The black and white flag went down, and the race began.

黑白旗落下，赛跑开始了。

《牛津词典》

The race began...

比赛开始了。

youdao

After a great many loud explosions, the race began.

在好一阵喧闹的爆炸声之后，比赛开始了。

youdao

The ten month thirty-six race Sprint Series began in February in Daytona Beach,Florida.

VOA: special.2009.04.10

The competitive part of the race began the following day in Willow 50 miles to the north.

NPR: 53-Year-Old Musher Becomes Oldest Iditarod Champ

The race began after a moment of silence for the Boston victims, and many wore black armbands as a sign of solidarity.

NPR: A Look At Boston Marathon Bombing, Investigation

The first stirrings of Obama's momentum were visible before the race began, but no campaign could have predicted his rapid, seemingly unstoppable rise.

CNN: Analysis: Why Clinton's bid failed