2023 Optics Valley Marathon Welcome Letter

Dear runners of the 2023 Optics Valley Marathon,

It is with immense pleasure that we welcome you to this event.

Three years have passed since we held the last half marathon in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC). This year, we have arranged a both a full marathon and a half marathon, making Wuhan in Hubei province a major marathon event organizer, just like Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other metropolises.

Participants of a previous Optics Valley Marathon. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The Wuhan Marathon opened in the first half of this year, with its route featuring many city landscapes, while the route for the Optics Valley Marathon begins at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Participants of the healthy running competition will stop at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center; runners of the half marathon will stop at LOGO Square in the Optics Valley Central Ecological Corridor; and full marathon competitors will stop at Wuhan Future City.

All the routes are set within the valley – a national sci-tech development zone – and pass though many scientific institutions and industrial parks, enabling runners to admire the sci-tech atmosphere of OVC up close.

The average age of the valley's permanent residents is 32, and more than half of the marathon runners are below 32.

This year's marathon also includes a corporate relay race, which proved popular in previous OVC half marathons. It consists of 35 squads, representing 35 years of progress made by the valley. Each squad is made up of 40 employees from local high-tech enterprises.

A performance at a previous Optics Valley Marathon. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

OVC's development is like a marathon. Being China's second innovation demonstration zone, and among China's first batch of national high-tech development zones and third batch of free trade pilot zones, OVC has four major State-level strategic emerging industrial clusters. It is also the core area for the nation's fifth regional innovation hub and is one of the world's top sci-tech parks. Since its founding, generations of OVC builders and entrepreneurs have been striving for excellence.

OVC is the birthplace of China's first optical fiber, first optoelectronic transmission system, first international optical communication standard, and first 1.2 million-kilowatt high-power fiber laser. It is also the country's only national innovation demonstration zone that focuses on optics.

The valley started from nothing, and has now become the world's largest optical fiber and optical cable research and manufacturing base, China's largest optical device research and manufacturing base, China's largest small and medium-sized display panel production base, and one of China's largest laser industry bases.

The 35-year-old Optics Valley of China is accelerating its steps to become the Optics Valley of World. Let's enjoy the marathon and corporate relay race at the vibrant land with sci-tech atmosphere, and witness the valley's development together.

The Organizing Committee of the 2023 Optics Valley Marathon