Athletes enter Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Port during the women's marathon event of the 15th National Games on Saturday. The games' first cross-boundary marathon included both men's and women's events, featuring 71 athletes from 23 teams across 22 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including six athletes from Hong Kong and Macao. Shenzhen and Hong Kong implemented a "zero delay, zero contact, zero waiting" smart boundary crossing, using facial recognition technology, in-transit vehicle monitoring and real-time tracking to manage and monitor participants and vehicles. WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY

Running on the scenic Shenzhen Bay Bridge, cool sea breeze in their hair, was undoubtedly the highlight of the first cross-boundary marathon in China's historic 15th National Games, said athletes who participated in the 42-kilometer race that included the 5.5-km bridge connecting Guangdong province with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The sporting extravaganza, which is being co-hosted by Guangdong and Hong Kong and Macao SARs, is making people at home and abroad better understand how integrated the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has become, they added.

He Jie, an athlete from the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, who clocked 2 hours 12 minutes 7 seconds to clinch gold on Saturday in the men's marathon, said the race was a new and special experience for him.

"I've never taken part in a cross-boundary marathon before, and my first impression was that all the infrastructure, including the cross-sea bridge, is so nice. I've traveled around the world to run marathons, but the design and the infrastructure of the course here is hard to beat," said He, who holds the current national record in men's marathon and is also an Asian Games gold medalist.

The athlete, who trained hard in Kenya to represent his home region Ningxia in the National Games, became visibly emotional after crossing the finish line. "I will come back in my own time to take a good look at the beautiful landscape along the route," he said.

The marathon's starting point and finish line were the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. Runners entered Hong Kong through the Shenzhen Bay Port, crossed the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct, and then turned back and returned to Shenzhen through the same route.

Zhang Shunde, an athlete from Yunnan province, who clocked 2:30:20 to win the women's marathon gold, said the course was dotted with iconic landmarks of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, making it an extraordinary experience.

"Although I was focused on the race, I couldn't help but notice how blue the sea was. The environment and the design of the entire course ... are definitely among the highlights of this year's National Games," she said.

Lu Ying, from Henan province, who finished the marathon in 2:30:44 and won bronze, said it was exciting to cross the boundary between Shenzhen and Hong Kong without having to slow down even a bit.

"I've never run through the checkpoints before. With this wristband, we automatically completed the boundary check procedure without stopping. It's such a unique experience," she said, pointing to the band on her left wrist equipped with radio frequency identification tags.

Tech boost

Kuang Bing, deputy executive director of the Executive Committee for the Shenzhen Competition Zone of the 15th National Games, said that RFID readers connected to the Beidou Navigation Satellite System have been installed at checkpoints to instantly verify registered athletes' names and other details, which are stored in the tagged wristbands.

The system ensures zero contact and zero delay, he said. "We've introduced smart customs clearance, ensuring athletes experience no waiting time at Shenzhen Bay checkpoints. Also, we have adopted a preclearance and closed-loop arrangement throughout the event."

Kuang highlighted the use of advanced digital technologies to monitor the event in real time. "We used facial recognition to identify athletes and real-time GPS tracking to monitor both runners and vehicles. Drones offered live coverage to support race management and emergency response," he said.

More important, Shenzhen established a multichannel and multilevel communication mechanism with the marathon organizers in Hong Kong, which ensured thorough coordination in areas such as course management and comprehensive support, achieving seamless connectivity and professional collaboration in event organization, Kuang said.

"The event served as an important window to highlight the vitality of integration in the Greater Bay Area," he added.

Lam Wing-cheung, an athlete from Hong Kong, said that slopes along the course and crosswinds made the race more challenging.

"It was nevertheless a very good experience for me, because it was my first time participating in the National Games," said Lam, who finished in the 19th place.

Bridging bonds

With connectivity in the Greater Bay Area significantly enhanced in recent years, exchanges among athletes have also advanced, he said. "I often train with athletes from Macao and take part in marathons held on the Chinese mainland, which have helped to improve my performance."

Leanne Szeto from Hong Kong, who finished 27th in the women's marathon, said she hopes that more cross-boundary races are held in the Greater Bay Area in the future.

"When I was a child, going to Shenzhen with my parents meant waiting in long lines, but now we can just use gates equipped with facial recognition technology. Also, I never imagined t-hat one day I would be able to run back and forth between Shenzhen and Hong Kong," she said.

Zhang, the women's marathon gold medalist, said the competition provided athletes from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao with the opportunity to come together.

"By competing on the cross-boundary course, we inspired each other and became more united, just like the Greater Bay Area," she said.

The marathon is among the two cross-boundary disciplines in the ongoing 15th National Games. The men's individual road cycling race, which covered Guangdong's Zhuhai, and Hong Kong and Macao SARs, was held on Nov 8.