By Li Guoli and Liu Yi

BEIJING, Oct. 19 -- Run to Space 2020 Half Marathon kicked off in Beijing Aerospace City at 8:30 a.m. on October 17, and 498 aerospace science and technology workers participated in this contest.

The contest has three events, including 5 km, 10 km, and 21.097 km (half marathon). Contesters are mainly from the front line of aerospace scientific research. Among them, there are aerospace experts who are over 50 years old, and also the new hands who have just graduated.

"I'm usually busy at work. I admire the players whenever I watch the news about the marathon, and I regret that I can't participate," said Xing Weishan, an engineer of space-based TT&C System, "I signed up immediately when I heard about the contest."

Chen Dong, an astronaut of the Shenzhou Eleven spacecraft, also participated in the competition. He said: "Seeing so many scientific and technological experts who guarantee and support us astronauts running hard on the track, I can feel their full spirit. I have more confidence in the successful completion of the space station mission!"