Runners compete during the 2018 Hangzhou Marathon. [Photo/VCG]

The annual Hangzhou Marathon is set to kick off on Nov 3.

A total of 139,899 runners have signed up, a record high for the event. This year's contest will have the same categories as previous years, including full and half marathons, a mini marathon, a couples run and a child/family run.

In July, the Hangzhou Marathon was awarded the IAAF Road Race Gold Label by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), making it the 12th marathon in China to join the world's most prestigious marathon league. 

Initiated in 1987, the Hangzhou Marathon is the second oldest marathon event in China. It has been awarded the Gold Label Road Race by the Chinese Athletic Association every year since 2014. 

Minor changes have been made to this year's course. The event will include more West Lake elements than in previous years, said an official on the event's organizing committee. 

As runners set out from the starting line at the Huanglong (Dragon) Sports Center, they will head toward Beishan Road, a three-kilometer stretch with stunning views. Runners will be able to see eight of the "top 10 West Lake sites". 

The remaining 30 kilometers of the course will be mostly the same as last year.