HOHHOT, China - The 2023 Prairie King Bicycle and Running Challenge got underway in West Ujimqin Banner, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Saturday.

The Prairie King Bicycle and Running Challenge was known as "Temujin International Prairie Bicycle Challenge and Marathon Extreme Race" four years ago.

The running challenge featured 50km, 22km and 11km races, with the starting and finish points located in the Cultural Square of West Ujimqin Banner

After a four-year hiatus, the event returned with new categories and new routes, and attracted more than 600 long-distance runners and cycling enthusiasts from over 20 countries and regions including the United States, Britain, Sweden, India and Australia.

The running challenge featured 50km, 22km and 11km races, with the starting and finish points located in the Cultural Square of West Ujimqin Banner.

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The 50-kilometer track included 12-kilometer dirt road, which supplied beautiful grassland scenery of West Ujimwin Banner on both sides of the road.

China's Zhang Junjie won the men's 50km event in 3 hours, 28 minutes and 8 seconds, while the women's 50km title went to famous cross-country runner Xu Meiling, who clocked 3 hours, 52 minutes and 44 seconds.

Nguepi Tsopmejio from Cameroon and Kateryna Hlyniana from Ukraine won the men's and women's 22km championships respectively. The men's and women's winners for the 11km races were Sun Meng and Wu Yuchun respectively.

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"This is my first time to participate in the running competition on the grassland. I was very much looking forward to the scenery of the beautiful grassland. It's really a pleasure to compete in this environment," said Xu Meiling.