Urban athletes running in the rain. [Photo/ijjnews.com]

"Run Jinjiang," the first 'Urbanathlon' event in Jinjiang, kicked off on the morning of June 17, attracting over 700 runners to participate in what turned out to be a rain-soaked day.

Urbanathlon is an increasingly popular obstacle race and is the latest high-profile international sporting event to come to Jinjiang. First launched by Men's Health magazine in 2006, it is the second time for the event to take place in China, following the first appearance in Shanghai in 2014.

All urban athletes who participated at the event were required to complete a series of challenging obstacles over a 5-kilometer route to test endurance, strength, mobility and pure toughness. Urban athletes who completed the race were presented with a medal as a souvenir.

The event was sponsored by the Jinjiang Urban Utilities and Landscaping Bureau, Men's Health and Jinjiang Economy News. As a city known for sports, Jinjiang has continued its path of vigorously promoting and supporting sports development.

"We hope that 'Run Jinjiang' will boost passion among people to participate in sports and that Jinjiang will carry forward the spirit of running throughout the event," said a staff member of Jinjiang Economy News.