The 2020 Nanjing Marathon took place on Sunday in China and the race doubled as the national championships and Olympic Trials. Peng Jianhua won the men’s race in a personal best (and course record) of 2:08:50, and Li Dan took the women’s win in 2:26:59, also a PB. In total, four men and four women ran under the Olympic standards of 2:11:30 and 2:29:30. The top four men, led by Jianhua, ran sub-2:10, a feat that only one other Chinese runner has accomplished in 2007.

The women’s race 

Dan finished in second place at the 2019 Chinese Marathon Championships, and this year she couldn’t be stopped as she ran toward the top step of the podium. She finished nine seconds ahead of Jin Mingming, who posted a time of 2:27:08, and more than two minutes ahead of third place Bai Li, who crossed the line in 2:29:10. Fourth place went to Pan Yinli, who also ran under Olympic standard in 2:29:19. All four women ran massive PBs, with Dan smashing her previous best by more than two minutes and Mingming and Li making massive six- and 10-minute improvements, respectively. 

The men’s race 

Like Dan, Jianhua finished on the podium at the 2019 championships, in which he placed third. He made massive strides this year, running the third-fastest time in Chinese history, just 35 seconds off the national record. Second place went to Yang Shaohui in 2:08:56, which is tied for fourth-best on the all-time Chinese list, and Duo Bujie ran to third in 2:09:03. Chen Tianyu finished in fourth in 2:09:55, also well under the Olympic standard. Each of the four men now occupy a spot on the top-10 list among Chinese runners, and they all ran PBs in Nanjing.