The participants take off from the starting line at 8:00 am. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Braving the thick clouds and early morning autumn mists, the 2018 Beverly Round Lihu Lake International Half Marathon staged a successful tournament with passion and diversity in Wuxi on Nov 4. Over 10,000 people took part in the race, including 200 foreign runners from 35 countries and regions.

After a fiercely competitive race, Kenyan runner Hosea Kiplagat took the title of men's champion with a time of 01:09:27s. Only one second slower, Japheth Kipruto claimed the second place, and the third prize went to Japanese runner Shuji Tsukamoto.

Kiplagat lives in Shanghai and it was the first time for him to run in Wuxi. He said today's race was a very enjoyable one, people were nice in the city and he was happy to be here. His personal best of 01:03:38s was set in Italy and he hopes to come to Wuxi again next year.

Hosea Kiplagat, Japheth Kipruto, and Shuji Tsukamoto ranked top in the men's half marathon. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Leah Jepchumba, also from Kenya, won the women's race with a time of 01:19:40s, 182 seconds faster than last year's best time. She was followed by two Chinese women, Zhang Ni and Qu Yunying.

Leah Jepchumba from Kenya wins the women's half marathon with a time of 01:19:40s. [Photo by Lyu Yihan/chinadaily.com.cn]