National Youth's Distance Running is preparing for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games launched at the Heyangmen Square in Datong on July 1. The officials from Shanxi provincial sports bureau and the Datong municipal government attended the launching ceremony and announced the start to the young runners.

More than two thousand athletes consisting of middle school students and volunteers started to run from the Heyangmen Square, south to the Wangjiao Tower, along the inner ring road of the east city wall and then west to the Yongtaimen, along the inner ring road of the south wall, and ultimately to the Shanhua Temple Square. In addition, the organizers arranged a drum performance both at the starting point and the finishing line.

To celebrate the coming 2014 Youth Olympic Games, the General Administration of Sport in China and the Second Youth Olympic Games Committee organized the national young people's long-distance running event. It is said that the activity is being divided into four phases and will be held in one hundred cities. Datong city and Pingyao ancient town in Shanxi province are both included.

Edited by Fu Bo and Brian Salter