On December 7, the 2025 Shenzhen Marathon officially got underway. A total of 2,079 volunteers from Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU) provided essential volunteer services across key positions, including the starting ceremony, main venue guidance, athlete check-in, on-course refreshment stations, timing and video recording, ensuring the smooth and successful operation of the event.

Notably, this year marks the tenth consecutive year that SZPU volunteers have served the Shenzhen Marathon. Over the past decade, generations of SZPU students have regarded volunteering at the marathon as a proud platform to practice the spirit of volunteerism and demonstrate youth responsibility. Through concrete actions, they have provided strong support for the event’s success and vividly embodied the values of dedication, friendship, mutual assistance, and progress, injecting vibrant youthful energy into Shenzhen’s development as a “City of Volunteers.”

SZPU volunteers affix timing labels.

At 4:00 a.m., all 2,079 volunteers, together with 21 faculty team leaders, assembled in uniform, boarded vehicles in an orderly manner, and departed on schedule. By 4:50 a.m., all volunteers had arrived at their assigned posts and begun preparatory work. At 7:30 a.m., as the race officially started, SZPU volunteers demonstrated exemplary professionalism through their energetic demeanor, proactive work attitude, and efficient service, fully showcasing the vitality and commitment of SZPU students.

This year, SZPU volunteers were deployed at the starting area and along the course from the 5-kilometer to the 40-kilometer marks. Under the organized coordination of faculty leaders, volunteers from various schools and positions successfully overcame challenges such as long course coverage and dispersed assignments. They completed tasks including start-area guidance, athlete check-in, race launch support, on-course direction, refreshment station services, and medical assistance.

SZPU volunteers assist athletes with baggage storage and retrieval.

To enhance service professionalism, the university organized a specialized volunteer training conference on November 30, inviting members of the marathon organizing committee to deliver targeted training. Through systematic and professional instruction, faculty and students gained a comprehensive understanding of marathon operations and became familiar with standards of etiquette and emergency medical assistance required during volunteer service. The University Youth League Committee also distributed the Marathon Volunteer Service Handbook, ensuring standardized and consistent service practices.On December 6, volunteer team leaders from each school arrived at their assigned locations to conduct on-site coordination, while also assisting the organizing committee with the scheduling of 50 shuttle vehicles and personnel coordination.

SZPU volunteers cheer athletes along the course.

This year marks the tenth year that SZPU has undertaken volunteer service for the Shenzhen Marathon. The university continues to deepen the “1+3+10” volunteer service model, guided by Party leadership and supported through the integrated approach of “Party building + Youth League development + professional expertise.” This framework has steadily advanced SZPU’s volunteer work toward greater scale, institutionalization, and professionalization.In 2025, SZPU volunteers also served at major events including the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, the China Badminton Masters, and the 15th National Games and the National Paralympic and Special Olympics Games, fostering a strong culture in which “everyone strives to be a volunteer.” These efforts continue to inspire SZPU’s youth to contribute actively to national development and Shenzhen’s development as a dual-zone pilot city.

(Reported by the University Youth League Committee; Text by the University Integrated Media Center; Photos by Zheng Nuoyin, Liang Jiajing, and Guo Yixuan)