SHIJIAZHUANG, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Over 3,000 runners competed Sunday in the 2020 Shijiazhuang Marathon at the Mingxi Lake Park here despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Chinanews.com

The participants passed through the landscape passage on the north bank of the Hutuo River and backtracked to the original point after running to the Binshui Road.

The event also features a half-marathon and a mini-marathon (5 km) as Wei Yujie won the men's half marathon with a time of 1:5:31. Zheng Guanyu and Wang Shaojie, who ranked second and third, finished the course in 1:06:39 and 1:06:49, respectively.

For the women's half marathon, Song Xuan was the first runner across the finish line with a time of 1:19:27. Li Changqing won the silver with 1:19:47, and Zhao Ying the bronze with 1:20:50.

The Shijiazhuang Marathon was incubated from a long-distance run around the Second Ring Road in 2009, organized by 26 spontaneous runners.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the organizers required all participants to provide a negative nucleic acid test issued within seven days and a digital health code prior to the race.