Running ultra marathons that turn feet into blistered, bloody stumps. Nordic skiing in winter’s brutal cold. Riding mountain bikes on rump-numbing trails across the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.

    For many Chinese, these have long been things that only crazy foreigners do. That is not so true anymore. The number of Chinese competing in so-called adventure sporting events has been growing rapidly in recent years as the country’s leisure-loving middle class expands. Companies are lining up for a piece of the market, while others see the trend as a new way to promote their products.

    When the organizers of the North Face 100 began accepting applications for China’s first large-scale ultramarathon last year, they thought that most runners would opt for the 10-kilometer fun-run option, said Julia Cui, director of sports events at Octagon, the marketing company that promoted the event.

    Only 100 slots were available for runners who wanted to do the grueling 82-kilometer race, which started at the Great Wall and went through the Ming Tombs outside Beijing last April, said Ms. Cui.

    The organizers were stunned when 300 people tried to sign up and had to be turned away from the race sponsored by American outdoor gear company The North Face. “We didn’t realize that this would be so popular,” said Ms. Cui.

    For decades, those who did sports in China were an elite few who were plucked out of school at young ages because they had the right physique or coordination for gymnastics, ping pong, diving or some other event. They spent their youth in state-funded sports organizations, while most other Chinese spent their lives in the fields, factories or offices.

    Most Chinese were busy just struggling to make a living. Extra income was spent on food, clothing and other necessities, not the $90 trail running shoes needed to get through an ultramarathon.

    That is changing as the ranks of China’s new middle class continue to swell. More people have the time and money for recreation, and leisure sports serve as a good “filtering system” for companies trying to reach consumers with money to spend, said Chris Renner, president for sports marketing agency Helios Partners.

    “If you do your consumer-based research, you’ll find that amazingly, unlike the United States, when you see people participating, doing walking, running, badminton, swimming, they are all higher-level income,” said Mr. Renner.

    Source: Associated Press

       中国休闲体育悄悄兴起

       参加超级马拉松比赛，跑到双脚起血泡。严冬时节参加北欧两项滑雪运动。在内蒙的大草原上骑山地车，直到屁股麻木。

       在很多中国人看来，只有疯狂的老外才会干这些事情找乐。但是，情况不再是这样了。近年来，随着中国酷爱休闲的中产阶层不断扩大，参与这些运动项目比赛的中国人正在迅速增加。很多公司正在竞相争夺更大的市场份额，而另外一些公司则发现这个趋势是推销产品的新途径。

       营销公司八方环球公司的体育赛事部主任崔女士说，去年，当North Face耐力赛的组织者开始接受中国首批大规模超级马拉松申请时，他们以为大多数选手会选择10公里的娱乐长跑。

       她说，去年四月在北京举行的令人精疲力尽的82公里比赛只有100个名额。比赛的起点是长城，途经北京郊外的明十三陵。

       当300人前来报名参加这项由美国户外运动器材公司主办的比赛时，组织者感到非常意外。崔说：“我们没想到这项运动如此受欢迎。” 

       几十年来，中国参加体育运动的人大多是精英分子，他们年纪轻轻时就从学校脱颖而出，被国家选中，因为他们体格或协调能力好，适合从事体操、乒乓球、跳水或其他一些项目。他们年轻时在国家资助的体育机构进行训练，而大多数中国人则在农田、工厂或办公室工作。

       大多数中国人仅仅忙着为生计奔波。额外的收入都用在了食物、服装及其他生活必需品上，不可能花90美元买一双仅供参加超级马拉松比赛的跑鞋。

       但是，一家国际体育营销公司的中国总裁克里斯·伦纳说，随着中国新的中产阶层不断扩大，情况正在发生变化。越来越多的人有时间和金钱参加娱乐活动了，休闲体育运动成了公司争夺消费者的合理“渗透体制”。

       伦纳说：“如果你对消费者进行研究，你就会惊奇地发现，与美国不同，当你看到人们参加体育运动，如漫步、跑步、打羽毛球、游泳时，他们全都是高收入者。”