With the firing of the starting gun, the Shenzhen International Marathon 2018 officially began at 8am on December 16 at Shenzhen Civic Center.
30,000 participants from 37 countries participated in the run, with two inspiring runners from Africa emerging as champions.
Edwin Kipngetich Koech from Kenya, who finished the race in a record-breaking time of two hours nine minutes and 44 seconds, took home the championship in the men’s division, while Mulu Seboka Seyfu from Ethiopia, who crossed the finish line in a jaw-dropping two hours 27 minutes and 12 seconds, was the female champion.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhenlong finished the run in two hours 20 minutes, becoming the fastest Chinese runner in the men’s category, while Zhang Jingxia was the first female Chinese runner to cross the finish line at two hours and 56 minutes.
Unlike the Shenzhen Half Marathon held in November, in which a staggering 258 participants were found to have cheated, the event on Sunday went smoothly, with no cheating or accidents reported. Organizers of the marathon introduced tighter rules along with a number of technologies, such as facial recognition, artificial intelligence, big data analysis and GPS tracking, in order to ensure that the race was fair.
READ MORE: 258 Punished For Cheating in Shenzhen Half Marathon
While most runners took part in the marathon for the sake of running, a group of participants had some other ideas. For some of them, the event was not just a running competition, but also a race for the weirdest (or coolest) costumes:
Image via Sohu.com
Image via @深圳交警/Weibo
Image via @马拉松李伟/Weibo
Image via @深圳交警/Weibo
Image via @深圳交警/Weibo
Image via @深圳交警/Weibo
For others, the race appeared to be a nice way to bond with their kids:
Image via Sohu.com
Image via @Shenzhen Special Zone Daily/Weibo
Of course, who could forget the 3,000 plus volunteers who helped to make sure that runners were safe and the race was in order:
Image via shenzhenmarathon.org
Image via sz.gov.org
[Cover image via Sohu.com]
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