Over 2,000 running enthusiasts from more than 61 countries and regions sprinted along a scenic route that connects China's Great Wall, mountains and villages on Saturday.

"Huangyaguan Great Wall holds a special place in my heart. I won't stop running until I physically can't anymore," Henrik Brandt from Denmark, participating in the 23rd China-Tianjin Huangyaguan Great Wall International Tourism Event, said.

This is the 23rd year in-a-row that the 64-year-old Brandt has participated in the international tourism event in Tianjin. He was first captivated by the Great Wall when he saw its picture in a textbook during his junior high school days. In 1999, upon reading about it run in a newspaper, he promptly signed up. "It was the call of the Great Wall," he said.

"I remember the second year in 2000, it was a very hot day and I put a lot of water on my head. And it came down to my shoes and then I get blisters on my foot, so in the end, I had to walk the last 24 kilometers," he said.

"Every time I come, there are always surprises. China's transportation is becoming increasingly convenient, and the scenery inside and outside the Great Wall is more beautiful than ever," he said.

Organized by the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Jizhou district People's Government, the international tourism event was named as one of China's first batch of sports tourism boutique projects in 2024, thanks to its ancient city fortifications, mountains, rivers, valleys and pastoral villages.

In recent years, Jizhou district has planned 40 cultural and tourism activities under the theme of "Four Seasons in Jizhou", including the Panshan Cross-Country Race and the International Students' Chinese New Year Celebration. In 2019, the district was awarded the title of National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration Zone and was one of the first batch of "all-for-one" tourism demonstration zones.

"In the future, we will continue to develop this international cultural and tourism area, welcoming friends from all over the world with a more open attitude and richer cultural charm, allowing everyone to experience the beauty of Jizhou's landscapes and the allure of Great Wall culture," Zhou Jidong, Communist Party secretary and chairman of Tianjin Jizhou Tourism and Culture Group Co, said.

Chen Yijun and Zhou Jianan contributed to this story.