Going the distance

An increasing number of Chinese runners travel away to join various marathons staged at home and abroad, as running has been picked up by many as a fashion of lifestyle and attitude. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Back in 2010, most people wouldn't dream of joining a marathon, because they felt it was only for professional athletes.

Wang Dawei, vice-chairman of the China Athletic Association, says that it took five months for the Beijing Marathon to get enough people to sign up that year.

Still, the registration results were not impressive. But the tide has been turning in the past two years.

The Beijing competition saw its 30,000 slots snapped up in just one day last year, as running is now seen by many as fashionable and a lifestyle choice.

Some runners are even seen running with gauze masks on hazy days.

The urban marathon has seen the most growth in numbers among all the marathons, such as cross-country and the three-dimensional ones, in recent years, says Wang.

A total of 39 CAA-approved urban marathons were held last year, involving more than 750,000 participants, and this year will see 55 before the year ends, according to him.

"The number of marathon runners and those who complete events have also greatly increased," he adds.

Events in big cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai are now able to attract roughly 20,000 runners each, while the number ranges from 5,000-10,000 for smaller cities.

In addition to the full marathon and its half version, the 50-or-100 kilometer and 24-hour marathons are also making inroads into China.