"The successful holding of four half-marathons on the same day can not only set off a craze of national fitness, but also promote the strong atmosphere of the Asian Games," organisers said.

The half marathon in Lin'an began at the Sports, Culture and Exhibition Centre which is set to be used for taekwondo and wrestling at the Games.

China’s 2006 lightweight double sculls rowing world champion Yan Shimin was there at the start to see the runners off on their route.

She was joined by Asian Games mascots Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian.

The winner was Yang Dinghong from Tengchong in Yunnan province, who came home in a time of 1hr 4min 48sec, a record for the event.

Meanwhile organisers claimed 7,141 runners took part in a Dream Town Half Marathon in the Sci Tech City area.

This was supplemented by a further 2,375 for the Dream Run event, 

The day featured three dimensional immersive technology and Virtual Reality "Pathfinder" and "Parent and Child" runs.

Former national women’s marathon champion Liu Min won the women’s event in a time of 1:11:25.

In Binjiang, a "Cherry Blossom Run" started at the Binjiang overseas high-level talent innovation and entrepreneurship base, and all participants ran to the Big Lotus, more formally known as the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium which is set to be the centrepiece of the Asian Games.

"The scene presented the strong atmosphere of the Asian Games, and the cherry trees were covered with messages of love, which was quite romantic," said Xiao Liu, a finisher in the half-marathon event.

The fourth race of the day was a women's half-marathon in Qianting which organisers said attracted a field of 10,000 from across the country.

This was won by Pan Hong from the coastal town of Taizhou in a time of 1:18:18.

The Asian Games, which were postponed from 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to open on September 23.