First-generation runner witnesses evolution of China's marathon over 4 decades

"From a few hundred to tens of thousands of participants, it is a microcosm of the explosion of China's marathon," Luo said.

China's marathon events are blooming in many cities nowadays. According to a blue book released by the Chinese Athletics Association, there were 699 road running events held nationwide in 2023, with a total of 6 million participants. Almost every day, two marathons are taking place in China. Especially in April and October each year, marathon events are clustered, with an average of four races starting per day.

Even with so many events, for runners, it is still far from enough. In Luo's view, it is a manifestation of the continuous improvement of people's health concepts and the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle of Chinese people.

"Over 40 years ago, people first took care of food, clothing, and daily use. The concept and demand for sports and fitness were very vague. It was difficult to find a running partner. At that time, marathon was a lonely sport," Luo said.

Now, marathon has not only become an effective way of sports and fitness, a positive and trendy lifestyle, but also a multifaceted platform and performance art for releasing pressure, soothing emotions, and precise socializing, according to Luo.

The marathons also continue to reform and adapt to new situations. Luo said, "The initial marathon races only had the full marathon. At that time, I had no choice. Now, we have many types of running including half-marathons, women's marathons, rock and roll marathons, forest marathons, health runs, parent-child runs, charity runs."