Marathon - Host City

How Macau’s international marathon keeps growing

The Macau International Marathon has been successfully hosted for thirty three years with the aim of developing local sports, strengthening friendship between people from different parts of the world and promoting sport tourism in Macau.

“With a long history rooted in the community of the city, the Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon has become one of the most popular sport events,” said Jose Tavares, President of Macau Sport Development Board of the Macau SAR Government.

“Through continuous enhancement, the event has been attracting long distance runners around the world, which raises the event profile and successfully attracts attention, locally and abroad.”

The 2015 Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon took place on the Sunday 6th December 2015, organised by the Macao Sport Development Board and the General Association of Athletics of Macau.

“As the host of the event, we are dedicated to conduct welI-rounded preparation to welcome each and every participant with warm hospitality, as we believe that ideal conditions will optimise opportunities of better results,” said Tavares.

2015 marked the tenth anniversary of the inscription of the historic centre of Macau on the World Heritage List. The Macau International Marathon once again traversed the UNESCO world heritage site, passing through the A-Ma Temple. 

The race started at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Taipa and, for the first time, ran through the Hengqin campus of the University of Macau. 

The event coincided with the “Parade through Macau, Latin City”, creating synergistic effects between the marathon, local tourism and culture. 

“We are offering diversified programs and festive galas to sincerely welcome marathon lovers from different parts of the world,” said Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government. 

“This year's international marathon will integrate more cultural and tourism elements and provide a diversity of choices and wonderful experiences to participants and tourists. 

“This not only demonstrates our friendliness and hospitality, but it also reflects the government's determination to establish Macau as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’.”

 

Global popularity 

The Macau International Marathon continues to grow in size, with participants from 50 countries from around the world participating.  

“The number of this year's marathon runners has reached its new heights and this historical sport of long-distance running has been gaining more and more popularity around the world,” said Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government.

“Marathon, which signifies limits, difficulties and challenges, also stands for endeavour, perseverance and triumph. And all because of the difficulties, people can fully experience the spirits of sportsmanship like righteousness, courage, honour and happiness.”

In 2015, 8,000 athletes from 50 countries and regions participated, up from a quota of 6000 the previous year. The quota for the half marathon was full on the first day of registration while the general marathon was full on the second day of registration. Managing this growth is no small task.

“In order to cater to the needs of the rising number of running lovers, the organising committee has dedicated to create better conditions and overcome difficulties in increasing the registration quota,” said Ma Lao Hang, President of General Association of Athletics of Macau.

“All members from the General Association of Athletics of Macau, race judges and staff are committed to get every aspect of the event well prepared and provide the best conditions for all participants to create remarkable records.”

The Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon is a truly global event, with former winners from Belarus, China, North Korea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. 

2015 was a good year for the Ukraine in Macau, with Vitaly Shafar and Olena Shurkhno winning the men’s and women’s general marathon respectively. The total prize money, awarded for the first ten finishing athletes in the different categories, amounts to US$187,000. 

“With the number of participants being increased annually, better and better results have been made,” said Ma Lao Hang. 

“The Macau International Marathon has always been an annual major event, we will move forward with all the participants to continue the long history of the Macau International Marathon and create legends for the sport development of Macau.”

 

Alisports and CSM connect with road running’s global growth

Wang Dong, Vice President of Alisports, speaking at World Football Forum

Alisports (Alibaba Sports Group) has launched World Online Running Alliance (WORA) to tap into the growing popularity of road running through Apps, associations, events, sponsors and operators. The alliance seeks to unite running fans by integrating these five different elements. 

According to DaZhong Zhang, CEO of Alisports, WORA is both a ‘trend-setter and game-changer’.

Alisports has signed a contract with global sport and entertainment agency CSM, who will act as the global strategic partner of WORA. CSM says it will help bring more international events to China and assist WORA in becoming an international road running association.

Road running is growing in popularity in China. In 2015, 134 marathon and related events were registered with the Chinese Athletic Association, representing a 160 per cent growth on the previous year. 84 per cent of provinces held one or more of these events.

“It is this unquestioned popularity that Alisports is looking to seize upon through the implementation of WORA,” CSM says.

100 million running enthusiasts had already signed up in July and WORA’s ambition is to increase this by 50 per cent. Helping achieve this target are the group of members which includes running Apps like Codoon, The Joy Run, Ledongli Hupu Running, Tenmini, Run Again and iHeHa. 

WORA aims to deliver the most effective platform by attracting sponsors, funding and resources, through which it can provide more technical servers and operators. 

“All of this helps Alisports deliver on its long-term objective of making sports accessible and enjoyable for all,” says CSM.

A series of events called ‘WO.RUN’ (‘I Run’) began in July, aiming to integrate online and offline formats. More than 30 WO.RUN events are taking place across China, attended by 30 different Olympic champions including Ruolin Chen, Man Zhong and Liuyang Jiao. 

Runners are able to log their runs online, either from one of the official events or a run of their own, and by doing so will be rewarded with points. These points will translate into savings on purchases made on Alibaba, which is China’s largest online retailer and the owner of Alisports.
 

Event structures for the marathon experience

NUSSLI set up three 500-person standing grandstands along the route of the Vienna City Marathon (Photo: Andi Bruckner)

Marathons in cities such as Valencia, Berlin, Frankfurt, New York, Linz and Vienna are major attractions and a mainstay in many a runner's calendar. Organisers make these sporting events highly memorable, with flexible infrastructure enabling athletes and spectators to take in the most scenic and historical attractions alongside a programme of entertainment.
In the Divina Pastora Marathon, taking place in the Spanish city of Valencia each November, competitors run the final 200 meters on the water for an unforgettable home stretch, cheered on by spectators. This experience is made possible by NUSSLI laying down 2,000 sq m of running track in the water in front of the Museum in the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. 
There are also event structures for spectators, including a grandstand with 1,000 seats, plus platforms for VIPs and the media and a stage for concerts and shows — all built in the water.
Public races are a great way of enabling a large number of people to truly experience a city or region. In Linz, more than 100,000 fans cheered competitors on last April. In New York it is estimated that there are more than two million spectators each year. 
In order to offer competitors and spectators the most engaging experience possible, organisers not only choose routes with breath-taking scenery but also provide an entertainment programme.

Vienna City Marathon
Vienna’s impressive marathon route takes runners past UN skyscrapers, over the Danube and through the Prater Park – all to the sound of waltzes by Strauss. Spectators get to experience everything up close, thanks to three 500-person standing grandstands set up by NUSSLI along the running route.
In last year’s Vienna City Marathon there were also special sponsor structures. These included a roofed 4 m high 72 sq m platform on which sponsor OMV provided guests with catering and a great view of the race; and Coca Cola’s 6 m high and 4 by 4 m wide tower surrounded by a winding staircase.
NUSSLI developed a flexible, high-quality system for branding the facades of these and other sponsor structures. Giant images displayed advertising messages on the sides of the structures. Printed sheets of mesh fabric were stretched over piping rails and looked great even up close. 
The difficulty was not getting event structures to look good, but being able to build them in the first place. Since 2016, the finish area has been located directly on the Ringstrasse between the town hall and the Burgtheater in Vienna's city centre. The Ringstrasse is one of Vienna's busiest streets with car and bicycle lanes, as well as several lines for trams that pass by every minute. 
"The assembly team had to build up to a distance of 20 cm from the street trams. Full concentration and attentiveness were required at all times," Gerfried Salzer, the NUSSLI project manager says. 
"Furthermore, it also meant that we could only set up from behind, where we had very little space to manoeuvre due to the tents, containers, equipment, and toilet installations."

A stadium for the triathlon
Beautiful surroundings attract more participants, which is why triathlons often take place in areas with spectacular scenery.
The DATEV Challenge in Roth, Bavaria, Germany is the biggest long-distance triathlon in the world. The challenge of a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bicycle race, and a 42.2 km run drew 5,300 competitors and attracted 200,000 spectators last year. The best finished in less than eight hours. 
Once again, there was a wide range of entertainment programmes for athletes and spectators. 
NUSSLI builds a complete stadium each year for the shows before and after the triathlon, and for the finish area itself. Called the Rother Triathlon Park, it houses 3,000 seats for spectators and the media, a stage, a big screen, sound, light, and camera towers, and a catering area. 
This is where shows, concerts, and prize presentations take place. It is also the athletes' final goal. Last year, there were a thousand participants and more than a quarter of a million enthusiastic fans.
 

This article, written by Nussli, appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of Host City magazine.