Most marathon winners obtain a medal, and perhaps some prize cash, however the 2024 Lu’an Marathon in Anhui, China, stands out for its distinctive prizes. This yr, winners Mathew Kiprotich and Naomi Kakoko, each of Kenya, every obtained a reside goose after breaking the tape.
Kakoko advised China’s Jimu Information that she was fully shocked by the reward and “wasn’t certain” what to do with it, since she couldn’t deliver a reside animal on the airplane or prepare she arrived on.
The present of a reside goose is a convention within the Anhui province, and dates again a number of centuries. It’s a specialty Anhui white goose, symbolizing constancy and prosperity. “It is a reward aside from the bonus, and it’s a little little bit of our coronary heart,” mentioned the organizers.
In recent times, the organizing committee has continued this custom, although it could not think about the issue for worldwide athletes to take the geese residence. Not too long ago the custom has been roasted, because the race winners within the final three years haven’t been from China. Nonetheless, organizers have caught to it, saying they can not predict the place the winners shall be from.
The winners can preserve the goose, promote it, or take it to a restaurant to be slaughtered, stewed and eaten. (Locals will reportedly pay between $7 and $15 for a chook.)
Kiprotich and Kakoko opted to promote their birds. Along with the reside animal, the highest three women and men within the marathon are awarded trophies, medals and different prizes.
The Lu’an Marathon isn’t the one race to reward its champions with reside animals. The 8.1-kilometre Bulloise Bullfight race in Bulle, Switzerland, awards cattle to its female and male winners. These animals are returned to the farm they got here from, however are named after the athletes.
