In economics, when there is demand, there will be supply. In China, as more and more Chinese are growing increasingly interested in marathons, investors and local governments are there to organize such sporting events.
Some people ask, however, if distance running is merely a middle-class trend in China.
According to Zhang Qing, CEO of Key-Solution Sports Consulting, and Ren Wunjun of Wisdom Sports Group, those who participate in marathon events are usually wealthy individuals.
Many distance runners also prefer high-end professional gear instead of normal sports shoes and sportswear, which cost about 5,000 yuan ($785), according to Zhang. Normal sportswear cost around 2,000 to 3,000 yuan.
"We want to have relatively professional sweat-dispersal and protection gear," said Zhang.
Chinese runners are not alone. According to American journal Runner, an athlete is already "economical" if he spends around $14,350 in running activities, while other runners can spend up to $213,000 for a luxury set.
In the case of Chinese runners, spending 14,100 yuan is already economical, while an expenditure of 1.1 million yuan is definitely luxurious.
In 2014, around 900,000 people attended different marathon races organized throughout the country. Data from Shanghai-based National Business Daily also suggest that these events were able to generate around $2 billion in direct revenue, and over $10 billion in peripheral revenue in related sectors.
The increasing popularity of marathons also opened the doors for international sports shoe brands such as Brooks, Asics, New Balance, and Saucony to perform well in the Chinese market, according to National Business Daily.
Meanwhile, Xtep International Holdings sponsored 13 marathon events last year and launched three series of running shoes in the country.