Runners revel in Shenzhen Marathon

With a new route that spanned several districts of the city, the HONOR•Shenzhen Marathon 2022 that kicked off this morning brought fun and fulfillment to 20,000 runners who took part in the event. He Jie from China and Adula Askale Alemayehu from Ethiopia won the crown for male and female runners, respectively. He Jie completed the entire race in two hours, 12 minutes and 29 seconds, making history by becoming the first Chinese runner to snatch the gold for the full marathon. On the other hand, Alemayehu made it to the finish line clocking in at 2:34:19.

“The scenery is very beautiful along the way and the atmosphere is very good. The pace was set naturally,” He said. Alemayehu was also pleased with her results. “Shenzhen is a beautiful city and I’m motivated while I’m running. I felt good overall,” Alemayehu told reporters after the race.

He Jie from China won the crown for male runners. Sun Yuchen

Adula Askale Alemayehu from Ethiopia crosses the finish line to win the crown for female runners. Sun Yuchen

Adula Askale Alemayehu (C) from Ethiopia won the crown for female runners. Sun Yuchen

He Jie (2nd from R), Ethiopian runners Tafese Delelegn Abebe (2nd from L) and Fentahun Hunegnaw Simene are the top three winners for male runners. Sun Yuchen

Runners start their race at the Civic Center in Futian District at 7:30 a.m. today. Sun Yuchen

A runner ready for her race. Liu Xudong

Runners pose for a photo during the race. Sun Yuchen

Rescue volunteers stand by along the route to ensure the safety of racers. Lin Songtao

Runners get food supply during the race. Lin Songtao

Runners start their race at the Civic Center in Futian District at 7:30 a.m. today. Sun Yuchen

Women wearing Hanfu cheer for runners. Wang Haolan

Clowns cheer for the runners. Sun Yuchen

Runners pose for a photo after finishing the race. Wang Haolan

A crowd of reporters are seen covering the event. Lin Jianping

Turkish Esma Toprak, a Ph.D. student at Shenzhen University, cheers for runners. Zhang Yu

Volunteers clean litter. Liu Xudong

Cheerleaders perform at a warm-up event for Shenzhen Marathon yesterday afternoon. Lin Jianping

Runners start their race at the Civic Center in Futian District at 7:30 a.m. today. Sun Yuchen

Runners make gestures during the race. Wang Haolan

An aerial view of participants running along Shennan Boulevard this morning. Liu Chaolin