Recently, multiple cities including Zhengzhou in Henan province and Chuzhou in Anhui province have announced the postponement of marathon events scheduled for October to November, without specifying the reasons. There are speculations from the public that this decision may be to avoid clashing with the one-year anniversary of the death of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on October 27.
On October 9, the Zhengzhou Marathon Organizing Committee announced that the “Zhengzhou Bank Cup” 2024 Zhengzhou Marathon would be postponed by one week, with the original race date of October 27 morning rescheduled to November 3 at 7:30 am.
The committee expressed apologies for any inconvenience caused by the delay and outlined corresponding compensation measures, including covering expenses incurred from canceling travel and accommodation bookings for participants.
Simultaneously, the committee revealed this year’s marathon route map, which will traverse bustling urban areas including Zhengdong New District CBD, Erqi Square, Renmin Road, Shang Dynasty ruins, Longzi Lake, and other city landmarks and regions.
However, the committee did not disclose the specific reasons for the postponement.
Apart from Zhengzhou, the Chuzhou Marathon Organizing Committee in Anhui province also announced the postponement of their event originally set for October 20 to November 17 due to unforeseen circumstances, expressing deep apologies for any inconvenience caused to participants.
Registered athletes were given until October 17 at 6 pm to apply for race withdrawals and refunds. For participants who had made hotel, flight, or train bookings, the committee pledged to assist with the cancellation process.
The 2024 Anhui Tianzhu Mountain Half Marathon, initially scheduled for October 13, has also been delayed with the new date to be announced. Similarly, the “2024 Yingshang Half Marathon” in Yingshang County, Anhui province, planned for October 27, has been rescheduled to November 17, with an option for participants to withdraw.
Following the collective postponement of multiple October marathons, many registered participants took to social media to express dissatisfaction and demand clarification on the underlying reasons behind the decisions.
Reportedly by the Central News Agency, rescheduling several marathons to November intersects with Beijing, Hangzhou, Xi’an, and other major marathons, indicating an unusual scheduling conflict.
The report suggests that the delayed marathon events in several cities may be intended to avoid overlapping with the first anniversary of Li Keqiang’s passing.
Li Keqiang passed away in Shanghai on October 27 last year, with authorities attributing his death to a sudden heart attack. However, speculations outside of official statements suggest possible connections to internal party strife. Many have directed suspicions towards high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials.
Following Li Keqiang’s passing, spontaneous mourning activities emerged in places such as his former residence in Hefei, Anhui, ancestral home in Dingyuan, and the city he previously worked in, Zhengzhou, where tens of thousands paid tribute with flowers.
On the second day after Li Keqiang’s death, the Zhengzhou Marathon took place, drawing over 40,000 participants. Some runners displayed flags reading “Overcome Difficulties and Build a Strong Nation” in memory of Li Keqiang, while others carried his portrait during the race.
Reports also indicated runners in other marathon events across the country had Li Keqiang’s quotes, like “The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers will never reverse their course,” handwritten on their clothing.
However, the grassroots mourning movements were swiftly suppressed. Particularly, the sea of flowers at Li Keqiang’s former residence on Red Star Road, Hefei, was cleared during the seventh day memorial.
Authorities deployed a large number of personnel in blue vests to monitor the site and scrutinize the condolence messages attached to flower bouquets. Foreign media reporters attempting to interview mourners faced obstruction by the blue-vested personnel and plainclothes individuals.
At the time, David Bandurski, Director of the “China Media Project,” remarked in an analysis that, “This may reflect the desire of the highest echelons of power for the event of Li Keqiang’s death to pass quickly, and for all potential political impacts arising from his death to be swiftly buried, particularly as they may intersect with questions of economic governance – and intersect genuinely with economic pain for many Chinese.”