United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Chengdu Marathon a Smash Hit

CHENGDU, China – The inaugural United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon & ½ Marathon took place on Saturday, October 28 in Dujiangyan City, located just outside of Chengdu.

Celebrating 20 years of history in 2017, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series is the World’s Largest Running Series and the Chengdu race was the first-ever event held in Asia. The City of Chengdu is the provincial capital of Sichuan and the 10th largest city in China with over 7 million people. The event attracted running enthusiasts and music fans from around the world and included three distances: the marathon, half-marathon and a “fun-run.”

“As the leading U.S. carrier connecting the U.S. and China, being a part of the first Rock ‘N’ Roll Chengdu race events was an honor,” said Mark Krolick, Vice President of Marketing for United. “It was a great course, with great people in a great city and we can’t wait to be back next year.”

The event featured live local bands and entertainment at every mile along the course. Seven notable Chinese rock bands including Yao, Ashura and Islands in the South performed on the headliner stage near the finish line to kick-off the biggest running party in the southern Chinese city.

"Marathon running in China has made great progress. Every year millions of people join the sport. Events like the Beijing Marathon and the Shanghai International Marathon are sophisticated. I believe this Rock 'n' Roll Marathon event will continue to enter more Chinese cities to give runners a different and exciting experience,” said Jeff Edwards, Operations Director of Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series in Asia.

To encourage the runners to take on new challenges, at the celebration party, the United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon selected 18 runners to participate in any Abbott World Marathon Major race in 2018, of which six places were awarded to the top three men’s and women’s finishers, and 12 were announced in the lucky draw section on the main stage before the last song.

The United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon 2017 was hosted in partnership with Dujiangyan People's Government, executed by the Dujiangyan Sports Bureau, and organized by Chengdu ShuangYi Sports. Ltd. It also received special support from the Wanda Sports Group. Together with the strong support of United Airlines, the title partner, this event was also generously supported by Under Armour, Michelob ULTRA and C'estbon. There were also several gold-level sponsors which supported the event, namely: Ito Yokado, West Hope Group, GARMIN, and Jingdong Sports.

For complete results, photos and more, visit RunRocknRoll.com/Chengdu 

About the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series is famous for lining race routes with live bands and cheerleaders, massive participant numbers and rocking post-race concerts. The original Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 1998 is still recognized as the largest inaugural marathon in U.S. history with 19,979 entrants. Over the 20-year history of the series, runners have raised more than $349 million for a variety of charity causes and nonprofit organizations. Today, the series of marathons and half-marathons has spread to 30 destinations around the world.

For more information, please visit RunRocknRoll.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.