The 2024 Taiyuan Marathon started in Taiyuan, the capital of North China's Shanxi province, on Sept 22, with 40,000 runners competing, setting a new historical record.[Photo by Hu Yuanjia/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 Taiyuan Marathon was held on Sept 22 in Taiyuan – capital of North China's Shanxi province – with 40,000 domestic and international runners participating.

This year marks the 15th staging of the Taiyuan Marathon and in response the race committee especially optimized the route for the latest run.

The starting point was set for the first time on Yingze Avenue, with the finish line located at the Jinyang Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center and Wangjing Road.

The route linked Taiyuan's distinctive cultural and tourism spots, showcasing the city's rich cultural heritage and beautiful city scenery.

Runners race in the 2024 Taiyuan Marathon in Taiyuan, Sept 22, 2024.[Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]

The event involved 13,000 full marathon runners, 16,000 half marathon runners, 5,000 mini-run participants and 6,000 family parent-child runners.

As a World Athletics Gold Label and Chinese Athletics Association A1 event, the Taiyuan Marathon attracted many high-level domestic and international athletes to compete.

After strong competition, Ethiopian runner Desalegn Girma Debel clinched the men's full marathon championship with a time of 2:08:30, breaking the 12-year-old event record.

Ethiopian athlete Chaltu Chimdesa Kumsa won the women's group championship with a time of 2:26:43. Chinese runner Wang Rongsong won the men's group championship for the half marathon in 1:08:24 and Guo Liya secured the women's group championship for the half marathon in a time of 1:15:21.

Runners race in the 2024 Taiyuan Marathon in Taiyuan, Sept 22, 2024. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]