Congratulatory messages

At 2 pm on Nov 6, the Beijing Marathon officially ended.

Liu, the first-time marathoner, received congratulatory messages from his friends. As his pulse rate slowed, he said he would compete in the event again if it was held next year.

"I was thrilled after finishing the race, but you would never experience that kind of happiness if you didn't sing the national anthem with thousands of people in Tian'anmen Square and sprint the last few hundred meters to cross the finish line by yourself," he said.

"During training, I run much farther than the marathon distance, but those runs could not compare with taking part in the Beijing event, which gave me a particular sense of achievement."

Staging the marathon was no easy task for the Beijing municipal government, with residents in the capital long accustomed to keeping a safe social distance and wearing face masks each day.

Sun Kai, 46, won a place in the Beijing Marathon last year after taking part in lotteries for five years, but as the 2021 event was not staged, his place was held over for this year's race.

After the event, which he completed in 3 hours 27 minutes, Sun immediately gave his medal for finishing the race to his 5-year-old son as a gift outside the competition area.

"This is my second full marathon. My son was born before my first marathon in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, and he kept saying he wanted to have the medal, so I was happy to make his wish come true," Sun said.

Meanwhile, Liu Chuan, 31, knelt on one knee to propose to his girlfriend after completing the Beijing Marathon.

"I'd been planning to do this for a while, but hadn't told anyone else. My girlfriend and I have worked and lived in Beijing for more than 10 years, and I wanted to show my love for her through this year's race," said Liu, who carried the engagement ring as he ran.

As Sun and Liu Chuan completed the race, they gained a sense of joy and achievement, which they found hard to describe.