CRI听力:Marathon Fever Sweeps across China

The 2015 Shanghai International Marathon was set to have 35,000 runners.

Over 100,000 people had applied and the organizer had to draw lots to decide who would get to participate.

An unnamed participant who was eligible to run in the Marathon in Shanghai said that he felt sorry for those who failed to win the lottery.

"Actually, most good runners were not lucky enough to be selected for the marathon this year. It's like a lottery. Eligible participants had to win a lottery."

Zhang Zhenpeng is the person in charge of the Beijing Bird's Nest Half Marathon which also kicked off on Sunday.

He said he didn't expect that for all places to be filled up so soon.

"We opened 8,000 placements and predicted these might be filled in half a month. However, runners were so enthusiastic that all placements were filled at night since the application began at 09:00. Just in one day. During the day, there were two system crashes because of the huge visitor volume."

Data released by the Chinese Athletic Association shows that Chinese marathon competitions have increased rapidly.

While only 22 marathon competitions were held in 2011, the number increased to over 120 this year.

The association predicted the number will rise above 200 next year.

The popularity of marathons across China also brings about economic benefits.

Zhang Yongliang is the director of the Marathon Office of the Athletics Administrative Center of China's General Administration of Sport.

He said the marathon fever has also helped to boost revenue for local governments.

"For example, marathon competitions in Xiamen City have brought 230 million yuan in revenue each year. However, it is far behind the Tokyo marathon which earns about two billion yuan each year. But many cities have realized that marathon competitions can promote tourism. For example, the city of Hengshui held the first marathon on September 23, 2012, boosting the city's tourist revenue by 300 percent."

Business insiders believe the marathon frenzy in China has hugely boosted the sports industry in which sponsors like Nike are among the biggest winners.

And related industries like the catering business, accommodation, sports drinks and healthcare products also benefit from the increasingly popular sport.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.