The Yangzhou Half Marathon held on March 29, 2026 produced the fastest men's and women's half-marathon times recorded in China. Kenyan athlete Alex Nzioka Matata ran 59:11 to set a new PB and claim victory, successfully defending his Yangzhou title and lowering the fastest half-marathon time on Chinese soil — a mark he himself had set — by 17 seconds. The runner-up and third-place finisher, Kipchuba, both broke the 60-minute barrier. China's Jiang Fakun took top national finisher and sixth overall in 1:03:09. Twenty-year-old talent Fu Qiguang from Tengchong, Yunnan was second among Chinese athletes and seventh overall. Kenya's Miriam Chebet won the women's race in 1:06:27 — one second faster than the previous fastest women's half-marathon time on Chinese soil, set by Admassu. Ciren Cuomu and Zheng Xiaoqian finished inside the top eight. Currently the fastest men's and women's half-marathon finish times in China both come from the Yangzhou Half Marathon. Because the race also served as the East Asian Half Marathon Championships, some athletes competed for their national teams and their results were not included in the Yangzhou Half Marathon's overall rankings. Japanese athlete Hirayama Taiga won the championship in 1:02:50. Ma Wenliang, who had been battling Hirayama in the early stages, faded in the latter part and was overtaken by Mao Jinhu — who, fresh off last week's Wuxi Marathon, took second in 1:03:39. Ma Wenliang finished third in 1:04:34. Liang Tiantian and Li Meizhen secured first and second for China in the women's championship, clocking 1:10:03 and 1:10:37 respectively. #Yangzhou Half Marathon#East Asian Half Marathon Championships#FastestFinishTimesInChina#TrailRunningBigBang