ALL available places for this year’s Shanghai International Marathon and half-marathon were snapped up in a matter of hours yesterday.

Despite there being just 16,000 slots remaining — 2,000 were allocated to elite runners last week — several million people attempted to register for the annual tests of stamina, organizers said.

The men’s half-marathon was the most popular event, with the website and WeChat application channels closed at 11am, just two hours after opening.