BRUSSELS, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The 40th edition of the 20km half marathon of Brussels took place Sunday, drawing athletes and joggers from 137 countries and regions.

Nearly 40,000 athletes and amateurs gathered at the starting line to race through the city of Brussels in the 40th edition of its annual half marathon.

Valentin Poncelet and Alexandra Tondeur won the races for the men's and women's section respectively.

King Philippe of Belgium was present to kickstart the race and personally cheered on the disabled cyclist who led the race at the start.

The King also took group pictures with the 49 competitors who participated in all 40 editions, the oldest member of the team being 80 years old.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this national sporting event, Brussels has focused the theme around public welfare, and more than 60% of competitors raced for humanitarian action or for charitable purposes.

According to the organizers, a total of 650 charitable funds participated in this year's event.

More than 700 volunteers and numerous police officers, the International Red Cross and the staff of the Belgian Crisis Management Center took part in the event to ensure major crises are avoided.

Since its inception in June 1980, the event has grown in popularity, and has become one of the largest long distance amateur races in Europe, with an annual number of participants of around 40,000. Enditem

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