April is the best time of the year with warm sunshine and gentle breezes. On April 27, the 2nd Yangtze River Delta Gongqing Forest Sports Carnival & 2024 Easy Run - Forest Cross Country Half Marathon is kicking off at Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park. Let's take a look at the scenery of the most beautiful course as described by the runners!

The course is the core of a marathon, along which the scenery drives runners forward. This event coincides with the 23rd Urban Forest Flowers Exhibition in the park, which will enable the runners to enjoy the breathtaking natural beauty along the way throughout the race, relaxing their bodies and minds, and embracing nature while running.

The race starts near the east gate of the park. In the "Flower Impression" exhibition area, romantic and dreamy bauhinia, bright and gorgeous tulips, white and elegant wooden hydrangeas, Chinese snowball viburnum and other flowers in full bloom will be greeting all the runners.

Notably, both sides of the marathon course are strewn with nearly 5,000 square meters of grass flowers in layers, including tulips, Ellisiophyllum pinnatum, Papaver nudicaule and Eschscholzia californica. The beauty of spring is hidden in the colorful world. Running wild and smelling the flowers, you will immerse yourselves in full romance.

In the middle stage of the course, the runners will pass through two major exhibition areas: "Rosy Clouds" and "Charm of Spring", according to Tong Xingxin, a staff member of Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park. The "Charm of Spring" area will feast your eyes on a profusion of iris that is colorful, large and strange, creating a dreamy atmosphere of a flower sea in the forest. In addition, there are also a massive number of wild herbaceous plants such as purple Orychophragmus violaceus and white dandelions, whose exuberant vitality fits in well with the sports atmosphere of the event.

In the last third of the course, the scenery on both sides will change. After a long trudge, the runners will feel the delicacy and tranquility of the park in this stage that features dense forests and meandering clear lakes. Under the lush cedar forest, the sun shines on the ground through the cedars, presenting a peaceful state. The runners will enjoy the pleasure and freedom from running, relaxing psychically and mentally.

"Among the runners are park regulars, as well as many from afar," said Tong. To attract as many participants as possible, we have three categories: 21km, 7km and 2.2km for parents & children, to meet the needs of people of all ages. The runners will enjoy the charm of Gongqing Forest Park and feel the vitality of life while running."

Running all the way, splendor all the way

To keep the runners safe to the greatest extent, the park chose a flat section as the course.

Experiencing the splendor of spring and feeling the gift of nature, the runners will be running with the wind with fun and in surprise.