An athlete goes cycling during the Beautiful Qidong - Jianghai Triathlon Competition held in Qilong town, Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The Beautiful Qidong - Jianghai Triathlon Comptition was held in Qilong town, Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, on July 9. More than 50 athletes from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai participated in the event.

The competition was divided into two groups: one for the standard Olympic distance of 51.5 kilometers, including a 1.5-km swimming competition, 40-km cycling competition and 10-km running competition, and one that is 50% more than the Olympic distance, which includes including a 2.25-km swimming competition, 60-km cycling competition and 15-km running competition.

The swimming course for the competition was a natural water area directly connected to the Yangtze River with ultra-clear water quality. The bicycle track was next to the Yangtze River embankment, allowing participants to appreciate the Yangtze River and sea views. The running track was a tree-lined avenue with beautiful scenery along the way, which is sometimes referred to as the "most beautiful triathlon track".

In recent years, Qilong town has made every effort to strengthen ecological construction and has positioned itself as an agglomeration area integrating urban agriculture, health care and tourism north of Shanghai.