Good news for lovers of world walking.
The organizers of Around Taihu have decided to carry out, even in the current season, the now classic multi-day competition on the roads and in the beautiful landscapes of Wuzhong.
Obviously, the pandemic restrictions that impose a quarantine on those who must enter China do not allow an international presence this year and the format chosen has necessarily been reduced.
But the will and the courage to keep this international competition going we imagine will be rewarded.
The competition days will be reduced to two and the races will begin to take place next Sunday 13 December, to end, after a one-day break, on Tuesday 15.
The program of this eighth edition is the same for both men's and women's competitions.
Sunday 13 December 2020
Athletes will compete on a 15km road.
Men
86 athletes are entered, some of whom will compete individually and others as members of a team.
Among the prominent athletes we find the London 2012 Olympic Champion, Chen Ding, who had returned to compete, after a couple of years from retiring, last season 2019 and who in the last stage of last year, a 12km, had competed up to the last 800m the victory to Perseus Karlstrom (SWE).
Other prominent athletes are Wang Kaihua, Cai Zelin, Rio de Janeiro Olympic vice-champion, Liu Wenchao, and young Zhang Jun and Wang Zhenhao.
Women
43 athletes are entered.
Absent the Olympic and world champion and world record holder of 20km and 50km, Liu Hong, all the major stars of China will be present.
The fight for victory will be between Qieyang Shenjie, Yang Jiaju, Lu Xiuzhi, Ma Zhenxia and 50km expert Li Maocuo
Tuesday 14 December 2020
Almost all the athletes will then compete on a 10km road.
The winners of past editions
Men
| Year | Athlete | Country | Mark |
| | | | |
| 2013 | Yu Wei | CHN | 4:31:47 |
| 2014 | Chen Ding | CHN | 3:18:07 |
| 2015 | Wang Zhen | CHN | 3:16:58 |
| 2016 | Dane Bird-Smith | AUS | 3:27:59 |
| 2017 | Dane Bird-Smith | AUS | 3:27:30 |
| 2018 | Eider Arevalo | COL | 2:58:09 |
| 2019 | Perseus Karlstrom | SWE | 3:01:41 |
Women
| Year | Athlete | Country | Mark |
| | | | |
| 2013 | Liu Hong | CHN | 5:01:37 |
| 2014 | Lyudmyla Olyanovska | UKR | 3:28:25 |
| 2015 | Lyudmyla Olyanovska | UKR | 3:26:02 |
| 2016 | Qieyang Shenjie | CHN | 3:49:23 |
| 2017 | Antonella Palmisano | ITA | 3:44:45 |
| 2018 | Wang Yingliu | CHN | 3:13.17 |
| 2019 | Erica De Sena | BRA | 3:19:00 |