A fun run kicks off in Qidong, the coastal city in eastern Jiangsu province, on a drizzly morning on May 18. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

A micro-marathon – a fun run event shorter than a full marathon -- kicked off in Qidong, a coastal city in eastern Jiangsu province, on a drizzly morning of May 18.

More than 4,000 running enthusiasts gathered at the Butterfly Lake Park in Qidong, the starting point of the race. 

The Butterfly Lake Park is a new landmark in Qidong with its shape resembling a butterfly when seen from above. 

At seven o’clock in the morning, participants and spectators, holding national flags, sang Ode to the motherland to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Jiang Ping, director of Qidong’s publicity department, fired the starting gun and the runners started pounding the road.

Huang Xu, former Olympic champion in gymnastics, quickly took the lead in the race.

But it was Qian Dingbin, a runner from Fujian province, who triumphed in the 10.5-kilometer race in the time of 31 minutes 51 seconds.

Local runner Yuan Weihua became the first Qidong resident who completed the distance. He made it onto the list of top five winners in the men’s category competition.

Over the past five years, Yuan has taken part in nearly runs.