Athlete do some warm-up exercises led by Linus Holmsater (1st R).

Athletes compete during the Changbaishan International Trail-Running Race on June 29.

Athletes compete during the Changbaishan International Trail-Running Race on June 29.

The first Wanda Changbaishan International Trail-Running Race was launched at Wanda Changbaishan International Resort on June 29.

Organized by Wanda Changbaishan International Resort Managing Company, the event is China’s first international trail running race held in a mountain resort and attracted more than 300 athletes from home and abroad, including Linus Holmsater, one of the best Swedish long-distance runners, and Chan Kwok Keung, a veteran “Super Trailwalker” in Hong Kong.

The athletes gathered at the Songjiang Plaza in the resort at 5 am, did some warm-up exercises led by Holmsater, and started running at 6 am. They went across pine forests, quiet lakes, rugged mountains and an exotic resort town to arrive at the end of the track, from where they can enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the peak of the Changbaishan , which in Chinese means "ever-white mountain".

The Changbaishan is in Northeast China’s Jilin Provinces and has been recently selected by New York Times as one of the 46 top travel destinations in 2013. Wanda Changbaishan International Resort, opened last July, is located in Fusong County, Baishan City, Jilin Province, occupying an area of 21 sq km