Athletes run toward best times in Beijing marathon

Following the race, Chen reflected on his performance: "This is my second marathon of the year. After finishing first in the domestic group last year, I aimed to come back stronger this year. I prepared for nearly three months."

He praised the course, stating, "The Beijing Marathon route is excellent; it's relatively flat and conducive to achieving good results. I hope to return next time."

Among the marathon participants were many university students, including Cao Jiaxin, a doctoral student in the Department of History at Tsinghua University's School of Humanities. This year marked his debut in the Beijing Marathon, where he achieved a personal best time of 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 32 seconds.