在线国产一区二区_成人黄色片在线观看_国产成人免费_日韩精品免费在线视频_亚洲精品美女久久_欧美一级免费在线观看

US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
Opinion / Huang Xiangyang

Marathons offer healthy business opportunities

By Huang Xiangyang (China Daily) Updated: 2015-09-08 09:02

Marathons offer healthy business opportunities

Professional atheletes and tourists from around the world compete in a New York marathon. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Long-distance running has become a craze among the increasingly affluent and health-conscious Chinese people.

It has become a daily scene these days to see men and women, especially the young and middle-aged, jog along the streets or in parks after work or during weekends. At Beijing's Olympic park, which I often visit, runners are hot on the heels of each other, soaked with sweat and beaming with vigor and vitality. You cannot help but join them.

Though around 60 marathons were officially held or are planned for this year, as compared to a dozen several years ago, runners still find it hard to secure a place in some of the most coveted races. The upcoming Beijing marathon, for example, drew more than 60,000 applicants although only 30,000 places were available. Those who won the slot through a lottery are considered extremely lucky.

It is estimated that around 150,000 people stood at the starting line of marathons in China last year, 20 times more than a decade ago. Accompanying the exploding number of marathon runners are business opportunities and benefits that are yet to be fully tapped in China.

Marathons mean money. According to Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, the world's most prestigious race and related events brought an estimated $180 million in additional spending to Boston this year.

This included spending by participants and their guests, spectators and charity fundraising. The sports and fitness expo held alongside the Boston marathon has become the running industry's premier show for new products and services, and attracted more than 200 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors in April.

The accommodation and catering sectors are always among the main beneficiaries of a marathon. According to a survey conducted after the London marathon in 2011, about 70 percent of businesses on the marathon route were busier than on a normal day, while 76 percent felt that the marathon had a positive effect on trade. A third of pubs along the route reported that the marathon Sunday was their "busiest day of the year", while more than two-thirds of route-side convenience stores were busier than on a typical Sunday.

In comparison, the Beijing marathon, which is of a similar size as the Boston race in terms of participants, has a lot more to learn from its foreign peers. No official survey has been conducted regarding the economic benefits to be brought by the race. It was only last year that a sports expo was held at the site where participants claimed their bib number, but on a very small scale, with only a limited number of brands and products on display.

Some marathon runners say the sport is so welcome because it is simple and almost free. All you need is a pair of shoes, and you can even run without them. But is this really true?

Join a marathon and you may find it's more like a fashion show, where runners, in a desperate attempt to improve their results and show off their personality, don the most trendy and high-tech gear such as running shoes, leggings, T-shirts, shorts, socks and jackets of all colors and designs. London marathon runners spend an average of 450 pounds ($688) on running shoes, kit and training. As a rookie who started running just three years ago, the amount I spend on gear is just a quarter of that figure. But surely I am ready to splurge more, just like the others.

Those who are tech-savvy are usually equipped with watches that can update your speed and distance, heart rate and calories, with high-end devices being able to upload your statistics to an online training log where you can analyze your performance after a race. Gamin, Sunnto and Magellan are the favorite brands.

For trail runners, those who prefer to run in the mountains rather than on city streets, a pair of walking sticks, a hydration pack, a nutrition belt, a reflective race vest and a head lamp are a must and will always come in handy to boost performance, with brands such as Black Diamond, Ultimate Direction, Nathan, Salomon and Petzl, to name but a few, being the favorites.

Also on the list are knee and ankle supports, sunglasses, headgear, running hats, energy bars and gels, and so on. It actually spreads throughout an entire running industry chain.

Yet almost all these products, especially those high-end brands that are eagerly sought after by an increasing number of Chinese long-distance runners, are from overseas.

Unlike the general sports sector where you could feel the rising might of Chinese brands such as Li-Ning, Anta, 361, Peak, which are eating into the market share of world sportswear giants like Nike and Adidas, in the endurance sports sector, Chinese brands' presence is almost invisible. Winning even a tiny market share can mean immense business benefits for domestic sports firms.

But so far it seems that few if any Chinese brands have looked into this largely ignored sector - a gold mine yet to be explored.

Contact the writer at huangxiangyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/08/2015 page14)

Most Viewed Today's Top News
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 色综合久久88色综合天天 | 免费黄色网址在线观看 | 日韩一区二区三区四区 | 成人羞羞网站 | 在线观看亚洲 | 成人福利在线观看 | 日韩手机在线视频 | 免费看黄色网址 | 熟女毛片 | 国产福利在线 | 玖玖精品在线 | 亚洲视频三区 | www操 | 色综合av| 久热精品在线观看 | 国产三级一区 | 国产成人久久精品麻豆二区 | 一区二区三区四区在线播放 | 福利视频午夜 | 又黄又爽又色视频 | 黄色三级网站 | 色婷婷av一区二区三区之e本道 | 黄色一区二区三区 | 一区二区三区av | www.伊人网| 欧美亚洲一区二区三区 | 亚洲午夜18毛片在线看 | 欧美在线小视频 | 国产一区二区三区在线 | 中文字幕在线免费看线人 | 国产成人在线免费视频 | 天天草天天射 | 亚洲天堂一区 | 午夜成人免费视频 | 一区二区三区四区av | 欧美成人精品一区二区三区 | 黄频在线观看 | 久久久午夜精品 | 成人免费视频国产免费 | 国产成人午夜高潮毛片 | 成人精品免费视频 |