Marathon in Pyongyang

STORY: North Korea's state-run broadcaster KRT on Sunday showed marathon runners from foreign countries offering flowers to statues of the North's deceased leaders.

Participants in the international "Mangyongdae Prize Marathon" paid a courtesy visit to the Mansu Hill memorial park where they offered flowers and took part in a moment of silence, KRT showed in its regular bulletin.

The race is to mark the 101st anniversary of the birth of the country's state founder Kim Il-sung on Monday (April 15), KRT said.

In video that was provided to Reuters by North Korean state news agency KCNA, runners started the race on Sunday in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung stadium which was filled with thousands of cheering spectators.

More than 600 North Korean and foreign marathon runners from countries including Ukraine, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia took part in the "Mangyongdae Prize Marathon," state media KCNA said.

Ethiopia's Ketema Bekele and DPRK's Kim Mi G