China half marathon offers cow, wild fish and chickens as prizes

HONG KONG, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A half marathon in China's northeast province of Jilin announced an unusual selection of prizes, with first over the line winning a cow and other runners getting wild fish, geese or roosters, in a bid to attract more participants and promote local produce.

The organisers of the Nong'an Taipingchi Ice and Snow half marathon on Dec. 29 said in a WeChat post that male and female champions of the half marathon would be awarded a cow. The farm animal could also be exchanged for 6,000 yuan ($827.81).

Second place gets wild fish from Taiping pond, while other prizes were geese, ducks and roosters from the same pond. Ten kilograms (22 pounds) of rice and wheat would be given out to other finishers.

"Grand prizes are coming and the champions are so proud. The organising committee is full of sincerity," the post said.

The notice was widely circulated on Chinese social media and ranked as one of the hottest topics on platform Weibo on Tuesday.

"If the first place person lives overseas, do you need to buy a high speed train ticket for cattle?," asked one user.

The event is due to take place in the Wetland Park in Nong'an County, Jilin, which is a major agriculture producer.

Marathon running has grown rapidly in China in recent years with a total of 622 marathons and half marathons held across the country in 2023, with events taking place at a rate of nearly two per day on average, according to the Chinese Athletics Association.

Smaller cities and counties with populations of a few hundred thousand have also begun organising different kinds of running events.

Chinese social media is teeming with comments on marathon events, sportswear, equipment, training and diet tips.

More than 30 marathons and other road-running events were held across China between Nov. 2 and 3, drawing approximately 400,000 participants, the Xinhua official news agency said last week.

($1 = 7.2480 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Michael Perry)

((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))