All the hard work paid off, because in the 2018 Beijing Marathon, a year after his first, he completed again and shaved off more than 90 minutes from his earlier time, finishing in 2:53:05.

Last year, keen to improve his performance even more, he joined Yuandadu Marathon Club, founded in 2016, that provides a scientific system of marathon training for runners. The club has more than 600 registered members, more than 120 of whom can boast of having completed a marathon in under three hours.

Shedding more sweat and armed with the scientific training the club gave Luan, in last year's Beijing Marathon he shaved about 22 minutes off his record, finishing in 2:31:44.

As zippy as Luan may be when he dons a pair of running shoes, his arrival at the marathon party came rather late, for jogging and long-distance running have been all the rage in China for at least five years. That enthusiasm has sprouted running teams and clubs around the country that range from those who hit the streets as a mainly leisurely pursuit to those who are professionals who take part in as many big events as they can, in China and even overseas.

Within hours after registration opened for last year's Beijing Marathon the event had attracted 110,000 entries, which means gaining a start in the race is not unlike that other great Beijing lottery, the ballot for a car registration license.

In fact, since 2016 marathons have sprung up like cherry blossoms around the country, the three most well-known spring races being those in Wuxi and Xuzhou in Jiangsu province and Wuhan in Hubei.