BEIJING - There will be strollers, birthday cakes and a whole lot of running.

The 2011 Beijing International Marathon will hit the road at Tiananmen Square at 9 am on Sunday.

First held in 1981, the annual race has grown into a well-known international event and the highest-level marathon in China.

The race, comprised of a mini-marathon (4.2 km), a 9 km race, a half marathon (21.0975 km) and a full marathon, will pass through Dongcheng, Xicheng and Haidian districts, and end at the Ceremony Plaza of Olympic Park.

More than 30,000 runners from China and abroad are signed up. Among them, the youngest runner is 6 months old, the oldest is 80 years old, and 69 will be celebrating their birthdays.

China's Wei Yanan, who won the event in 2000 and 2002, said her target remains the gold medal, even though she has been absent from many important races in recent years.

"I'm not retired, I just take part in fewer races," the 30-year-old said. "I have prepared well enough for this race - the important thing is to lower down the expectation. Whether I can achieve a good result depends on my performance, but of course I hope to win the gold medal."

Another favorite is Cathrine Ndereba of Kenya, who claimed silver medals at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008, and regards Sunday as a warm-up for the London Games.

"Beijing is a beautiful city - I (ran in) the Beijing Olympic Games here," the 39-year-old said. "I want to see how fast I can run here, and try to get a ticket to the London Olympics through this tournament."

The Beijing International Marathon record of 2:07:35 was set in 1986 by Japan's Kodana Taisuke, and was equaled two years later by Abebe Mekonnen of Ethiopia. The time is the fifth best result in marathon history.

China Daily