China catches running bug in quest for better health

Races and participants are on the rise, with marathons big business, Zhang Lei reports.

Spring is the best time of year for runners in Beijing. As soon as April arrives, the 10-km track at Olympic Forest Park in the north of the city comes alive with athletes and amateur joggers.

They cast off their winter lethargy, embracing the refreshing, still slightly chilly, morning air and gamely ignoring the capital's pollution in their quest for fitness.