Around 10,000 runners from China and abroad participate in the half marathon on April 14. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]

Tens of thousands of runners participated in a half marathon in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on Sunday, which marked the 160-day countdown to the Hangzhou Asian Games, local media reported.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, around 10,000 runners from China and abroad united in Xianghu Lake and ran passionately in celebration of the upcoming Asian Games.

The competition included two runs – a half marathon and a 4.5-kilometer happy run. The contestants ran along the Xianghu scenic spot and were able to enjoy views of the lake and mountains.

Meskelu Mengitu Nigatu and Mohammed Misa Yimer from Ethiopia won the men's and women's half marathon championships, respectively.

Chen Jiadong, a university physical education teacher from Ningbo who has been running marathons for five to six years, was the first Chinese athlete to finish. It was his first time he had participated in the Xianghu Half marathon. "The scenery from the track is beautiful, and the crowd of people along the way are very enthusiastic and constantly cheering for the runners."

The organizers said that the competition has the potential to not only drive the national fitness boom in Hangzhou, but also promote Xianghu, a poetic and picturesque place in Hangzhou, to more people in China and abroad.

Chen Jiadong is the first Chinese male athlete to finish. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]