Shenzhen Half-Marathon officials said as many as 18 runners were found to be wearing fake bibs and there were at least three imposters in the race, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing the Xinhua news agency in China. They face lifetime bans, the agency reported.
The other runners who broke rules took shortcuts during the race and were caught by traffic cameras and photographers, the Morning Herald reported. Those runners are facing two-year bans.
More than 16,000 runners participated in Sunday's race, CNN reported.
"We deeply regret the violations that occurred during the event. Marathon running is not simply exercise, it is a metaphor for life, and every runner is responsible for him or herself," Xinhua quoted organizers as saying.
China has held 1,072 marathons and road races this year, CNN reported.
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