Santas run for charity in Shanghai

Dec 02, 2015 Thousands of people, dressed in Santa costumes, recently ran across the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai to raise money for the treatment of children with leukemia.

The charity race, which was organized by Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, charged a fee of 150 yuan for adult participants and 100 yuan for children.

Speaking after the race, Li Zongning, who ran the whole 5km with his wife and child, said:

“I think this is great because it’s almost Christmas, so it’s in good timing. And today’s weather helps, as it was raining and now it’s stopped, so everyone can show their costume. It’s great,”

Commenting on the significance of the race, Sui Qiaomei, who also ran with her children, said:

“I heard that for this (event) they emphasized that it was for children undergoing treatment for their leukemia at Fudan University Children’s Hospital. So for this event, we must emphasize to our children that no matter what, we must run the entire course of the race. This event is very meaningful. As long as they finish the race, funds for those (sick) children can be collected, and just like (my children), they can go to school, and live healthfully and happily,”

The race had no winners, as every participant was awarded a medal when they reached the finish line.

Glen Peat, resident manager of Pudong Shangri-La spoke of his organization’s motivation to put up the event.

“A charity that we are supporting this year is the Fudan University Children’s Hospital, which looks after kids with leukemia. So we wanted to put something together with the festive spirit, of course being Christmas, and of course we also wanted to raise funds for the leukemia treatment that they will be undergoing,”