Running is the way to keep fit in 2016. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has set a one-mile run goal a day and created the A Year of Running public group.
In China, running too is the latest health fad with different marathons held in various Chinese cities and provinces. However, residents need not travel to another place and spend so much to join a particular marathon. In 2015, over 80 new marathons were registered, bringing the total number to 150 from only 51 the previous year, reported Chinadaily.
According to Financial Times, because of the boom, marathon organizers, which used to struggle 10 years ago to fill their starting blocks, now use a lottery system to determine who gets in. For instance, in 2015, the Shanghai Marathon attracted 100,000 applicants, but only 23,000 were accepted.
Apps, such as Codoon, make it possible to be a virtual participant in a marathon. One example was the Xiamen marathon on Jan. 2 in which about 120,000 Chinese runners listed to take part by wearing a smartwatch with the app.
Registered participants started at the same time as the runners in Xiamen and kept track of their running route and time, thanks to GPS technology. Upon reaching the finish line, the preset app reported the results to the online organizing committee that the events manager authorized, and the winners, such as 28-year-old engineer Xiao Liang, were given medals.
To date, there are more than 4,700 sports or "yundong" apps Apple Store alone. Gu Yang, analyst at Analysys International, an Internet consultancy, explained the boom in sports to the government policy to encourage physical activity among Chinese. It was an offshoot of a December 2014 document released by the State Council that called for swifter development of China's sports industry.
Besides apps for runners, there are also online portals that help badminton players book courts, offer bodybuilding and slimming courses and social network that is sports-based.
However, given that China has a population of more than 1 billion, the number of app users of the top three could still benefit from additional numbers. Gu suggested that the apps offer more valued-added and diversified services to cash in on China's exercise craze.
So far, running app ledongli.cn has 2.2 million users, Codoon has 1.6 million ad swimming app ss.xikang.com has 1.5 million. Exercises popular in the west, such as pole dancing, has also gained followers in the Asian giant.