According to Xiamen Evening News, the "Naked Pig Run" isn't about pigs running naked, but rather a group of people running in very little clothing—men running bare-chested in just shorts, and women in sports bras and shorts.
At 9:30 a.m. on the 16th, at Baicheng near Huandao Road by Xiamen University, a group of running enthusiasts took part in the "Naked Pig Run," advocating for "getting close to nature and living a healthy life." Six cities across the country have held such events, and Xiamen is the first.
A post-70s woman remained calm and found it fun and interesting
At 9 a.m., running enthusiasts from the Lurun Running Group arrived at the nearby beach by Baicheng on Huandao Road. There were two tents on-site for changing clothes. Twenty-three men wore swim trunks and did warm-up exercises on the beach.
"Hey beautiful, you’ve got an amazing figure!" A woman in a swimsuit drew cheers from tourists.
Her teammates from the Lurun Running Group call her "Kangaroo." She’s from the post-70s generation, yet still full of energy, and has even completed the full marathon in Xiamen. As the only female participant in this "Naked Pig Run," she remained unfazed, saying she thought it was fun and interesting after seeing the Weibo post "@Lurun Running Group" calling for participants. Being a regular runner herself, she decided to join. She felt that joining such a stress-relieving fitness activity was simple and energizing.
At 9:30, the "Naked Pig Run" began. They first ran across about 500 meters of sandy beach before entering the wooden boardwalk, covering a total distance of 6 kilometers.
The seaside location was deemed acceptable by visitors
"For the first event, we had 24 participants, including women—it’s quite rare. We hope more people will join next time," said Zhang Jiandong, head of the Lurun Running Group. The Lurun Running Group is a public welfare running community established in early last year in Xiamen, aiming to get office workers moving.
Zhang Jiandong said that considering the challenge of getting people to accept running bare-chested, they chose the seaside as the location. In summer, those who don’t want to run can simply go for a swim in the sea.
The reporter randomly interviewed over ten tourists, all of whom felt the seaside location was acceptable. A student named Xiaoyuan said it was healthy, fashionable, and fun, and that he’d like to participate if given the chance.
"It’s a jogging event, lasting about an hour," said Zhang Jiandong. Running on the sand can fill your shoes with grit, so they specially prepared eco-friendly plastic bags to put over the shoes. At the start of the wooden boardwalk, there were volunteers to collect these shoe covers. Zhang Jiandong said they hoped to encourage office workers to relieve stress and embrace a healthier lifestyle through this initiative.
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Last winter, Beijing held a "Naked Pig Run" event organized spontaneously by netizens at Beijing Olympic Forest Park. Dozens of running enthusiasts wore only underwear and ran 3.5 kilometers. The event was featured on CCTV’s sports channel, and since then, the activity has gained popularity nationwide, with other cities following suit.
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Ran through over 30 parks while doing environmental work
Zhang Jiandong said the Lurun Running Group started with just 6 members and has now grown to over 160. Most members are post-80s and post-90s office workers, along with some students—the youngest being just 12 years old. Every Wednesday, information is posted via Weibo "@Lurun Running Group," and regardless of weather conditions, a run is organized every weekend. They’ve held two seasons totaling 28 outdoor events. The group has run through almost all of the over 30 parks on the island, and sometimes, when seeing a lot of trash along the way, they clean up while jogging, which they find joyful.
Zhang Jiandong said the members have different roles and contribute ideas to make running more fun. For example, members of the competition department are all national-level athletes who scout routes in advance, design the course, lead warm-ups before jogging, and guide the group during the run. The group also has members responsible for promotion, as well as logistics volunteers looking after clothes and other items.
To strengthen bonds, Zhang Jiandong came up with a birthday party event called the "Birthday Marathon Relay Run": a 1-kilometer route is set up, and members celebrating their birthdays can choose to run however many kilometers they’re comfortable with. After completing the run, they enjoy snacks brought by everyone, chat, and have a great time.
With everyone’s help, one member successfully proposed to his girlfriend at the finish line of this year’s Xiamen Marathon. A photography enthusiast captured this romantic moment and later joined the Lurun Running Group.