The 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing is set to begin on Saturday, but amateur runners were given the opportunity to compete in a shorter course.
Two months before the professional race, Li Zhiqiang has rigorously trained to participate in a 10-kilometer run for amateur runners drawing almost 2,000 interested competitors from Shandong alone.
Li and other runners of his ability also registered to be among the 10,000 competitors in the shorter counterpart of the championship race, which is a full marathon of 42.195 km.
A pre-registration ballot gave Li an opportunity to overcome the odds and to compete against world-famous professionals at the event, which is being held in China for the first time.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime honor to run (a shorter distance) among top professional runners from around the world at this prestigious event, as it is a dream come true for any amateur runner," said Li, a bank employee who has completed nine full marathons since 2013.
Distance running is fast becoming a popular activity in China, as domestic races are attracting an ever-increasing number of competitors. Despite this ongoing trend, marathons have long been popular in other countries around the globe. Aside from encouraging urban dwellers to stay fit and active, organizing marathons have proven to be beneficial for organizers and sponsors as well.
According to Ren Wen, the chairwoman of Wisdom Sports Group, more people are drawn to running as it only requires minimal gear.
"No other sport has a lower entry requirement than running. All you need is a pair of running shoes and you can go hit the road, regardless of age and gender," Wen said.
"That's why we remain committed to organizing, promoting and marketing marathons and related races as the foundation of our sporting venture. The races attract a massive number of participants, which is the key asset of this fledgling industry."
In 2014, one of China's oldest marathons, the Hangzhou International Marathon, the first held in the capital of Zhejiang Province in 1987, incurred 30,000 registrations in just seven hours after opening, according to Wisdom Sports Group, a Hong Kong-listed company.
The company has announced that it will hold another event, the Guangzhou Marathon, scheduled for December.
Heavy Internet traffic caused the organizer's registration website to crash several times last year.