Blazing a brand new fitness trail

Spartan Race obstacle course series is taking China by storm by adding X-factors to endurance running

For some endurance addicts, running a marathon is simply not challenging enough. But add muddy fields and grueling obstacles to the equation, and you've got 'em hooked.

Run, mud, obstacles, fun - that's the basic premise of the Spartan Race, a fitness series founded in the United States in 2007 and which has become a big hit in China since being introduced here by sports marketing company SECA.

It began with just four races in 2016, but until last year over 120,000 people took part in 32 races nationwide; this year will see about 30 races of different levels staged in 10 Chinese cities.

Over 200 races are held in 30 countries and regions annually, with around nine million people forming the global Spartan community.

Compared with regular long-distance running events, the Spartan requires participants to have more comprehensive physical and mental strength, making it more attractive to those who really want to test their limits.

Seventeen-year-old Shi Haotian is one such brave heart.

"I participated in the Spartan Race in 2016 when it first arrived in China, but I was just a volunteer back then," said Shi, a Beijing high school student.

"In 2017, I became a Spartan Race runner, and I have now completed 10 races. When I was a volunteer, I was surprised to find out that one of my school teachers was running in the race. So, I just thought I can do it too.

"I had run marathons in the past, but it was unexpected when I finished first in my age group at my first race in Shanghai. Now, we have even established a Spartan running club in my school."

Shi, who is currently applying to US universities, describes the Spartan Race as a lifestyle and said he manages to balance study with participating in events during vacations.

Lifestyle choice

Organizers hope selling the Spartan Race as a lifestyle will ensure it maintains an enduring appeal.

"The core spirit is the attitude of daring to face and overcome the difficulties of our lives, just like we climb over the obstacles during the race," said Zhang Haoyang, who is in charge of the Spartan Race program in China.

"Sometimes the obstacle is just yourself. We all have to choose between walking away or facing it directly."

That's the sort of attitude that spurs many to step out of their fitness comfort zones. Just ask 27-year-old Beijing office worker Cao Weiya.

"I really like challenging tasks so the Spartan Race is a perfect match," said Cao.

"It's like a parallel world compared with my working life. It brings me excitement. It feels like I've entered another world.

"I want to continue to compete in the Spartan Race as I have already finished a Spartan Beast race and a Hurricane race that test runners' endurance and mental determination. The race requires runners to overcome long-distance running and obstacles at the same time, so I was a little nervous at first.

"I participated in trail running before and I still do the CrossFit fitness regimen."

It's no exaggeration to say that the Spartan spirit inspires people to overcome the seemingly impossible.

Zhang Jian, who was struck with polio at age 3, finished a Spartan event in his wheelchair last December in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Basketball and marathons used to be his sports of choice, but now he has a new favorite.

"It's a new challenge for me to join the Spartan Race. I've overcome many difficulties, so I believed in myself," said Zhang.

"The Spartan Race is very different from regular running events. At first, I really didn't know how to negotiate those obstacles just by using my arms.

"I want the public to see that, with hard training, people like me can also do these challenges, which is a great confidence booster."

Good timing

The growing popularity of the Spartan Race can be linked to China's long-distance running boom.

A total of 1,581 marathon events were held in 285 cities nationwide last year, attracting 5.83 million entrants, according to the Chinese Athletic Association (CAA).

While full marathons attract the most runners, trail and obstacle races are also growing in popularity.

CAA president Duan Shijie said: "It's hard to fathom the growth of running events in China. Years ago, when marathons began to be introduced here, spectators lining the roadside would never have believed that one day they would run themselves."

Spartan organizers quickly realized the time was right to explore the Chinese market.

"The number of marathon events and people working out at fitness clubs are growing dramatically, which opened a window of opportunity for us," said China's Spartan Race boss Zhang, who is keen to stress the series is open to people of all age groups and different fitness levels.

Now it even has a kids' race for children aged 4-13. That's resulted in entire families becoming Spartan devotees.

"The Spartan Race did not only change my own life, it has influenced the lifestyles of my whole family," said 34-year-old father-of-two Lyu Wenqiang who has joined in 22 Spartan races in two years.

"Last year, I took my 6-year-old son to the Spartan kid race in Hong Kong. It was pretty easy for him to finish the challenge. Getting over the obstacles was very exciting for him."

Keen to lose weight after the birth of their second baby, Lyu's wife soon signed up, too.

"After having two babies, my wife thought she had a weight issue, and watching me run the Spartan Race made her want to join," said Lyu.

"My wife had been working out before we had our first baby. At the beginning, it was quite a struggle for her to finish the race. But she kept training every day and now she is producing even better performances than me, especially in terms of endurance.

"Now three of our family are Spartan runners.

"In a year's time, I will bring our second child, who is about 2 years old now, to the race, making us a four-person team!"

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn

Father-of-two Lyu Wenqiang shows off his impressive collection of Spartan Race medals.

(China Daily 05/02/2019 page8)