Henan students go on the run for breakfast

A college in Central China's Henan province launched the annual "Run for Breakfast" campaign on Monday to encourage students to brave the cold and exercise, Dahe Daily reported.

Students in Shangqiu Normal University can get a free breakfast, including an egg, bread and a cup of soy milk, after running three laps (1,200 meters) in the morning.

Since the college started the campaign in 2010, more than 5,300 students have participated.

"The activity is good for those who find it hard to get up in the morning. Running can build up one's body and there's a free breakfast. I woke my roommate up this morning and we are happy after the run," said Ren Tingting, a freshman.

The campaign was initiated by the student news agency of the college. "The breakfast food is paid for by businesses," said Chen Pan, deputy head of the news agency. "We organized this activity to urge students to step out of the dormitory to work out and arouse their passion for sports."

Li Mengyuan, 20, organizer of the activity in Shangqiu Normal University said the free breakfast for the morning exercisers will last for two weeks starting from Nov 12 and she was glad to see more people to join in.

"To have a partner exercising together helps students train harder and reap better results, which encouraged them to go outside instead of sleeping in the morning," Li said.