Kenyan runners sweep marathon titles in China's Shunan Bamboo Sea

Participants started running. (Photo by Song Chengjun)

The first leg of the 2018 National Forest Marathon Series in the Shunan Bamboo Sea kicked off on April 15 at the Avenue of Bamboo Sea in Changning county, Yibin city of Sichuan Province.

The race started at 8 am. Twenty-six foreign runners from 10 countries and nearly 5,000 marathon enthusiasts from China registered a half marathon, a mini marathon and a full marathon. The racing route covered landmarks in Changning county such as Yujiang Park, Shushan Academy and Tourist Center of the Shunan Bamboo Sea. The marathoners were able to traverse through a serenely pleasurable landscape of bamboo forests and crystal-clear river. With a total of 65,000 negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter the Shunan Bamboo Sea provided each marathoner with unique travel experience of "drunken oxygen".

The man crossed the finish line first and took the title of the half marathon. (Photo by Song Chengjun)

Edwin · Kipkosgei · Kiprop from Kenya took the men's title of the full marathon, clocking in 2 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. Dai Longsheng and Liu Jijian from China won the second and third place respectively. In the women's full marathon race, Kangogo · Loice · Jebet from Kenya took the title in 3 hours , 4 minutes and 43 seconds. Zhou Dongmei and Ran Qian from China finished in second and third place respectively.

Awards Ceremony (Photo by Zhang Yong)

This is the first time that Changning county hosts the 2018 National Forest Marathon Series and the second national-level sports event that Changning hosts after the National Ballooning Championship in 2017. Besides the marathon race, Changning will host other events such as the International Forest Marathon Sports Tourism Expo, the Shunan Bamboo Sea Food Festival, the National Forest Health Care Forum and the Marathon Awards Ceremony. (Ralph Kuick)