People take part in the Shanghai Marathon on November 27, 2022. Photo: Du Qiongfang/GT

The 2022 Shanghai Marathon was held as scheduled on Sunday after the 2021 edition was canceled due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 ­epidemic. 

A total of 18,000 runners - double the number two years ago - started out at the Golden Bull Plaza on the Bund and ran 42.195 kilometers to finish near the crossroad of Longqi Road and Yunjin Road in Xuhui district. 

Yang Shaohui from Southwest China's Yunnan Province won the men's event in 2:16:04. 

The men's race was relatively tight, with four runners leading the first group alone. Guan Yousheng, the domestic men's champion in Shanghai Marathon in 2018, finished second only by two seconds behind. 2020 Shanghai Marathon winner Jia E'renjia took bronze, coming in three seconds behind the winner. 

As the champion of Shanghai Marathon, a Platinum Label Road Race recognized by the World ­Athletics, Yang qualified for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

"I hope I can leave no regrets in the World Athletics Championships and the Asian Games next year. I will strive for the good results," he said.

In the women's event, Zhang Deshun, also from Yunnan, won the championship finishing with a time of 2:28:17. 

"Every marathon event provides a great learning opportunity for me. Only when I compete on the track can I find my shortcomings, so I can make adjustments and improve," said Zhang.

The organizing committee invited more than 30 top Chinese runners to compete among a field of mainly amateur runners. 

As one of the highest-level ­marathon events in China, the ­Shanghai Marathon has been held annually since 1996, and has become a symbolic event for marathon enthusiasts. 

Despite of much stricter COVID-19 management measures, the number of runners was capped at 18,000 in Shanghai in 2022, double the number two years ago, which poses higher requirements for the competition organization and epidemic prevention work of the event. 

People take part in the Shanghai Marathon on November 27, 2022. Photo: VCG

Stricter measures have been taken to ensure the holding of the 2022 Shanghai Marathon. 

All the elite and amateur runners were placed under COVID-19 management and they were required to present four codes, including the venue code, health code, and travel code, and nucleic acid testing result before participating in the event. Runners had to present a negative nucleic acid testing result obtained within 24 hours and pass a facial recognition check to enter the marshalling area. 

All the participants had to conduct another round of nucleic acid testing within 48 hours after the event. Otherwise, they would face punishments including being banned for two years from participating in the series of events of Shanghai Marathon, and being removed from the official race record.

A total of 26 medical stations and 20 ambulances have been set up along the race track. Two designated hospitals, 300 medical workers and more than 800 volunteers were arranged to ensure the safety of the participants. 

A Shanghai resident, whose daughter participated in the marathon, told the Global Times on Sunday that she was touched for the marathon that was successfully held in the city despite the epidemic.

"My 39-year-old daughter has been training almost every day before the event and it is so touching that the event can be held as scheduled. I believe both the city and its people can conquer any difficulty since the spirit of marathon has always been such an encouragement to everyone," the resident said.