Inaugural women's half marathon held in Changning
Chernet Misganaw Takele from Ethiopia wins the 21km race clocking 1:14:55.
The inaugural Shanghai International Women’s Half Marathon was held in downtown Changning District on Sunday morning, featuring a total of 4,800 runners.
The event was an upgraded version of the previous Shanghai International Women’s Elite 10K Race.
A total of 4,000 runners took part in the 21-kilometer half marathon and 800 in a 5km race. All runners started their journey from Zhongshan Park in Changning District at 7:20am.
Chernet Misganaw Takele from Ethiopia won the 21km race, clocking in at 1:14:55. The top 200 finishers won themselves quotas for the 2019 Shanghai International Marathon, which will be held in the latter part of the year.
Xu Lijia, China’s first Olympic gold medalist in sailing, also showed up to cheer for the participants. According to the organizers, a quarter of the event’s registration fees went to a children’s heart disease charity foundation.
The event was Shanghai’s largest women’s half marathon in the downtown area, and aims to encourage running among more women. A Chinese Athletics Association report showed that about 73 percent of regular runners in China are men.
Every finisher received a necklace-shaped medal, and could enjoy music and massage service at the finish line.
Runners pick up snack packages at the finish line.
