Rushing into 2020 resolutely on the track

About 10,000 early birds couldn't wait to rush into 2020 at the annual Run the Track half-marathon in Shanghai on Wednesday.

The sixth edition of the run, for the first time, saw elite runners (half marathon under 2 hours) starting at 8 am to separate them from other participants, who started two and a half hours later and took their time to experience the run.

Defending winner of the elite men's group Wang Hongwei clocked in at 1 hour, 7 minutes and 54 seconds to set a new conference record, while Zhang Xinyan took the title in the women’s division with 1 hour, 13 minutes and 30 seconds. Among the runners in the faster group, 98.4% finished within two hours.

The 5.4km circuit of the Shanghai International Circuit, home of China's Formula One Grand Prix, is like the Chinese character "上(up)" from a bird's eye view and is believed to be good for morale on the first day of the new year. Another group of runners comprised Formula One fans, who had a chance to step where their heroes drive.

Boasting the only over 10,000-strong New Year running event in Shanghai, Run the Track sold out within 48 minutes after registration opened in November – the fastest in its history. The first registrant took only 29 seconds to snag a spot. Participants come from 22 countries and are aged from 5-81. There are 305 runners who have participated in all six runs.

Run The Track was initiated by Formula One for its running enthusiasts, racing team staff and motor journalists and is held on F1 tracks. The race was introduced and opened to public runners in China in 2015.