Over 20,000 runners from all over the country gather at the foot of Mount Tai to participate in the 2023 Tai'an Marathon. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

The highly anticipated 2023 Tai'an Marathon kicked off with a bang on Nov 12, with over 20,000 runners from all over the country gathering at the foot of Mount Tai for the event.

Cao Tianxiang from Linyi, Shandong province, and Li Zhenling from Dezhou, Shandong, clinched the men's and women's full marathon titles respectively with their timings of 2:24:27 and 2:54:13.

In the half marathon category, Zhou Qingsheng from Zibo won the men's championship with a time of 1:8:27. Zhou Xia from Tai'an won the women's championship with a time of 1:17:58.

A marathon runner poses for a photo during the 2023 Tai'an Marathon. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

Over 20,000 runners from all over the country gather at the foot of Mount Tai to participate in the 2023 Tai'an Marathon. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

A marathon runner participates in the 2023 Tai'an Marathon wearing a special costume. [Photo/Dazhong News]

Marathon runners wears special costumes at the 2023 Tai'an Marathon. [Photo/Dazhong News]