The cold rain on Sunday morning didn't deter runners from competing in the Beijing Marathon, but it obviously affected performances.

Gena Siraj from Ethiopia, who won the men's full marathon with a time of 2:15:45, was dissatisfied with his time.

"I planned to run a good time," the 24-year-old said, as translated by his coach. "The rainy weather has added to my old foot pain."

Siraj clocked his best time of 2:08:39 at this year's Rome Marathon in which he ran the last 400 meters in bare feet.

Despite the weather, he stuck to his race plan.

"I managed to establish and maintain a leading position before 40 kilometers, and after that I began to speed up," he said.

Siraj was followed across the finish line by Gert Thys from South Africa, with a time of 2:15:56, and Mathew Sigei from Kenya at 2:16:01.

Both said it was a pity that the rain had affected the race.

"You can do nothing when the weather is changing," Thys said. "Though disappointing, you have to accept it."

However, the bad weather didn't seem to bother the top three female runners as much.

"The weather is obviously more challenging to foreign runners because of regional climate differences," said Chen Rong from Hebei province, who came second in the women's marathon with a time of 2:29:46, just 15 seconds slower than winner Wang Jiali, who clocked a time of 2:29:31.

The rain was also greeted with mixed feelings among the citizens who participated.

Yang Ziwei, a postgraduate from Peking University Health Science Center, said that rain drops constantly made it hard for him to breathe.

But Zhang Jiashu, an 11-year-old boy from Zizhong Primary School who attended the mini course, said that running in the rain was fun.

"The weather makes the running more exciting," he said.

Their admirable passion for running seems just what the organizer and sponsor of the event wanted.

"I hope the Beijing Marathon can not only lift the levels of professional athletes, but more importantly inspire the passion for sports among common citizens," said Wang Dawei, vice-president of the Chinese Athletic Association.

For Jens Meyer, brand director of Adidas Great China, sponsor of the Beijing Marathon, the goal was simple.

"Educating more people about running, helping them know how to run and what to wear and make sure that we use our knowledge to bring healthy running to China," he told METRO after running the 4.2-km mini marathon.

Meyer said Adidas will continue to sponsor the Beijing Marathon for the next four years, providing facilities as well as its professional advice on running.

"We have a long-term plan not only focused on one weekend or one big race, but looking across the map of China, where there are people not running yet, we will help them to start," Meyer said.

As a sports lover, he said he did mountain biking and had run a few marathons in the past but it was the first time he had run in the Beijing Marathon.

"But I will definitely come back and run a longer distance next time," he said.

(China Daily October 25, 2010)