The total distance was exactly 40,075 kilometers, equivalent to circling the Earth’s equator once.
Each contestant had a separate live broadcast channel, and at least two supersonic drones followed them during the run at all times.
Moreover, high-resolution satellites were also tracking from above.
If it was a star contestant in focus, more drones and satellites followed, showing the running from multiple perspectives.
As the countdown began, hundreds of drones flew into the sky, locking onto the contestants on the ground.
Amidst the roaring chant of tens of thousands of spectators, a gunshot rang out, and the quadrennial Global Marathon finally began!
As the gunshot sounded, over three hundred people shot out like arrows released from bows, creating a whirlwind on the spot.
An intense sound of sonic booms echoed through the skies, and the crowd watching on-site, hundreds of meters away, was still blown about haphazardly.
By the time they came to their senses, they found that not a single person remained at the starting line.
Ji Xinghuo bent his body forward, and at the instant the starting gun sounded, he shot out like a bullet, breaking the sound barrier in a blink with a running speed of 350 meters per second.
The advantage of "Acceleration" was evident.
Leaving everyone behind, Ji Xinghuo stood out in the frame.
His feet alternated in strides, close to the ground, with a stride frequency of over ten per second, covering more than thirty meters with each step, while always ensuring both feet were off the ground for no more than 0.1 second, and his core remained as stable as a mountain, with minimal undulation, leaning slightly forward to maintain an angle of around 50 degrees with the ground.
Howling wind rang in his ears like thunder.
The streets on both sides retreated quickly, passing through his field of vision like streaks of light, creating a blurred distortion before his eyes.
But this had no effect on Ji Xinghuo, whose mind was clear and used electromagnetic induction to map the surroundings and movements in his mind.
He maintained his supersonic run.
In the sky, four drones locked onto Ji Xinghuo, following in sync.
The main live broadcast channel also switched to Ji Xinghuo, and at the current position of the contestants, he was indeed out in front.
The commentators were speaking quickly, all expressing surprise.
However, in the frame, two people were rapidly catching up, one behind the other, only a few dozen meters apart, one was the Sun King, the other was Divine Walker.
After a few seconds of acceleration, the Sun King’s speed had reached about 450 meters per second.
The Divine Walker was not far behind, with a speed just shy of the Sun King’s.
Ji Xinghuo’s lead lasted for less than 10 seconds.
With a sonic boom and a frenzy of wind sweeping past him, the Sun King overtook Ji Xinghuo and gradually increased the distance.
The flag cape of the Sun King fluttered loudly behind him, conspicuously eye-catching.
A few seconds later, a tall, dark figure also caught up. His running posture was expansive and free, like a black streak of lightning surpassing Ji Xinghuo—it was the Divine Walker.
Ji Xinghuo didn’t rush, maintaining his cruising speed, steadily over Mach 1.
In just three minutes, he had run out of Ivangrad.
Then Luo Yimeng caught up as well, her skin shimmering with colorful lights, a pair of dazzling, colorful Feathers emerging behind her. Although the stride frequency of her run was not particularly high, with every step, she covered a hundred meters, her steps swift as flight, yet without breaking any rules.
"Can you go any faster?" Luo Yimeng ran alongside Ji Xinghuo and turned her head to ask, "If we continue , we’re going to lose."
Ji Xinghuo’s face remained calm, "No rush, let them run ten thousand kilometers first."