Running on ice to welcome New Year

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Nearly 2,000 people on Monday participated in the Ice Marathon in Fuyuan city, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province to celebrate the New Year.

Participants are marathon enthusiasts from not only China but also nearby countries including Russia, South Korea and Singapore.

Ice Marathon on the first day of 2018 in Heilongjiang Province. /Photo via Sina Weibo

The race started at 6:54 am local time, when the first ray of sunshine in 2018 touched the area. The organizers also interwove local rituals into the events, and all the runners touched the Shaman’s Column of the Hezhe ethnic group, an ancient ritual that the locals believe can bring good luck.

The event is the first of a series of races of the 2018 Marathon in Heilongjiang. Runners have put on layers of clothes, to protect themselves against the freezing temperature. Nine booths were set up along the way, to provide athletes with food and drinks, such as fish soup, chocolate, and coffee.

Booths set up along the road for runners. /Photo via Sina ‍Weibo

Apart from the main course of the race, another five-kilometer course was planned in “a world of ice and snow”.