Luo Minqin hasn't run a marathon for several years, but her legend is still well-known by many runners.

Luo was one of the first women to participate in marathon races in China. Competing in the inaugural Tianjin Marathon in 1981, she was women's champion at the age of 25.

A physical education teacher at a middle school in Tianjin at the time, Luo loved sports and enjoyed running, but she had only officially participated in a 5,000-meter race.

She and the vast majority of her contemporaries had never heard of the marathon and had no idea how to run a distance of over 40 kilometers.

Out of curiosity, Luo signed up for the inaugural Tianjin Marathon.

For the first 20 km, she ran with a group of male runners, feeling proud and confident. However, after 30 km, her body had a severe reaction. She vomited continuously and it felt as if her legs were filled with lead.

For her safety, the staff of the organizing committee urged her to give up. Ambulances and medical personnel were on standby. But her strong will and the cheers from the crowd enabled her to cross the finish line.

With a time of 4:26.34, she was the first woman to finish. This result might seem insignificant nowadays, but 43 years ago, there were very few people involved in marathon running in China, and women who dared to tackle the marathon course were even rarer.

After winning the women's championship in her first full marathon, Luo has been fascinated by marathons ever since. "It's not that I chose the marathon, but the marathon took me in. It gave me peace and a sense of belonging," Luo said.

Continuous fatigue from racing, coupled with a lack of scientific training and nutritional care, led to sports-related injuries in different parts of her body. Once, she fell from a pull-up bar at school, fracturing her knee joint, which almost ended her athletic pursuits.

She still insisted on running, but she had to reduce the frequency of marathons and later could only run half-marathons, and 10-km and 5-km races.

As she grew older, Luo became involved in the organization and service work of marathon events. Now, at 68, Luo no longer participates in official competitions, but she still loves sports and is active in various fitness organizations and sports associations in Tianjin.

At the 2024 Tianjin Marathon held on Oct 20, Luo was busy organizing cultural performances and cheer squads, and also promoted the event via livestreams.

She marveled at the rapid changes and developments in China's marathon events over the past 40 years.

In 1981, the Tianjin Marathon had only 165 participants, but this year it reached 30,000, with the number of registrants exceeding 120,000. "From a few hundred to tens of thousands of participants, it is a microcosm of the explosion of China's marathons," Luo said.

China's marathon events are growing in many cities nowadays. According to a blue book released by the Chinese Athletics Association, there were 699 road running events held nationwide in 2023, with a total of 6 million participants. Almost every day, two marathons take place in China. April and October see a high cluster of events, with an average of four races per day.

Even with so many events, the number of marathons is still far from enough. In Luo's view, the demand is a manifestation of the continuous improvement of Chinese people's understanding of health and their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

"Over 40 years ago, people first took care of food, clothing, and daily needs. The concept and demand for sports and fitness were very vague. It was difficult to find a running partner. At that time, marathon (running) was a lonely sport," Luo said.

Now, running a marathon has not only become an effective way to achieve sports and fitness goals, and a positive and trendy lifestyle, but also a platform for releasing pressure, calming emotions, and socializing, according to Luo.

Marathons are also continuing to evolve and adapt to new situations. "The initial marathon races only had the full marathon. At that time, I had no choice," Luo said.

"Now, we have many types of running including half-marathons, women's marathons, rock-and-roll marathons, forest marathons, health runs, parent-child runs, and charity runs."

Marathon events also require great efforts in organization, operation, security, and service, with high-tech technology and cultural ingenuity, if they want to become the once-in-a-lifetime marathon that runners must participate in.

At the age of 70, Luo said she wants to put on her running shoes again and return to racing, embracing the new era of China's marathon.