The organizing committee of the Beijing International Marathon said public urination by some competitors was not because of a lack of toilets but uncivilized behavior, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The competition held on Sunday drew the participation of 30,000 competitors. Photos of competitors urinating at the roadside soon went viral on the Internet and many blamed the acts on a lack of toilets.

The toilets we set out this year should have been enough according to our experience in the past, a staff member of the committee said, adding that there were 300 toilets at Tian'anmen Square and another two to three toilets every 5 kilometers along the route.

The staff member said it is common to see public urination in marathons held all around the world. Some competitors choose public urination because they are worried about their performance in the race but only a small minority do so, the staff member said.

The staff member said public urination is related to the personal character of the competitors.