What helped Zhao Wenhui, a student runner from Peking University, stay focused on racing during the 42.195-kilometer course of the Xiamen International Marathon on Thursday wasn't his pre-race plan or support from the crowd.

It was a bus equipped with mobile toilets that followed the main group of runners.

"It really addressed our specific concerns of finding a proper place to urinate in the middle of the race as quickly as we could while not getting caught by public eyes or media cameras," Zhao, who also participated in last year's Beijing International Marathon, told China Daily. "At least I didn't see the embarrassing scenes from Beijing happen here."