China is in the midst of an outdoor sports boom. The amount of people exercising, and specifically running, is growing exponentially. A country that 20 years ago had only a handful of distance running competitions now hosts at least 100 annually. Jumping into this ever-increasing tumult of marathons and ultra races is the 2016 China-ASEAN Mountain Marathon, which will be held November 6 in Guangxi province.

The event is actually three separate races, a full, half and mini marathon across the gentle slopes of Ma Mountain (马山) on the northern outskirts of Guangxi's capital, Nanning. Registration is currently open to foreigners only, and the first 20 to sign up will receive free roundtrip airfare from Kunming to Nanning, as well as free room and board provided by event organizer Guangxi China Olympic Sports Culture Development Company (广西华奥体育文化发展有限公司).

2016 China-ASEAN Mountain Marathon details

All three courses criss-cross the mountain and pass through bamboo forests, over low ridge lines and through small villages. The total purse for the three races totals 150,000 yuan, with the top 12 male and female finishers of the full marathon receiving prizes ranging from 1,000-12,000 yuan. The same holds true with the half-marathon, although cash awards are slightly lower,