Growing Chinese demand for marathons increases sales in luxury sports brands
The growing Chinese wealthy classes are spurring on a demand for marathon races﻿, with ﻿runners preferring ﻿the high-end professional equipment﻿, instead of normal sports shoes and sportswear.  Investors and local governments are increasingly organising marathons, or similar events to meet the demand, which is opening doors for international sports shoe brands, such as Brooks and New Balance, to increase their sales in the Chinese market, say sources.  Nike's China sales, which were strong for 2Q2015, highlights﻿ this. ﻿Data from the National Business Daily reveals that in 2014 around 900,000 people took part in different marathon races across the country, with these events generating about $2bn in direct revenue, and over $10bn in peripheral revenue in related sectors.

Those who participate in marathon events are usually wealthy individuals. (Photo : China.org.cn)

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.



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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.

