The 2019 C&D Xiamen Marathon kicked off in southeast Fujian Province on January 6. Launched in 2003, the marathon, held every January, is one of China's premier marathons.

It has been recognized as a Gold Label Road Race by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and carries a top prize of $50,000. The aim is to upgrade to a Platinum Label Road Race by 2020, which requires minimum 50 participants from the top 200 runners in the IAAF World Rankings or from the top 100 of Asia.

Michael Nishi，General Manager of the Chicago Marathon a member of the IAAF assessment team, said: “I have been very pleased about the operations ... of this marathon. It’s over and above my expectation ... It has been a very good experience. Everything I saw today was a great event.”

(Reporting from Xiamen)

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar

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