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More than 20,000 runners compete in the 2020 Sleemon Shaoxing Marathon on Nov 8. [Photo/IC]

The Sleemon Shaoxing Marathon 2020 was staged on Nov 8 in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, attracting more than 20,000 runners from across the country.

Among them, 6,000 runners signed up for the full-distance race, while 9,000 registered for the half race and 5,000 for the 5-kilometer fitness run.

Star participants included Asian 200m record holder Xie Zhenye, two-time Olympic canoeing champion Meng Guanliang, and Wang Liping, champion of the 2000 Sydney Olympics women's 20km race walk.

"Shaoxing is such a beautiful city. I've been here multiple times, but this is my first half marathon in Shaoxing," Wang said. The former professional athlete spoke highly of local authorities' commitment to organizing a high-quality marathon.

"It is a fantastic experience to run through the 1,000-year-old city and pass by historical sites, including the childhood residence of Chinese literary pioneer Lu Xun," she added.

Shaoxing yellow rice wine is given as a gift to runners who reach the finish line, regardless of their ranking. [Photo/WeChat account: sxfabu]

Participants who completed their race received a bottle of Shaoxing huangjiu (yellow rice wine) at the finishing line, which was located near Shaoxing Olympic Sports Center. The sports facility is host venue of the 26th Shaoxing Huangjiu Festival, a rice wine event opened one day before the marathon and will "run" until Nov 14.

Ma Weiguang, Party secretary of Shaoxing, said over the past three years, more than 70,000 runners have come to Shaoxing for the event and helped make the Shaoxing Marathon a "gold medal event" of the Chinese Athletics Association.

Ma Weiguang, Party secretary of Shaoxing, says Shaoxing Marathon represents the city's characteristics and spirit. [Photo/WeChat account: sxfabu]