The 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Nanning, China on 16 October 2010. The competition took place on the city streets, beginning and ending at Wuxiang Square, with a total prize purse of US$245,000 at stake. The Kenyan athletes emerged with both the individual and team titles in the men's and women's races. Despite limited experience in top level half marathon races, Wilson Kiprop and Florence Kiplagat won their respective races. Kiprop broke Zersenay Tadese's winning streak which dated back to 2006, out-sprinting the defending champion in the final stages. Sammy Kitwara won the men's bronze medal and helped Kenya to the men's team title. Led by Zersenay, the Eritrean men beat Ethiopia to the team silver medal spot. Kiplagat, who was ever present at the front of the women's race, outdid Ethiopian Dire Tune in the last kilometre to win her second gold medal on the global stage. Mirroring Kitwara, Kenya's women's bronze medallist Peninah Jerop Arusei secured the team's victory over Ethiopia. Representing the hosts, Zhu Xiaolin was the only non-African to reach the top eight at the championships. The joint effort of the Japanese women aided them to a sixth consecutive team bronze medal – making them the only medalling country outside the typically strong African triumvirate of Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea. A total of 30 countries were represented at the 19th edition of the competition and 123 runners altogether were entered into the men's and women's races. The event was the final edition to be held on an annual schedule, as the competition switched to a biennial format for the 2012 championships. Organization The city of Nanning was announced as the host venue for the 2010 World Half Marathon Championship at the IAAF Council Meeting in Monaco in November 2008. The winning bid was a continuation of a series of major international athletics events in the People's Republic of China, which included the 2006 World Junior Championships and a highly successful athletics competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was the first time that China hosted the competition, becoming the second Asian country to do so after India, which held the 2004 edition in New Delhi. The Local Organizing Committee was headed by the Nanning Sports Bureau and worked in conjunction with the Chinese Athletics Association and the IAAF. The event gained a high-profile title sponsor in Sinopec, the major Chinese state-owned petroleum