The Optics Valley Half Marathon will be held in East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China), Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, on Nov 25.

The registrations opened at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on Oct 12. Runners who want to participate can sign up for the event via the official website of Wuhan Marathon and Mararun app, with registrations closing on Oct 21.

Hosted by the zone's administrative committee and Wuhan Sports Bureau, the event will include a half-marathon (21.0975 km) race, a 10-km run, and a relay race (21.0975 km), providing 200 places for participation in the 2019 Wuhan Marathon.

It is estimated that 4,900 runners will participate in the event, with 2,000 undertaking the half marathon, 900 attempting the relay race, and 2,000 the 10-km run.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Optics Valley, and the zone's half marathon will start from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), via places including Guanshan Avenue, Gaoxin Avenue and Biolake, which record the zone's development in 30 years.

At the launching ceremony, 86-year-old Zhao Zisen, senior technical adviser of Wuhan Research Institute of Posts and Telecommunications and "father of fiber optic in China", said that good health is the basis of work and expected more people to participate in the event.

Zhuang Dan, CEO of Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company, which is based in Optics Valley, also addressed the launching ceremony, saying that staff members of the company and those from upstream and downstream firms will actively participate in the half marathon, to celebrate the zone's 30th birthday, and also that of the company's. 

Officials from Optics Valley, representatives from companies, HUST, and Wuhan Optics Valley International Foreign Languages School also attended the ceremony.

Registration work of Optics Valley Half Marathon is launched at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on Oct 12. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhao Zisen speaks at the launching ceremony in Optics Valley, Wuhan, Oct 12. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhuang Dan addresses the launching ceremony in Optics Valley on Oct 12. [Photo provided to China Daily]