Running can be said to be one of the hottest sports today. Whenever sports are mentioned, many people’s first thought is running. In these current times of favorable weather, whether in the early morning or evening, there’s always a group of running enthusiasts out on the streets.
Faced with the situation where China’s running industry is "running" into new development space, the recently held ISPO Academy: Running Industry Summit Forum directly addressed the needs of runners and made bold predictions about the future development of the country’s primarily road running and trail running-oriented running industry. Now, let’s hear what the experts and scholars have to say about the booming running industry.
▲ Ms. Shi Chunjian, former Deputy Director of the Marathon Office of the Chinese Athletics Association and Partner at Orange Ray Market Consulting Co., Ltd.
Ms. Shi Chunjian, former Deputy Director of the Marathon Office of the Chinese Athletics Association and Partner at Orange Ray Market Consulting Co., Ltd.She spoke on “The Current Status and Trends of China’s Road Running Event Industry” from four aspects: the industry’s current status, related industries, internal and external challenges, and development trends. Ms. Shi noted that according to research, currently only around 200,000 people in China can complete a full marathon, representing the country’s truly active core runners. In terms of event types, marathons are showing relatively stable growth, while the trail running market is rapidly expanding. Entertainment-focused events and children’s events, however, hold a smaller market share. She also believes that the future road running event industry will develop toward offline socializing, innovative integration, diversification, and brand strategy.
▲ Mr. Chen Jie, Operations Director of Neusoft Saik
Mr. Chen Jie, Operations Director of Neusoft SaikHe shared 2017 China running market data based on statistics from the Saik platform, presenting a wealth of detailed data summarizing the 2017 China Runners Annual Report. According to Mr. Chen, with changes in registration systems, the number of Athletics Association-registered events in 2017 declined from the explosive level of 2016, totaling 257 events. The overall number of running events nationwide grew by 13% compared to 2016, with more emphasis on quality and steady development. Geographically, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong accounted for half of all running events. Road running events were distributed similarly to the overall event distribution, while geographic environment had a certain impact on trail races. By age group, marathon and other road running events mainly involved participants under 35, while trail runners were mostly aged between 35–50. Based on data from the Saik platform, the two individuals who participated in the most marathon and trail running events in 2017 were found to have run 49 marathons and over 21 trail runs respectively.
▲ Roundtable Dialogue — How Running Events Can Attract Runners
To better promote the popularization and advancement of running and offer suggestions for new developments in the sport, during the roundtable dialogue session,Mr. Lü Qipeng, Director of the Chengdu Double Heritage Marathon; Mr. Yang Jianguo, Founder of Green Run Sunshine; well-known runners Ms. Wang Ruifang, Mr. Gu Xibo, and Professor He RunyuatModerated by Mr. Yan Yi, Founder of Yidao Sportsdiscussed the theme “How Running Events Can Attract Runners.” The five guests analyzed how to drive running events into the market from the perspectives of event company philosophies and runner experiences. All five agreed that to enhance appeal, running events should focus on providing high-quality services to participants, create mutual attraction through the natural and cultural environments of the events, and develop their own unique brand personalities.
▲ Ms. Li Jia, Senior Vice President and Partner of Xingzhi Exploration
Ms. Li Jia, Senior Vice President and Partner of Xingzhi ExplorationShared her understanding of “the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism” with the audience, combining practical experience with brand cases. Ms. Li explained that in recent years, Xingzhi Exploration has summarized the roles of “culture, sports, and tourism” in hosting events as “culture refines the brand, sports builds the image, and tourism grounds the development.” For Xingzhi Exploration, “human experience is the core, product craftsmanship is vitality, and resource grounding is fundamental.” She also vividly explained how culture, sports, and tourism can be integrated and implemented through case studies such as the documentary “The Road to Xuanzang,” the Gobi Challenge, the 800 Desert Race, and the Tengchong Marathon.
Mr. Zhang Dong, Founder of UGEARStarting with UGEAR’s product trials and market expansion amid the current running boom, he further elaborated on marketing opportunities for brands during this running craze. He believes that the broader outdoor market will shrink in the future, while the specialized outdoor market will continue to grow. Currently, China is transitioning from the third to the fourth consumption era, where the gap between brands is narrowing, and what truly enables a brand to stand out is its inner philosophy. In the future, UGEAR will focus on developing new product categories and reconstruct everyday clothing with outdoor elements, striving to build a world-class brand.
▲ Mr. Hu Chen, Deputy General Manager of Yi Ji Fitness
Mr. Hu Chen, Deputy General Manager of Yi Ji FitnessOpened the door to the “Trail Running Training 2.0 Era” for the audience based on the experience Yi Ji has gained along the way. Mr. Hu believes that Yi Ji’s success lies in finding its own characteristics — integrating services into the running industry with training at the core, and collaborating in a radiant, sun-like manner with events, products, equipment, and tourism. Yi Ji’s R&D team develops different products for different seasons and cities, aiming to integrate in the most essential ways into event and brand experiences, as well as into the service process.
▲ Mr. Zhong Chengzhan, Founder and General Manager of Kailas
Mr. Zhong Chengzhan, Founder and General Manager of KailasFocused on the combination of brands and events, discussing “Sports Brands and Running Events — Key Factors in Brand Event Selection.” Mr. Zhong believes that although trail running is becoming increasingly popular, the actual social benefits and conversions it generates remain relatively limited, and the possibility of major brand investments in trail running events is not high at present. For Kailas itself, the brand tends to sponsor regionally leading events, nationally representative events, and international competitions. He also stated that the likelihood of a race IP quickly monetizing or attracting large capital is almost zero, so building a race into a high-quality IP requires time and maturation.
▲ Mr. Tong Qingjin, Founder of EngineBird
Mr. Tong Qingjin, Founder of EngineBirdDrawing from his own experience and current sponsored events, he offered thoughts on “Sports Brands and Running Events — The Integration of Brands and Events.” He mentioned common sponsorship forms such as event sponsorship, naming rights, and merchandise, noting that event sponsorship can bring together multiple valuable brands through team sponsorships. He believes that the effectiveness of event sponsorship depends mainly on the high compatibility between the event and the brand, as well as the high consistency of their goals, allowing premium products to shine on the race course.
Mr. Wang Yanchen, Director of Running Business at Shenzhen Himalaya Trading Co., Ltd.Interprets “Sports Brands and Running Events – Events Preferred by Sponsors” from the perspective of a sponsor. Mr. Wang believes that for sponsors and brands, the first key point in sponsoring an event is whether the brand matches the event, the second is the stability of the event, the third is the uniqueness of the event, and the fourth is the professionalism and level of organization of the event. The professionalism of the operation implies stability, reliability, and efficient communication, while the professionalism of the event has a significant impact on the brand.
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