▲ Zhou Yuan, founder of the well-known night running group DarkRunners
▲ Members of the night running group DarkRunners include renowned fashion designer Helen Lee, rapper Tim Wu, and illustrator Mr. Box...
In 2009, when Nike first started collaborating with us on a running event, many people were against night running. But after our first collaboration was a huge success, Nike changed its tune—shifting 30% of its promotion from morning runs and marathons to night running in advertising and marketing. Now, 100% of brands promoting running are promoting night running. As the initiator of Shanghai’s first night running group, it’s fantastic to have worked with the world’s best sports brands to spread the popularity of night running.”
I hope to find unique, functional running-related products at ISPO SHANGHAI next July, as well as registration points for some international races to learn more about overseas running events. It would be even better if we could invite some professional runners to share their experiences and insights, along with reviews of the latest top-tier gear.”
Start Night Running
One night in 2009, to shake off the discomfort from mixing Red Bull with vodka, I ran across the Nanpu Bridge from Pudong to Puxi. From then on, I started running at night every week, becoming a Dark runner, and attracting friends around me to join. When we grew from just two or three people to a larger running group, we named our group DarkRunners and designed a logo for it.
Collaboration with Nike
Back then, the concept of night running didn’t exist in China. In 2009, when Nike first started collaborating with us on a running event, 80% of people were against night running, believing that running should only happen in the morning sunlight. But we stuck to our style—running at night. After our first collaboration became a big success, Nike changed its approach. Currently, 30% of its promotion in advertising and marketing has shifted from morning runs and marathons to night running. Our running group was also invited to participate in Nike’s ad campaigns, which appeared in Nike stores across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan... Now, 100% of brands promoting running are promoting night running. As the initiator of Shanghai’s first night running group, it’s fantastic to have worked with the world’s best sports brands to spread the popularity of night running.
▲ The above image shows a Nike running campaign that the night running group DarkRunners participated in. Other participants in the same campaign included MTV host Kevin Chan, famous singer and actress Tian Yuan, and others.
Disagree with Promoting Marathons
Now, my running group has 103 members, and we still keep it closed. If someone wants to join, they have to run with us once so I can see if they truly love running. We only accept members who are genuinely passionate about night running. Currently, one-third of our members have gone from never running to completing a half marathon, and I myself have run the Shanghai Marathon three times and participated in the world’s longest cross-country marathon—the Portland Coast Run in the U.S., finishing in 27 hours.
Marathons have become a popular sport thanks to the push from media, celebrities, designers, and other influencers, but personally, I don’t think marathons are suitable for everyone. Marathons are competitive running events, better suited for trained runners. Regular people can try 5K or 10K runs, but not marathons. Without long-term, grounded training, it could lead to knee or muscle injuries.
There’s now a very bad trend where people rush to join just because the sport is popular. This year at the Shanghai Marathon, I saw many walkers, people taking photos while running for show, and those in bizarre costumes... Not only did this create chaos on the track, but it also took up spots that could have gone to people who truly wanted to run. I support promoting healthy running, but I don’t support promoting marathons.
▲ Zhou Yuan believes today’s marathon events are full of bad trends—people showing off, wearing strange outfits... not only causing chaos on the track but also taking spots from those who genuinely want to run.
Launch a Night Running Website
Night running has become a very popular urban sport. We also created a night running website, “darkrunners.cn,” hoping to bring together more night running enthusiasts like us. On the site, we share our running experiences, gear, outfit ideas, running music, and more.
▲ darkrunners.cn is a website for sharing running experiences, gear, music, and more.
Running as a Lifestyle
In my opinion, running is just running—it’s not a social tool or pre-race training. When you can set aside time in your weekly schedule for running, choose a route you like, and listen to your favorite music, running becomes as natural as chatting with a friend or having a meal with your parents. That’s when you become a carefree runner. “Running is a way to make life easier and more enjoyable”—this is the running culture I advocate. ...