Discussion keeps the world turning.
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Hello, everybody.
Welcome to Roundtable.
Coming to you from Beijing, I'm He Yang.
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Ready, set, go.
China's marathon fever is on.
Lace up your sneakers and get ready to join the excitement as cities nationwide gear up for marathon running adventures.
With thrills, cheers, and personal triumphs waiting at every turn.
Are you ready to conquer the challenge and cross the finish line?
How can event organizers up their game and deliver better services to ensure a more enjoyable experience for runners?
And Despite their global appeal, multi-brand boutiques seem to struggle in China's bustling retail landscape.
What factors are hindering their success?
And can they adapt to thrive in this dynamic market?
For today's program.
I'm joined by Ding Heng in the studio and Josh Cotterell on the line.
First on today's show.
Marathon running has seen a significant rise in popularity across China in the last decade, marked by a growing number of cities and regions hosting events that attract record-breaking crowds of participants.
In the last two days of this march alone, over 40 marathons have been held over the country.
However, despite the surge in interest, there remains a shortage of races and substandard supporting services.
What are the underlying issues causing these challenges?
And how can we improve the overall experience to better meet the demands of runners?
Ding Hong, give us the update on China's marathon events.
And apparently there's been major growth in recent years.
Yeah.
So when we talk about growth, one is at a commercial sense, but at the same time we're also talking about the athletic sense.
Let's talk about the athletic sense, for example.
In late March, a marathon was held in the city of Wuxi in eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, and runner He Jie broke the national record with 2 hours 6 minutes and 57 seconds in the event.
And basically setting new records was a key word in that marathon event, which I guess is really a reflection of the improving level of Chinese marathoners overall.
As a matter of fact, the national marathon record for men has been broken for three times within the past one year alone.
For example, in the case of last year, With regard to all the marathon events held in China, a total of 11897 runners finished the marathon running within 3 hours and more than 26000 people finished the semi-marathon events within 1 hour and 30 minutes.
These numbers or figures all represent new records.
Yes, indeed.
And a full marathon is of the distance 42.1 kilometers, which is 26.2 miles.
And that's very long, in my opinion.
But also that's kind of the point.
And Josh, I know that you shared once on the show that you were going to participate in marathons.
And then, you know, running a marathon is pretty common across the world.
What do you think is attracting people to do so?
Well, I think that these days there's a lot of health and fitness trends online.
We know that younger generations are seemingly more interested in health and fitness than previous generations were, when they were, you know, youths and such, because of social media, fitness trends and things like this.
And I think that this is also having an effect on older generations as well.
And the marathon has for... decades being sort of you know the the ultimate goal or one of the ultimate goals for anybody that gets into running right it's kind of a badge of honor to to show people that you are um you've achieved something very difficult when it comes to fitness so i think that there's uh an increased increased awareness of health and benefits and this has led to a surge in marathon participation and also um this is twofold because you can also find your community online and there's ample opportunity to take a lot of pictures and stuff like this when you do it.
I know this isn't the main reason why, but I think this is a reason maybe, why it's become more popular.
Yeah.
And also back to the marathons.
And it has been a topic of discussion in this country for at least a decade or so.
And then it's been coupled with the growing number of the middle income households as well in this country.
And it seems to be a wonderful hobby, apparently.
And it is certainly at least very good for your health.
It's very physical.
And Ding Hong, tell us what the numbers say about this growth of events marathon and half marathon wise.
Yeah, when we talk about the marathon's history in China, we're talking about a history of more than four decades actually, because the first international marathon event held in China was actually the 1981 Beijing Marathon.
But that was only open to those very professional athletes.
It will be another 17 years until the general public was allowed to take part in these events.
And really I think after the turn of the century, namely in the early 2000s, the number of marathon events in China really saw a rapid upsurge.
For example, by 2014, There were more than 50 races being held nationwide each year.
Then the Chinese government somehow decided to streamline the approval process for those commercial sporting events, including marathon, which sparked a massive boom in this particular industry.
In 2019, for example, over 1,800 marathons took place in China.
And, of course, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus and those COVID restrictions or prevention measures dealt a blow to this industry.
But really, I think running itself as a sport continued to be very popular, continued to thrive.
For example, a 2022 survey by the China Sporting Goods Federation found that running was the country's most popular sport, because over 60 of the respondents in that survey said they had tried running.
That's an increase from 48% in 2020.
So I think basically there is a bigger picture here that, for example, from an economic perspective, the growing popularity of running, and marathon included is really a sort of inevitable outcome of China's economic and social development, because there is a really well-known sports economic theory suggesting that road running events will take off in a country once its per capita GDP hits 5000 US dollars.
And here in China the per capita GDP has already reached somewhere around 12000 US dollars by the end of last year.
Yes.
Josh, do you see this connection between, you know, the rise of living standards and running?
And what's your read into this situation?
I think so.
Marathons are usually held in quite developed areas.
I mean at least some of the most popular ones.
Places like the Boston Marathon is really known for its prestigious history, and the London Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, New York, of course, Tokyo.
I think these are some of the biggest marathons and there really is an economic impact, in the same way that any big sporting event has an economic impact.
One difference with a marathon is that it actually usually allows the allows the public to participate, unlike most big sporting events where it's more of a spectator thing, right?
Also, a good thing about a marathon is that you don't need to build facilities, right?
I mean, you will have to say cordon off roads or something like this, which can be quite expensive, but you don't have to build anything.
And there's less things like environmental impacts right, because people are running, et cetera, et cetera.
So actually from an economic perspective, it can be quite prosperous.
And it's usually if it's a big one, like I know, the London Marathon every year, it's quite a big event.
It's on television.
There's loads of charities involved and it'll basically be on all day.
People will be looking and watching to see if somebody is able to break the world record, things like that.
So yeah, I think there is a connection there.
And we've seen, we can see that in countries like the United States, marathon participation is is steadily growing.
So I think that there is definitely some correlation here.
And here in China, the marathon that enjoys maybe the highest profile would be the Beijing Marathon.
And every year when it happens, yes, it's being televised.
And for local residents, we'd be looking at our navigation apps or listening to traffic radio and make sure that we divert our activities from those areas, because you don't want to be stuck in the street as such.
But it's a fun event and i think people are really embracing and getting used to the idea.
Also um, economic wise, this is possibly the cheapest way for a person to participate in a kind of sport, because all you need to do is basically maybe invest in a really good pair of professional running shoes and then try to run properly without hurting your knees and maybe we'll get into that a bit later and It's a great way to get involved and get physically active.
And that's what I guess a lot of workers in cities who are engaged in a very sedentary lifestyle kind of be attracted to.
And it sounds really appealing to me, actually.
But...
I think I lack the urge to actually participate because it also sounds very difficult.
And Dingheng, could you give us the latest numbers on how massive the semi-half-full marathon has evolved in this country?
Okay.
So, for example, in the case of the situation in China last year, there were close to 700 road running events, which did not include off-road and those mountain events held.
And among these events, 245 for marathon events with more than 1 million participants.
There were also 377 semi-marathon events with nearly 2.4 million participants.
And I think region-wise, a total of 31 provinces in China have held those certified marathon events, with top three provinces being jiangsu province, zhejiang province and guangdong province.
And, you know, going back to a point you raised earlier, in that people have more awareness about health etc, etc.
I think one interesting thing to mention here is that it used to be that middle-aged people make up the vast majority of the marathoner or marathon goers here in China.
But nowadays the sport has a wider appeal because, according to data analysis platform Ocean Engine, people aged between 24 and 30 are now the second largest group who are interested in running related content, namely marathon on Douyin, China's domestic version of TikTok.
But still the largest group continues to be people between Josh.
What are your thoughts to you know, explaining why, or do you see a similar age bracket of those being interested in participating in running marathons in your country?
Well, it seems like the age bracket is broadening to some degree.
Definitely, we can see this again with the influence of social media.
We're seeing that the participation is going up.
It's going up steadily.
Actually, I found that the Tokyo Marathon had over 300000 applicants for 36000 spots a few years ago, which really highlights its popularity and demand.
And also in the US, As I mentioned, it's been steadily growing, with over 550000 marathon finishes only a few years ago.
So it's really huge numbers.
Also from the University of Bath.
I found some research that suggests that marathon training there's been more research going into the benefits of it and how the completion of it can lead to improvements in cardiovascular health and endurance pretty obvious stuff.
Also in the journal of science and medicine in sport.
They found that it can have positive effects on mental health reduced anxiety and depression symptoms.
So i think that the age bracket is also widening because there's more research being put into this and we're starting to.
There's more discussion about things like mental health, which there wasn't so much maybe in previous generations, and I think that health and fitness is now really together.
We're not just talking about physical health, but also mental health as well.
And marathons seem to fit perfectly into this whole thing as a very marketable, Instagrammable thing to do.
It can be charitable.
It's good for you.
It's also very engaging and allows you to find a community both digitally and in person.
Yeah, and marathon is one of those things that I can't think of anything negative to say about, you know.
And on this show, we're always trying to find both sides of the argument, and there's just...
Yeah, it's all positivity, that seems.
And also if you see somebody posting that oh, they're running their first marathon or half marathon on social media, I can't think of anything negative that's associated with it, which I could be wrong, but we'll see.
And Ding Hong.
What do you see as the possible reasons to explain that younger people now possibly are interested in running marathons in China?
Like in the past, okay, here's just to snowball the answers.
So in the past I used to think that okay, it's usually what you see is somebody who's been working for maybe five years or a few years in their 30s and then they're maybe hitting a wall in their career or they're.
Somehow feeling unfulfilled in life, and also, as you get a little bit older, like after your 20s, maybe you're you're still in optimal health, but it's just a little bit different or you feel that hard work is taking a toll on your body and maybe on your soul as well.
And then you're looking for other ways as an outlet or to physically exercise and just to change up your lifestyle a little bit.
And then people go for running.
And then once they you know progress to a certain point, they're like yes, my goal is to run a marathon.
And that's usually sort of the journey that a lot of people in their 30s or maybe 40s go through.
But now maybe, you know, with the younger people, what's up with them?
How are they interested?
Well, I think one possible explanation is that probably people under the age of 30 nowadays have more added pressure or awareness as well.
That is related to health or, you know, body shape, etc etc.
They need to exercise.
And I would very much agree with this point by Josh that the influence of social media is massive, that running, participating in a marathon or semi-marathon have nowadays become a popular thing to do for the younger generation.
I think running itself, putting away the joy and exercise the positivity gained from running itself.
I think what's undeniable nowadays is that younger generation can share this very experience of running a marathon Via their social media platforms, for example, their rechat moments, and to garner all those kind of likes and positive comments.
Whoa, you run a marathon.
Yeah, that's something to be proud of.
And, like I said, this is the kind of thing that won't get you any of the hate message which sometimes you do unfortunately, on social media.
Because nowadays a really important platform for people to socialize with other people is really through social media rather than face-to-face interaction.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
And also, what do you show off online these days, right?
I think we've reached... a certain point of, is it saturation of social media or whatnot.
In the past, you know, some people flaunt their wealth.
They're always flaunting something.
But what better to flaunt than your super fit physique?
And, you know, that's the new Chanel handbag to have, you know, having that really fit body.
And I think that's pretty good.
Moving away from conspicuous shopping and then let's focus on our physical health.
Why not?
All that being said though, there are some problems and complaints that have arised with the marathon events here in China.
And I have at least two biggest areas of complaint.
And I want to see what you guys think about it.
The first problem apparently, is there are way too many aspiring participants, but just not enough number of races or spots open for these applicants.
And the second problem apparently, is the quality of these marathon events or the supporting service that's being provided is simply not great.
And guys, the floor is open.
Discuss.
Do you agree?
Well, I must say that I do agree.
And I myself have actually tried to look at joining some half marathons and marathons and half marathons.
I usually run, you know, in tandem with each other at these events, one being before the other sometimes, or people just finishing slightly earlier or starting later, something like this.
And in China, it's always been quite difficult.
Marathons are usually big.
Marathons are usually international events and they need to be really well organized because they're actually quite dangerous.
They need to be done in a very careful way.
People need to have places to rest.
There need to be places for people to, for example, get water.
And, most importantly, there needs to be enough facilities so that people can safely stop and quit if they need to right.
And a lot of these events, they're just not that clear.
And it's difficult to know what facilities they'll be there.
It's difficult to know how hard it's going to be.
Of course, some marathons are done on completely flat ground.
Some of them.
They might be the same distance but they could be 10 times as difficult because the elevation is different, right?
They might be going up and down.
It might be off road.
There's all sorts of factors that are going to contribute to the difficulty of the marathon.
And if you look at a really established marathon like the London Marathon, which gets booked up.
You can't just join it.
You have to be on a waiting list to get on the London Marathon.
But one of the reasons that it's so successful is because it's extremely well-organized.
So as soon as you get to the event, you're already well-prepared for it.
And I think that this is one of the issues.
Maybe it's partially a linguistic issue.
And I know that I'm being very Anglo-centric here when I say this, but of course having Mandarin as the only language for some of these events makes it quite tricky for international runners to come.
Not professional runners necessarily, but for foreigners to come over.
So having all of the events well translated into multiple languages is also very important, I think.
And maybe it's just because it's not as established yet, the marathon scene in China.
I'm sure that these things will develop pretty soon if it continues to gain popularity.
Though, what do you see as the possible quick fixes to the current problems?
Yeah, so I think, first thing first, the government authorities are pretty aware of the problems because really, following a few really high-profile cases of controversies, the Chinese Athletics Association, for example, have issued an order requiring event operators to respond more quickly to emergencies, and A few months later, the association have also banned operators from organizing two marathons within eight days of each other.
And these are really just some of the latest in a series of regulatory changes or upgrades targeting running events.
So basically, I think we are seeing the rolling out of new standards regarding safety, medical support anti-doping, organization of events and other issues.
And there needs to be setting up new task forces, right?
And to advise companies how to do the right thing.
And for runners, voice your discontent as well, because you know the best how these events can be organized.
And these days organizers, they are looking on social media and what's said in the media outlets in general.
