Runners renewed a Beijing tradition on Sunday morning. They set-off on a 42-kilometer trek to meet the challenge of the Beijing Marathon. As Tony Perkins explains, 30-thousand people joined in the celebration for the event's 30th anniversary.

 

It is Sunday morning and a rainy and gloomy start for the Beijing Marathon. The first run was held in 1981. Since then, the event has raced on, and the winners have become regional heroes and international stars.

But the first people at the starting line don't always include the contenders. Most of the time, it's a mix of serious athletes and runners looking to achieve a personal best. Some have traveled far and trained for months, just to get this chance, to undertake a journey through China's capital city.

The crowd of some 30-thousand runners includes more than 11-hundred foreigners from 50 countries, and they say running in Beijing is something special. This race offers a special atmosphere and an historic setting, starting at Tian'anmen Square and ending at the site of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

But all those thoughts are pushed into the background in the mad dash that started the full marathon race. Runners of all ages and backgrounds set out to answer the challenge of 42.195 kilometers through the streets of Beijing. Some vowed to make it to the finish, others would drop to the sideline early. Five-thousand runners completed the distance in 2009.

In 1997, the runners competed for China's National Championship. This year, the first to cross the finish line will again lead a massive field, with each runner trying to reach a goal of personal achievement.

Kenyan runners have dominated at the front since 2004. 24-year-old Samuel Murturi Mugo, in red, won the event last year. He stayed in the lead group until the last three kilometers this time, before giving way to his compatriots. At the end, it was Gena Siraj from Ethiopia who crossed the finish line first in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 42 seconds to win the Beijing Marathon.