Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon


The Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in April in Yangzhou, People's Republic of China.
The event is named in honour of Jianzhen, a Chinese monk from the city who propagated Buddhism in Japan in the 8th century. The event was first held in 2006 and grew exponentially in its first six years: it gained IAAF Silver Label Road Race status in 2010 and began to attract elite and amateur runners alike. Almost 3000 runners finished the half marathon in 2011, while the introduction of a 10K fun run that year saw 25,000 runners take part in the day's event. The race is predominantly Chinese, although 230 foreign athletes were present in 2011. East African athletes typically occupy the higher places in the elite races.
The very flat, point-to-point course is certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. The city-centre course begins and ends at the Stadium of Yangzhou Sport Center and passes many of the city's landmarks, including the Wenchang Pavilion, Daming Temple and the Yangzhou Museum.
The men's course record of 59:52 minutes is the fastest ever recorded in China. The women's record holder is Peres Jepchirchir, with her winning time of 1:07:21 from 2016.

Past winners

Key:
, the 2008 winner and a former women's course record holder.
EditionDateMen's winnerTime Women's winnerTime
1st27 May 20061:05:531:13:42
2nd28 Apr 20071:03:231:13:25
3rd06 Apr 20081:02:571:08:59
4th26 Apr 20091:02:001:11:01
5th25 Apr 20101:01:481:11:18
6th24 Apr 20111:01:101:09:41
7th29 Apr 20121:01:111:11:07
8th21 Apr 20131:00:391:08:43
9th20 Apr 20141:00:081:08:16
10th19 Apr 201559:521:08:36
11th24 Apr 20161:00:43'''1:07:21
12th23 Apr 20171:00:561:10:30
13th22 Apr 20181:01:311:09:06
14th21 Apr 201959:561:08:04
15th8 November 2020