Half-marathon will be cooler than ever

The 2019 Shanghai International Half Marathon will be held on April 21, with 15,000 runners competing in the 21-kilometer race.

Now in its fifth year, the event will have more refueling stations and large awnings to help runners beat the heat.

Prospective runners can register at www.shang-ma.com until 5pm on Sunday. Entrants will be chosen by lottery, with the results released on March 18.

For the unlucky ones who applied for four successive years but failed to be selected, organizers will arrange a special draw to raise their success rate.

The route is the same as last year — runners will start from Pudong's Oriental Pearl TV Tower at 7am and pass through Nanpu Bridge, Shibo Avenue, Qiantan Park before finishing at the Oriental Sports Center.

The registration is 160 yuan (US$24) per person. Apart from a US$10,000 prize for the winners, the top Chinese male and female finishers will receive 10,000 yuan each.

The top 600 male and 300 female runners win direct entry into the 2019 Shanghai International Marathon.