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SHANGHAI (AFP) – About 9,000 runners, some wearing face masks, participated in the Shanghai International Marathon on Sunday (November 29), Chinese media said, a rare mass event in a year when the coronavirus swept through the most of these sports.
Ahead of the race, officials touted it as an opportunity to show how China, where the virus emerged late last year before unleashing a pandemic, is moving forward despite the continuing global health crisis.
The prestigious New York, Berlin, Boston and Chicago marathons fell victim to the coronavirus this year, while London and Tokyo were open only to elite runners.
Contrary to that trend, the Shanghai Marathon was held under sunny skies after several days of rain, and with virus prevention measures in place to thwart infections.
Shanghai is on the verge of dispersing recent local cases, but China has largely grappled with the epidemic thanks to strict closures and aggressive mass testing.
The runners had to pass a coronavirus test in order to participate and were ordered to wear a mask immediately before and after the race. Some kept them on all the time.
Some 9,000 runners were expected to participate, compared to 38,000 in previous Shanghai marathons.
No foreign athletes flew in for the race and spectators were told to stay away.
Distance running is booming in China, and state media say there is “marathon fever.”
In February, when the country was closed by the pandemic, a fanatic runner ran the equivalent of an ultramarathon inside his small apartment.
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