corporation. The competition featured an original event mascot – an anthropomorphic ox, called "Ah Niu", which was dressed in the traditional costume of the Zhuang people. In addition to the primary events of the day, the competition was held in conjunction with Nanning's 28th Liberation Day celebrations and mass races over 10 km and 4 km were also held. The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed live television coverage of the event via helicopter. Format Continuing in the tradition of previous editions, the championships comprised separate half marathon road races for men and women, with each race having an individual and international team aspect. Each nation could enter a maximum of five athletes per race and the team scores were calculated by combining the finishing times of each team's top three runners. Nations with less than three runners were disregarded for the team event and their runners competed for the individual prizes only. Athletes typically gained selection for their country in one of two ways: through recent performances on the international road running circuit, or via a performance at a specially designated half marathon national championships. A total prize money pot of US$245,000 was available to athletes at the championships, with awards being given those placing from first to sixth in both the individual and team sections. The amounts on offer for each competition were equal across the sexes. The top prize for the individual race winners was $30,000, while the three athletes in the winning teams earned a share of $15,000. A further $50,000 was provided as in incentive for runners who improved upon the half marathon world record mark, but ultimately this award was not claimed at the 2010 championships. All athletes receiving prize money needed to submit to – and pass – a doping test in order to claim their award. Course The half marathon course was designed in a double-looped, or figure eight, format which had Wuxiang Square as the central start and finish point for the race, situated just off Nanning's Minzu Avenue. The route left the square in a westerly direction along Minzu Avenue, before turning north on Binhu Road. It turned left onto Changu Road and followed Dongge Road up to the Guangxi People's Hall, which was around the 8 km mark. Turning back eastwards via Minsheng Road and Gonghe Road, the route ran along the straightway of Minzu Avenue, passing the halfway marker