On August 29, in Chengdu’s Tianshun Road, night running enthusiasts took off under the night sky. Since its formation in June, the group has grown from just over 20 members to more than 200.
Is it hard for an individual to stick with running for exercise? Is going to the gym too expensive? A passionate resident from Yong’an Community in the High-Tech Zone of Chengdu organized a “neighborhood” night running group, using the leisure time after dinner each evening to gather residents living around the community for group runs in the neighborhood. Starting in June this year, this self-organized “neighborhood” night running group has grown from just over 20 participants to now over 200.
An 80s-born youngster establishes the “neighborhood” night running group
“There are 11 minutes left, everyone, warm up quickly!” On the evening of August 30, at a square near Tianshun Road in the High-Tech Zone, nearly 40 residents aged from their teens to their fifties were warming up before their run while chatting and laughing. Among them were young men in their twenties and uncles and aunties in their fifties. Among them was a 26-year-old young man wearing black-rimmed glasses and professional running gear — Xiao Sun — who kept reminding everyone to do pre-run exercises. He is the initiator and organizer of the community’s “neighborhood” night running group.
“We run on the road on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and switch to the track on other days.” Xiao Sun said that since the formation of the night running group, it has now grown to over 200 members, with nearly 40 people participating in the runs every evening.
Ensuring safety by assigning sweep runners
“I just want to live a healthy life and meet healthy friends.” Xiao Sun, a white-collar worker who lives in nearby Residential Area 1, said that since graduating from university he used to frequent nightclubs, but after feeling his health deteriorate, he decided to give up his unhealthy habits. He also tried running at the gym, but ultimately found it hard to keep at it. While on a business trip in Beijing last year, he learned about the concept of “night running,” so he started searching online for homeowner social groups in residential communities near his home, looking for neighbors to run with. To ensure the safety of his neighbors and keep things from getting boring, he not only assigned team leaders and “sweep runners” every day, but also varied the running routes.
Community steps in to actively coordinate running venues
“The moment I saw him post in the homeowner social group, I contacted him right away.” Leng Wen, director of Yong’an Community, normally “lurks” in several homeowner social groups. Leng Wen said that in mid-June this year, he saw Xiao Sun’s recruitment post for the night running group in one of the community homeowner groups and immediately became interested. “This is not only a great way to exercise, but also a good way for neighbors to interact.” After speaking with Xiao Sun and learning about his ideas and current challenges, Leng Wen immediately leveraged the strength of the community to promote the initiative within the residential developments covered by Yong’an Community and helped secure running venues.
“Using off-work hours makes it easier to mobilize the community’s young residents, such as promoting the establishment of a homeowners’ committee among them.” Leng Wen said that currently, in some newer residential areas, due to work schedule constraints, it is difficult to get young people involved in community outreach efforts and assisting with setting up homeowners' committees. But through the night running group, many young residents have been brought together to participate in public affairs management within the community.
Term explanation
Night running:
It means running at night. This concept originates from running—people unwinding under the night sky after a day of work, and it is currently one of the trendiest ways to stay fit. It breaks free from the limitations of location and equipment. Now, night running even has a catchy English name—Fun Run. Literally, Fun Run should mean “fun, free, and unrestrained running.” In fact, that is precisely the theme of night running. In this sense, “Fun Run” is more of an attitude toward exercise—after a day’s work, stepping outside, simply letting your left foot follow your right foot in a free rhythm, without worrying about speed, and fully enjoying the joy that running itself brings amidst the rhythms of nature. At present, the night running trend has been embraced by some residents in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang regions in China.