Feature: First-generation runner witnesses evolution of China's marathon over four decades

Runners compete during the 2024 Tianjin Marathon, Oct. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Witnessing the development in China's marathon over the past 40 years, Luo Minqin, one of the earliest women to participate in marathon races, has a dream of returning to the marathon race again as she approaches the age of 70.

TIANJIN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Luo Minqin hasn't run a marathon for several years, but her legend is still well-known by many runners.

Luo was one of the earliest women to participate in marathon races in China. In the first Tianjin Marathon in 1981, she, at 25, was the champion of the women's group.

As a physical education teacher at a middle school in Tianjin, Luo loved sports and enjoyed running, but she had only officially participated in a 5,000-meter race. She and the vast majority of her contemporaries had never heard of the marathon event and had no idea of running over 40 kilometers.

Out of curiosity, Luo signed up for the inaugural Tianjin Marathon.

For the first 20 kilometers, she ran with a group of male runners, feeling proud and confident. However, after running 30 kilometers, her body had a severe reaction, vomiting continuously and feeling as if her legs were filled with lead.

For her safety, the staff of the organizing committee urged her to give up. Ambulances and medical personnel were on standby. But her strong-willed character and the cheers from the crowd enabled her to cross the finish line.

With a time of 4:26.34, she was the first to finish in the women's group. This final result might seem insignificant for now, but 43 years ago, there were very few people involved in marathon running in China, and women who dared to stand on the marathon course were even rarer.

Participants run during the 2024 Tianjin Marathon, Oct. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Winning the championship in her first full marathon, Luo has been fascinated by marathons since then. "It's not that I chose the marathon, but the marathon took me in. It gave me peace and a sense of belonging," Luo said.

Continuous fatigue from racing, coupled with a lack of scientific training and nutritional care, led to various degrees of sports injuries in different parts of her body. Once, she fell from a pull-up bar at school, fracturing her knee joint, which almost ended her athletic pursuit.

She still insisted on running, but she had to reduce the frequency of marathons and later could only run half-marathons, 10 kilometers, and 5 kilometers.

As she grew older, Luo was involved in the organization and service work of marathon events. Now, at 68 years old, Luo no longer participates in official competitions, but she still loves sports and is active in various fitness organizations and sports associations in Tianjin.

At the Tianjin Marathon 2024 held on Sunday, Luo was busy organizing cultural performances and cheering squad, being the recommender of the event on livestreaming.

She marveled at the rapid changes and developments in China's marathon events over the past 40 years.

In 1981, Tianjin Marathon had only 165 participants, but this year it has reached 30,000, with the number of registrants exceeding 120,000.

Participants run during the 2024 Tianjin Marathon, Oct. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

"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."

A visually impaired participant run with his guide runners during the 2024 Tianjin Marathon, Oct. 20, 2024.(Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

To meet diverse needs, marathon events exerted great effort in organization, operation, security, and service, with high-tech technology and cultural ingenuity, all wanting to become the marathon that the runners must participate in at least once in their lives.

Luo, the first-generation runner in China, sets a new goal - at the age of 70, she wants to put on running shoes and return to the marathon race again, embracing the new era of China's marathon.