Beijing event heralds return of long-distance challenges nationwide

Participants consider the Beijing Marathon to be the highest level of such competition in China.

Competitors in the 42.195 kilometer test of endurance start from Tian'anmen Square, make their way west along Chang'an Avenue, pass through the Zhongguancun area, before finishing at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest.

The Beijing Marathon, along with those in Paris and Sydney, has been classed as a World Athletics Elite Road Race, with past winners of the event holding Chinese national men's and women's records.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beijing Marathon was not staged in 2020 and last year, but early last month, the organizers announced the race would take place on Nov 6, with athletes' registration starting at 10 am on Oct 4.

This year's event was considered the 40th anniversary of the Beijing Marathon — the first was staged in 1981 — and the organizing committee said a maximum of 30,000 runners could take part.

The race got off to a misty start at 7:30 am. Participants were required to test negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours of the start, and to hold green health and travel history codes.

Thousands of runners lined up at the start wearing face masks. The starting gun sounded, the athletes got into their stride, and the first major sporting event held in Beijing since the Winter Olympics in February was underway.

On Nov 5, Wang Qiang, 38, who is visually impaired, took part in his final training session for the marathon.

In Wang's WeChat runners' group, epidemic prevention and control was a hot topic, with group members reminding each other to complete a nucleic acid test ahead of the event.

At the end of last month, the Beijing Marathon Organizing Committee required participants to submit a declaration of their health status every day in the week before the race. The declaration included questions on their health condition and the health status of those living with them. The declarations were submitted via a WeChat account or the event's website.

Wang, taking part in the race for the first time, woke at 4: 30 am, got on the subway at 5:30 am, and arrived at the entrance to the marathon before 6:30 am. On the subway, he eagerly greeted each runner he met.

Anticipation mounted in Tian'anmen Square before the race started, with fitness coaches standing on a platform to guide the runners in warming up.

At 7:28 am, the national anthem was sung enthusiastically by the competitors. Two minutes later, as the race started, the athletes took to the course in sequence, depending on whether they were invited participants or registered competitors.

As the last runner passed the starting line at 7:40 am, red strips bearing the words "Keep 1 meter away from each other" could be seen on the ground.