Shanghai marathon defies coronavirus with 9,000 runners, East Asia

SHANGHAI (AFP) – Around 9,000 runners – some wearing face masks – took part in the Shanghai International Marathon on Sunday (Nov 29), Chinese media said, a rare mass event in a year when coronavirus laid waste to most such sport. Before the race, officials touted it as an opportunity to show how China – where the virus emerged late last year before unleashing a pandemic – is moving ahead despite the continuing global health crisis. The prestigious New York, Berlin, Boston and Chicago marathons all fell victim to coronavirus this year , while London and Tokyo were open only…