Beijing Marathon

Beijing Marathon

The National Olympic Sports Centre is the race finishing point
Date February
Location Beijing, China
Event type road
Distance Marathon
Established 1981
Official site Beijing International Marathon

The Beijing International Marathon (Chinese: 北京国际马拉松赛) is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium.[1] In addition to the main marathon, there is a 10km run, a mini-marathon and a half marathon. At the 2009 edition of the race, 4897 runners finished the marathon course, which included 556 women.[2]

The race holds an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, one of two marathons in the People's Republic of China to receive the distinction (along with the Xiamen International Marathon). It is AIMS-certified course, making it eligible for world record performances.[3]

Contents

History

The Beijing International Marathon has been organized by the Chinese Athletics Association annually since 1981. The creation of the race, which was international in nature from its inception, was part of a wider movement to open up China and its culture to foreign innovations – a change which was led by Deng Xiaoping, who sought to move China away from its Maoist past.[4]

In 1986 Taisuke Kodama of Japan set a men's course record in a time of 2:07:35. Ethiopian runner Abebe Mekonnen equaled this time in 1988 and some commentators (including the Association of Road Racing Statisticians) regard this as the true course record, in respect of reports that the 1986 course was around 400 m short of the marathon distance.[5] In 2003, Sun Yingjie of China set the current women's record of 2:19:38 – this run was an Asian record and the fourth fastest ever at the time, and it remains the Chinese record for the event.[6] The 2005 race served as the marathon for the 2005 National Games of the People's Republic of China – Sun Yingjie took the Games gold medal for women while seventh placed Zhang Qingle (18 years old at the time) was the highest placing Chinese man and won the men's Games gold.[7]

Also in 2005, the men's race winner Benson Kipchumba Cherono missed some 800 metres out of the course due to being misdirected. The race organisers accepted the blame for the mishap and, although James Moiben was the first to finish the complete course (2:12:15), Cherono was declared the official winner as he held a large leading margin before the incident.[7]

The competition has hosted the Chinese men's national marathon championships on one occasion (1997) and title went to the race winner Hu Gangjun, who had won in Beijing two times previously.[5]

Winners

      Course record       National championship race

Year Men's winner Time
(h:m:s)		 Women's winner Time
(h:m:s)
2011  Francis Kiprop (KEN) 2:09:00  Wei Xiaojie (CHN) 2:28:05
2010  Siraj Gena (ETH) 2:15:45  Wang Jiali (CHN) 2:29:31
2009  Samuel Muturi (KEN) 2:08:20  Bai Xue (CHN) -2- 2:34:44
2008  Benjamin Kiptoo (KEN) 2:10:14  Bai Xue (CHN) 2:26:27
2007  Nephat Kinyanjui (KEN) 2:08:09  Chen Rong (CHN) 2:27:05
2006  James Kipsang Kwambai (KEN) 2:10:36  Sun Weiwei (CHN) 2:34:41
2005  Benson Kipchumba Cherono (KEN) 2:06:55[8]  Sun Yingjie (CHN) -4- 2:21:01
2004  James Moiben (KEN) 2:10:42  Sun Yingjie (CHN) -3- 2:24:11
2003  Ian Syster (RSA) 2:07:49  Sun Yingjie (CHN) -2- 2:19:39
2002  Li Zhuhong (CHN) 2:13:09  Sun Yingjie (CHN)[9] 2:21:21
2001  Gong Ke (CHN) 2:10:11  Liu Min (CHN) 2:23:37
2000  Nelson Ndereva (KEN) -2- 2:13:52  Wei Yanan (CHN) 2:26:34
1999  Kenichi Suzuki (JPN) 2:11:33  Ai Dongmei (CHN) 2:29:20
1998  Kim Jung-Won (PRK) 2:13:49  Wang Yanrong (CHN) 2:28:50
1997  Hu Gangjun (CHN) -3- 2:09:18  Pan Jinhong (CHN) 2:26:39
1996  Nelson Ndereva (KEN) 2:10:37  Ren Xiujuan (CHN) -2- 2:27:13
1995  Meng Xianhui (CHN) 2:16:20  Ren Xiujuan (CHN) 2:30:00
1994  Hu Gangjun (CHN) -2- 2:10:56  Wang Junxia (CHN) 2:31:11
1993  Hu Gangjun (CHN) 2:10:27  Li Yemei (CHN) -2- 2:30:36
1992  Takahiro Izumi (JPN) 2:11:29  Xie Lihua (CHN) 2:28:53
1991  Negash Dube (ETH) 2:12:55  Deborah Noy (GBR) 2:35:18
1990  Peter Dall (DEN) -2- 2:14:55  Li Yemei (CHN) 2:32:14
1989  Peter Dall (DEN) 2:12:47  Mun Gyong-Ae (PRK) 2:27:16
1988  Abebe Mekonnen (ETH) 2:07:35
1987  Juma Ikangaa (TAN) 2:12:19
1986  Taisuke Kodama (JPN) 2:07:35[10]
1985  Shigeru Sō (JPN) 2:10:23
1984  Hideki Kita (JPN) 2:12:16 -
1983  Ron Tabb (USA) 2:18:51
1982  Li Jong-Hyung (PRK) 2:14:44
1981  Kjell-Erik Ståhl (SWE) 2:15:20

References

  1. ^ Jiang, Yi (2007-10-21). Kinyanjui, Chen take top honours in Beijing – Beijing Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-08-21.
  2. ^ 3.07.38 og 54. plass på Veslemøy Hausken i Beijing Marathon (Norwegian). Kondis. Retrieved on 2010-08-21.
  3. ^ AIMS Race Directory. AIMS (2010). Retrieved on 2010-08-21.
  4. ^ Butcher, Pat (2010-10-22). Sammy Mugo aiming for Beijing Marathon title defence. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
  5. ^ a b Beijing International Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2009-10-20). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
  6. ^ Sun Yingjie sets Asian marathon best with fourth fastest time in history. IAAF (2003-10-20). Retrieved on 2010-08-15.
  7. ^ a b Jalava, Mirko (2005-10-16). Sun Yingjie scores fourth consecutive Beijing win, Benson Cherono men's winner. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-08-15.
  8. ^ Time invalid – finished the race 800 metres short due to misdirection.
  9. ^ Wei Yanan, the original winner in 2:20:23, was later disqualified for drug abuse.
  10. ^ The course is believed to have been around 400 metres short of the official 42.195 km distance.

External links