Participants in a marathon event in Lanzhou, Gansu province, which kicked off on Sunday morning. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Participants in a marathon event in Lanzhou, Gansu province, which kicked off on Sunday morning.

About 40,000 people participated in a marathon event in Lanzhou, Gansu province on Sunday, which brought the runners closer to landmarks along the Yellow River section in the city.

A total of 20,000 competed in the full marathon, while others ran in other categories of the race.

Launched in 2011, the event has become one of the most popular marathons in the country.