Running sees big growth in China

Running has become an important part of Wei Xueyan’s life. The Beijing resident has participated in many marathon and cross-country running events at home and abroad since she picked up running two years ago.

“Running has enriched my life, toughened my body, and enables me to meet interesting people,” she says.

The sport has got Wei through tough times and her running photos have become popular in her WeChat friends circle, which, in turn, has fueled her enthusiasm for running. She recently finished two cross-country runs in Sichuan and Gansu, and marathons in Berlin, London and New York.

Wei is just one of the growing army of Chinese runners. Some 2.8 million people joined marathon races in China in 2016, as compared with 1.5 million in the previous year, according to a report from the annual Marathon Gala-China held by the Chinese Athletic Association in Shanghai on March 20.

The growth is a result of social and economic development and increasing public health awareness, says Wang Dawei, deputy director of the track and field sports management center with the General Administration of Sport.

When a country’s per capita GDP passes $5,000, it sees a golden period of public consumption in sports, say experts.

In 2015, iranshao.com, an online runner community, and Hupu Running, a running application on mobile phones conducted a study on Chinese runners.

The study showed that medium and high income groups form a big part of marathoners. Half of them earn 50,000-150,000 yuan ($7,200-21,700) a year, and 20 percent of them have an annual income of over 150,000 yuan.

About 70 percent of runners have college education or are more highly qualified.

“Marathons are simple and economic and suitable for a majority of the public,” says Wang.

Joining marathon events enables runners to put their daily exercise or training to the test and share experiences with friends, he adds.

The growing number of runners has also given rise to more running events.

A total of 328 marathon events were staged in China in 2016, as against 134 in 2015. The events were all registered with the Chinese Athletic Association.

More than 400 marathon and running events are to be held in 2017, according to the Marathon Gala-China, and they are expected to draw in 5 million participants.

The number of events is expected to surpass 800 by 2020, and over 10 million people are likely to participate, Marathon Gala-China organizers say.