Dashing forward

Hundreds of people take part in the weekend race on Nov 9 at Gucun Park in Shanghai, organized by Shanghai Running. Fortunately, the races happened under blue skies. Photo by Gai Erqiang / China Daily

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Gu Bin, director of Running8.com, China's largest online community for runners, says the site has seen a rapid increase of registered members in the past three years. It's a hub for more than 100,000 "die-hard running enthusiasts".

"These people see running as a vital part of life and tend to challenge themselves in marathons. But the real number of runners in China is far more. Most people just run and don't register in communities," Gu says.

The 48-year-old, who started running 10 years ago, joins two to three marathons a year.

Running societies and associations have also popped up. The Shenzhen Running Association was one of a few of its kind in the city when it was set up in 1988. Now, Shenzhen has more than 50 runners' associations and clubs with about 10,000 members, says a director of the association, surnamed Chen.

Expat groups like the Hash House Harriers are pushing hard to promote the sport here by giving it an image makeover with a heavy accent on fun.

"The number of our Chinese runners ebbs and flows, but it's somewhere between 25 and 30 percent," says Bob Garner, who works with the Shanghai hash groups.

The British expat club organizes "paper chases" — costumed races at Halloween and Christmas, and operates under the tagline, "a running club with a drinking problem".

"What we do is much more about having a laugh and getting fit while you're doing it, so the beer doesn't do so much damage later," Garner says.

Although Mofli is an extreme example, he ranks among legions of Chinese running for fun, charity, money or just to look and feel good. Many are shocked by what they achieve despite alarming pollution and humidity levels that sometimes prevail in big cities.