More than 28,000 runners from a total of 38 countries and regions take part in the marathon in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on Jan 6. [Photo/xmim.org]

The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) has announced the Xiamen Marathon won the 2019 AIMS Green Award for its excellence in environmental practice.

The marathon in Xiamen City, southeast China's Fujian Province, is the first marathon event that won the award in China.

The criteria of the award include how the race promotes environmentally friendly practices, how volunteers contribute to the success of the event and how the race educates younger generations about the benefits of sport and environmental protection, according to the AIMS.

The award will be presented during the AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Awards Gala to be held in the birthplace of the Marathon in Athens, Greece on Nov 8.

Founded in 2003, the Xiamen Marathon has been rated as an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label Event for 12 straight years. Since 2015, the marathon has donated over 130,000 saplings to be planted, creating the "Xiamen Forest of Love" in cooperation with the project Million Forest run by China Green Foundation.

The city will advocate Car-free Day on the race day from 2020 and promote the plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for cleaning the ocean to reduce environmental pollution, said Ruan Dunliang, vice president of the Xiamen Marathon.