Asia's first-ever inline skating and running combined marathon event rolled into action on the streets of Shanghai on Sunday, drawing in professional skaters and enthusiastic amateurs to the city's downtown Pudong District.
The unique event saw athletes competing in a range of events for both skaters and runners, including full and half marathons, a quarter marathon and an online race.
Shanghai is the first of six stops in a series of skate-run races organized by World Skate, the governing body for all sports performed on skating wheels. Over 400 professional skaters from all over the world participated in the race.
"We can race in a beautiful city like this and to come [to] China to skate in a huge city [like] Shanghai, it's a real experience," said Bart Swings, the Belgian speed skating gold medalist from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Though the race was set to start at 7:00 in the morning, many arrived at the city's iconic Bund as early as 6:00 to warm up.
"I am so happy to participate in this event that I got up at 5:00 this morning," said a little boy.
The race attracted skating enthusiasts of all ages.
"I am 78 years old. I am happy to be part of this event with so many participants," said one participant.
The inline skating portion started first, followed by runners. Competitors started at the Bund, passing landmarks such as the People's Square and the city's old town.
"That's what we were looking for, to have exactly a circuit where our skaters can pass the iconic places of an important city, a metropolis like Shanghai. In this way, we can not just see the sport but also the great and beautiful things of each city in the world," said Francesco Zangarini, sports director of World Skate.
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