An illustration shows the upgrade of the Lishui Ultramarathon race track. [Photo/lsnews.com.cn]

The city of Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province has been staging marathon events since 2016 – and now big plans are afoot to improve its facilities to host more of such events there.

Marathons have been sparking major interest in Lishui in recent years. In 2019, the Lishui Ultramarathon attracted 20,000 runners from home and abroad and became the first 50-kilometer urban marathon in China.

In order to develop the marathon event as the calling card of the city, the authorities in Lishui decided on June 23 to upgrade the ultramarathon race track with investment of about 13.56 million yuan ($2.1 million).

The upgrade will focus on the 10-kilometer section from Taoshan Bridge to Shiniu Bridge and mainly include the upgrade of landscapes as well as the construction of support facilities.

The project is scheduled to start in early August and be completed by the end of November.