Beijing Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Beijing International Marathon 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. 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.
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.
, who sought to move China away from its Maoist
past.
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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium. In addition to the main marathon, there is a 10km run, a mini-marathon and a half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
. At the 2009 edition of the race, 4897 runners finished the marathon course, which included 556 women.
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
Xiamen International Marathon
The Xiamen International Marathon is an annual marathon race held in January in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is one of the prominent marathon races of the year...
). It is AIMS
Association of International Marathons and Distance Races
The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of long-distance running races. Originally founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors, its membership was extended in 1986 to include all road races...
-certified course, making it eligible for world record performances.
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 XiaopingDeng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, who sought to move China away from its Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
past.
In 1986 Taisuke Kodama of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
set a men's course record in a time of 2:07:35. Ethiopian runner Abebe Mekonnen
Abebe Mekonnen
Abebe Mekonnen is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.Mekkonen was the winner of the 93rd Boston Marathon in 1989. He also competed for Ethiopia in the 1992 Olympics and 1996 Olympics in the marathon...
equaled this time in 1988 and some commentators (including the Association of Road Racing Statisticians
Association of Road Racing Statisticians
The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road records for standard race distances and to establish...
) regard this as the true course record, in respect of reports that the 1986 course was around 400 m short of the marathon distance. In 2003, Sun Yingjie
Sun Yingjie
Sun Yingjie is a Chinese female long-distance runner who competes in events ranging from 5000 metres to the marathon. She rose to prominence by winning two gold medals at the 2002 Asian Games. In 2003, she won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Paris...
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
Chinese records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in PR China maintained by Chinese Athletics Association .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:OT = oversized track-External links:*...
for the event. 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.
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
James Moiben
James Moiben is a male long-distance runner from Kenya. He set his personal best in the men's marathon at the 1999 Paris Marathon.-Achievements:-References:*...
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.
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.
Winners
| Year | Men's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2:09:00 | 2:28:05 | ||
| 2010 | 2:15:45 | 2:29:31 | ||
| 2009 | 2:08:20 | -2- | 2:34:44 | |
| 2008 | 2:10:14 | 2:26:27 | ||
| 2007 | 2:08:09 | 2:27:05 | ||
| 2006 | 2:10:36 | 2:34:41 | ||
| 2005 | 2:06:55 | -4- | 2:21:01 | |
| 2004 | 2:10:42 | -3- | 2:24:11 | |
| 2003 | 2:07:49 | -2- | 2:19:39 | |
| 2002 | 2:13:09 | 2:21:21 | ||
| 2001 | 2:10:11 | 2:23:37 | ||
| 2000 | -2- | 2:13:52 | 2:26:34 | |
| 1999 | 2:11:33 | 2:29:20 | ||
| 1998 | 2:13:49 | 2:28:50 | ||
| 1997 | -3- | 2:09:18 | 2:26:39 | |
| 1996 | 2:10:37 | -2- | 2:27:13 | |
| 1995 | 2:16:20 | 2:30:00 | ||
| 1994 | -2- | 2:10:56 | 2:31:11 | |
| 1993 | 2:10:27 | -2- | 2:30:36 | |
| 1992 | 2:11:29 | 2:28:53 | ||
| 1991 | 2:12:55 | 2:35:18 | ||
| 1990 | -2- | 2:14:55 | 2:32:14 | |
| 1989 | 2:12:47 | 2:27:16 | ||
| 1988 | 2:07:35 | |||
| 1987 | 2:12:19 | |||
| 1986 | 2:07:35 | |||
| 1985 | 2:10:23 | |||
| 1984 | 2:12:16 | - | ||
| 1983 | 2:18:51 | |||
| 1982 | 2:14:44 | |||
| 1981 | 2:15:20 |