Runners revel in muddy mayhem

China's ever-expanding army of marathoners and fitness freaks are increasingly keen to get off the beaten track.

The sight of 3,000 people plodding, splashing, climbing and crawling through a muddy, obstacle-peppered 'battlefield' in Beijing's Olympic Forest Park on Saturday was testament to the growing demand for more novel challenges.

The eight-kilometer course featured 25 obstacles, including high walls, swamp and ice river, taking their inspiration from history, such as World War I's Battle of Verdun.