Roughly 21,600 people from 42 countries brave the chilly winter rain to take part in the 2018 Xiamen International Marathon on Jan 7. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2018 Xiamen International Marathon wrapped up in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province on Jan 7.

Roughly 21,600 people from 42 countries braved the chilly winter rain and finished the 42-kilomemeter course. All the top three titles for the men's and women's full marathon went to Ethiopian runners.

Dejene Debela, placed fourth in 2017 Eindhoven Marathon, claimed the men's title in 2 hours 11 minutes and 22 seconds. His compatriot Fatuma Sado Dergo won the women's crown in 2 :26:41.

The runners challenged the heavy rain pouring down throughout the course. With the last edition encountering the rainstorm 12 years ago, the organizing committee switched the event from March to January in 2008, and it's the first time to race against the rain.

"The weather is not good today and it is different from my country. It is very difficult to run in such big rain. Today is not a good time to run for better result, so I did not push myself too much," said Debela, the 22-year-old men's champion.

Tariku Bekele finished in 2:11:29 for the runner-up, while the 2017 Dubai marathon champion Ayele Abshero placed third in 2:11:33. In the women's race, the Ethiopians also proved their dominance with a comfortable top-3 finish.

The 25-year-old Hirut Alemayehu hit the finish line in 2:30:09 for the second place, and the defending champion Meseret Mengistu Biru ranked the third in 2:30:15.

The 2018 edition of the marathon featured some changes, one of them a special prize for the first Chinese athletes to finish the race with a maximum prize of 50,000 yuan.

Chinese runner Li Chunhui finished the course with a time of 2 hours 19minutes and 08 seconds, ranking him first among domestic male runners while Jiao Anjing seized the women's title with a time of 2 hours 43 minutes and 11 seconds.

Launched in 2003, the Xiamen International Marathon is held in January each year. The event is one of China's premier marathons and is considered a Gold Label Road Race by the IAAF.

Xiamen was honored as a "City of Marathons" by the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) at the opening ceremony of the China Marathon Expo on Jan 4. It was the first city in China to win that laurel.