Runners have braved thick smog at the Beijing marathon, with some forced to wear gas masks during the race. Organizers rejected the call to postpone the race, instead choosing to provide extra medical staff as air pollution soared to 16 times the maximum recommended level of 25 micrograms per cubic metre. Around 25,000 runners endured the less-than-ideal conditions, with the race taken out by Ethiopian Girmay Birhanu Gebru in an impressive 2 hours, 10 minutes and 42 seconds.
