Members of KiteRunners during a group run in June.[Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

 “The members gather together out of love for running so each time we meet we feel like it’s a party. There are buddies offering help and cheers and others bringing water and bananas before practice,” says Shao, 26, who works for an advertising agency. KiteRunners is a club that is very active on Weibo and WeChat and the club welcomes participants at all levels.

“Our team stretches out really far when we run because of the difference in the running speed of the participants. What really matters is the excitement they gain from the sport rather than the speed,” says Shi Xinnan, a dedicated member of the running club established in February, which now has nearly 100 members.

“I can feel the inner peace and runner’s high after a long run. And after keeping the habit of running for some time, I found I could be touched by the things and people that I’d been numb to for a long time. We hope more people can enjoy this pleasure,” says 29-year-old Shi, who drives a 60-km round trip every weekend to join a group run.

Shi says the running club has members designated to upload photos with the club logo and stories of each group run or party, inform members of the upcoming events, and publish information to recruit new members.

The two team leaders and core members of KiteRunners hold regular meetings to discuss their goals and plans, the management method when the club gets bigger and arrangement of upcoming runs and competitions.

Shao Yanna says they also have very clear division of work in their club, with different members in charge of maintaining social networking accounts, promotion, and finance.