the number of Japanese participants is increasing each year. Last year, approximately 700 runners from Japan ran in the marathon and received cheers of support by elementary and junior high school children presenting dances and other performances along the route. Among the runners were three athletes who were invited to run in the women’s half marathon. Esther Wanjiru Maina (Shiseido) captured the victory, while Ai Hirayama (Phiten) came in second and Ai Mitamura (Phiten) came in third, dominating the prizes for this category. The special sponsor of the Shanghai International Marathon, Toray Industries, Inc., is aggressively expanding businesses in China. It is currently engaged in the large-scale integrated production of polyester fiber from the production of raw material to the weaving and dyeing of the fiber, in Nantong City of Jiangsu Province. Two of its most recent developments in China include the establishment of Toray Industries (China) Co., Ltd. to serve as its base for business operations in China, and the launching of a new global brand called “TOREX.” As a worldwide enterprise, Toray supports the Shanghai International Marathon in hopes of contributing to the promotion of sports and cultural exchange not only between Japan and China, but among all countries in the world. Shanghai enjoys mild weather in mid-November, when this year’s marathon will be held. It is an ideal time for sightseeing in Shanghai, not to mention participating in the marathon. The Bund district with rows of stately European-style buildings and the beauty of the Yo Garden that was created in the Ming dynasty era are two of the most attractive spots in Shanghai. Topped by exquisite Shanghai crabs in season, runners are certain to forget their fatigue from running. The outline of the “Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival—2004 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon” is described below. |
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 *Photo: 2003 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon |
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Outline of “Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival- 2004 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon |
| Title | : | Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival-2004 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon |
| Organizers | : | China Athletic Sports Association Shanghai City Sports Federation |
| Support | : | Shanghai City Athletic Sports Association Xuhuai Qu Sports Federation Minhang Qu Sports Federation Changning Qu Sports Federation Huangpu Qu Sports Federation Jingan Qu Sports Federation Shanghai Television Station Shanghai East Asia Sports Culture Co., Ltd. |
| Management | : | 2004 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon Organizing Committee |
| Special sponsor | : | Toray Industries, Inc. Toray Industries (China) Co., Ltd. |
| Sponsors | : | Various other companies |
| Date of event | : | Saturday, November 13, 2004 (no postponement for rain) |
| Event categories | : | Full marathon <Start: 7:30 am> (Scheduled course) Peace Hotel à Nanjing Road à West Yan An Road à Cao Xi Road à Shanghai Stadium Half marathon <Start:7:30 am> (Scheduled course) Peace Hotel à Nanjing Road à West Yan An Road à Tianlin Road à Shanghai Stadium Fun marathon (4.5 km) <Start: 7:40> (Scheduled course) Peace Hotel à Nanjing Road à West Nanjing Road à Jing An Park |
| Eligibility | : | Healthy men and women over the age of elementary school children |
| No. of participants | : | A total of about 15,000 participants in the three categories (full, half, and fun marathons) |
| Time limit | : | Full marathon : 5 hours 30 min. Half marathon : 3 hours Fun marathon : 1 hour 30 min. |
| Entry fee | : | Full marathon : 6,000 yen Half/Fun marathon : 4,000 yen |
| **Chinese citizens, foreign residents, and Japanese people living in China are requested to contact the Shanghai Office. | ||
| Awards | : | Full/Half marathons: 1st to 3rd place winners (both men’s and women’s categories) will each be awarded a trophy, certificate of merit, and supplementary prize. 4th to 6th place winners (both men’s and women’s categories) will each be awarded a certificate of merit and a supplementary prize. |
| Application period | : | From Japan : Aug. 2 (Mon) – Oct. 22 (Fri) From Shanghai – foreign residents : Sept. 13 (Mon) – Oct. 31 (Sun) From Shanghai – Chinese citizens : Oct. 11 (Mon) – Oct. 31 (Sun) |
| Completion prize | : | Full/Half marathon finishers will receive a certificate
of completion. Fun marathon finishers will receive a commemorative prize. |
| Home page | : | URL: http://www.shmarathon.com |
| Executive Offices | : | (Japan) Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon Japan Office Tel: 03-5296-8051 (China) Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon Shanghai Office Tel: 86-21-6431-5405 |
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