Beijing Marathon 2011 to kick off Sunday

The 2011 Beijing International Marathon will be held on Sunday with over 30,000 runners participating in four categories. The Beijing International Marathon consists of full marathon, half marathon, 9km and 4.2km races. The race will start from Tiananmen Square, on the way through Dongcheng, Xicheng, Haidian districts, and finally arrives at the end of the race, Ceremony Plaza of the Olympic Park. Catherine Ndereba from Kenya, two-time world champion and runner-up of the event at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, will lead the field in the women's race, while her compatriot Benson Kipchumba Barus, winner of the Prague Marathon 2011, will be hot favorite in the men's race.