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| Japan-China Friendship Sports Event in Shanghai, China’s largest city embracing the old and the new The 10th Shanghai Citizen’s Health-Promotion Festival 2005 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon To be held on Saturday, November 26, 2005 Invitation for entries to the Full Marathon/Half Marathon/Fun Marathon (4.5 km) starts August 16, 2005 |
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| The “2005 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon” will be held as the opening event of the 10th Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival on Saturday, November 26, 2005 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 on Tuesday, August 16, 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon is a grand event 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, China’s largest financial center. Celebrating the 10th anniversary, the 2005 marathon will invite top runners from foreign countries, increase the total amount of prizes, offer a bonus prize for breaking the world record (full marathon), and extend the full marathon time limit (from 5 hours and 30 minutes to 6 hours), which is sure to be welcomed by participating citizens. In addition, various events celebrating the 10th anniversary, such as a retrospective photo exhibition tracing the 10-year history of the Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon and a China-Japan citizens’ cultural exchange, will be held in Shanghai. The event will offer three races: full marathon, half marathon, and fun marathon. Runners will start from the Bund district, a sightseeing spot in Shanghai, and run through “Nanjing Road”, the city’s largest main street, from east to west. The Minhang Stadium, a new sports park, is the goal. With only a few ups and downs, runners should be able to run the high-speed course comfortably, which is certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. China is today anticipating the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and its people are showing increasing interest in marathon as an Olympic event. In such a situation, the Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon was recognized as one of China’s Four Major International Athletic Meets by China’s General Administration of Sports this spring. The 2005 Shanghai International Marathon will make a new start with the commemorative 10th marathon, to be comparable to the world’s major city marathons. As an event of the 10th Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival to enhance Shanghai citizens’ mental and physical health, the 2005 Shanghai International marathon will draw the participation of a larger number of people than last year. Owing to the many attractions of Shanghai and Shanghai’s close proximity to Japan, the Shanghai International Marathon is also gaining interest in Japan, and the number of Japanese participants is increasing each year. Last year, approximately 900 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 top-class corporate runners. The 2005 marathon is also anticipating participation of the best Japanese runners and will be a more exiting event than last year. 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 late 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 contrasting neo-futuristic skyscrapers, and the beauty of the Yo Garden that was created in the Ming dynasty era are two of the most attractive spots in Shanghai. These sites being topped by real Chinese dishes, runners are certain to forget their fatigue from running. The outline of the “Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival—2005 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon” is described below. |
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 *Photo: 2004 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon |
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Outline of “Shanghai Citizens’ Health-Promotion Festival- 2005 Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon” |
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