Registration kicked off recently for the 2023 Pastoral Songyang Marathon, to be held in Songyang county – administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – on April 9.

This year's event is expected to have 6,000 participants and there will be two races: a 21.0975-kilometer half marathon and a mini marathon which will be 5 km.

Runners can enjoy the pastoral scenery of Songyang, a charming county with a recorded history stretching back some 1,800 years. It is a region containing more than 100 traditional villages, whose geographical isolation has preserved a way of farming that has changed little in centuries. Indeed, it's been highly praised by the Chinese National Geography magazine as the Last Mysterious Land in Jiangnan.

The course map of this year's Pastoral Songyang Marathon. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Registration for the event closes at 5:00 pm on March 20. To sign up, go onto the official website or the WeChat account of the Pastoral Songyang Marathon.