The New York City Marathon is one of the 5 World Marathon Majors series, launched in Jan 2006 to bring top elite runners, both men and women to compete against one another in the series of marathons. (The other 4 races being Boston, Flora London, real,- Berlin and LaSalle Bank Chicago). The series also include the IAAF World Championships Marathon and the Olympic Marathon. Each of these 5 races that make up the World Marathon Majors also has a history of 25 years or more and is regarded as one of the must-run races in the marathon calendar. They also have mass appeal and take-up rate that allows runners to complete the same course as the elites. The New York City Marathon is no exception.

First organised in 1970, this year’s race attracted more than 90,000 applicants where some lucky 39,000 participants eventually from around the world gathered on 4 Nov 2007. A group of SGRunners like Divey, Lady Ice and roentgen were picked from the thousands of applicants. To find out more on their experience in running the New York City Marathon 2007, click here to read roentgen’s Race Review on the ING New York CIty Marathon held early last month.

Beijing is a city unique in history, culture and characteristics. You cannot understand the Orient without visiting China or China without visiting Beijing. Beijing (Peking) is one of the greatest cities in the world, famous for its long history and splendid culture.It has been the capital of the country for the last 700 years and represents the second largest city in China. Its long history has endowed the city with countless historic and scenic spots: Beijing is filled with great monuments, palaces, temples and reminders of the past glory of imperial China.

Situated in northeast China, Beijing is the center for national politics and culture and a hub for international communication. The city covers an area of 16,808 sq km at an elevation of 43.5m above sea level and has an overall population estimated to be 15.2 million people. The climate in Beijing is seasonal with cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers. Beijing will hold the XXIX Olympiad from 8-24 Aug in 2008. So how is running a marathon in the capital of China, Beijing, feels like? To find out more, click here to read Half timer’s Race Review on ANA Beijing International Marathon held on 21 Oct 2007.