The Ningxia marathon kicked off Sunday morning with about 39,700 runners contending for honors in four cities in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Fifteen runners from foreign countries and regions including Morocco, Ethiopia and Uganda have been invited to compete in the event.

According to the organizers, Wuzhong city was designated as the main venue. The other hosting cities were Yinchuan, Shizuishan and Zhongwei.