More than 500 runners from across the Taiwan Straits took part in a marathon race in Pingtan on Saturday night, Fujian province.

The 2013 Pingtan Xingguang (Starlight) Marathon Tournament, is the second cross-Straits marathon even held in Pingtan in a month. The previous one was on June 2, attracting nearly 700 people to attend.

The Saturday night's marathon grabbed lots of eyes as it was broadcast live on both Pingtan local TV and the Fujian Sports TV broadcast.

Many government officials from both Fujian and Taiwan attended the opening ceremony and expressed their love for the sport.

"Three weeks ago on June 2 we gathered at the Longfengtou (bathing beach). And now we are here again (for a second marathon race). Eight marathon events kicked off in Taiwan today, as part of the tournament, which means nearly 100,000 people have run in the races. We hope that running can become a regular activity in Pingtan, too," said Chen Fuwen, a government advisor of Taichung city in Taiwan.

Marathon races are getting momentum among the public these years. Pingtan will strive to make it a brand and provide a new communication platform for sports fans from across the Straits, said the organizing committee.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Micheal Thai