The 2022 Xiamen Marathon and National Marathon Championships kicked off on Sunday morning in eastern China's Xiamen city with a total of 28,000 runners.

The 2022 Xiamen Marathon, originally scheduled for January 3, was postponed to Nov. 27 because of the COVID-19 epidemic. As one of China's top marathons, the race attracted over 100 outstanding contestants, including 20 male runners ever finishing a full race within 2:35:00 and five female runners within 2:50:00.

As the only National Marathon Championships held in 2022, the first five male and female runners of the event will qualify for the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships.

Feng Peiyou claimed the men's title in two hours 13 minutes and 53 seconds, while Gao Peng and Wu Xiangdong ranked second and third, clocking 2:13:57 and 2:14:08 respectively.

"This is my best result ever. The environment here is very good and I am warmly welcomed by the audience," Feng said.

In the women's race, Li Jingfen hit the line first in 2:36:14. Jiao Anjing and Dong Haihua won the silver and bronze medal, resulting 2:41:16 and 2:41:46 respectively.

The Xiamen Marathon has run successfully for 19 years since its inception in 2003. The result of 2:06:19 made by Kenyan Moses Mosop at the 2015 version stands as the race record.

The Xiamen Marathon gained the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label in 2021, becoming the second race to win this label in China after the Shanghai Marathon.