Gonfa and Aiyabei claim titles at 2018 Beijing marathon

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Dejene Debela Gonfa of Ethiopia took the men's crown in two hours 12 minutes and 12 seconds, while Kenyan Valary Jemeli Aiyabei snatched the women's title in 2:21:36 at the Beijing marathon, China's most renowned running event, on September 16, 2018.

Chinese runner Li Zicheng and Xuwang rank fourth and fifth respectively in man's category.

No Kenyan woman has ever won the Beijing marathon and rising 27-year-old Aiyabei, with a career best of 2:20:53 from her third place finish at the 2017 Berlin marathon, has emerged triumphant in four straight marathons in Eldoret, Barcelona, Valencia and Prague, improving her best time on each occasion.

CGTN Photo

A record of more than 110,000 people signed up for Beijing marathon this year, with only 30,000 secured a place to participate in the Chinese capital on Sunday morning.

The Beijing marathon, now in its 38th year, is a Gold Label Road Race certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and recorded by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS).

Runners take metro to take part in the Beijing marathon on the early morning of Sept. 16, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Running has come into vogue in China in recent years and the country has seen a phenomenal increase in the number of both races and participants. According to Xinhua, China's marathon industry reached 70 billion yuan (about 11 billion US dollars) last year, a 20 percent jump from a year ago.

At the same time, China hosted 328 marathons attended by 2.8 million runners in 2016, up from 22 marathons in 2011, released by the country's athletic association.

For more, check out the livestream from CGTN.

(With input from Xinhua)