Hard-to-get tickets, growing demand for participating in marathon races, as well as strong support from the government for holding the races, all indicate huge business opportunities in the marathon industry, Beijing News reported on Sept. 15.

Nearly 100,000 runners signed up for the 2017 Beijing International Marathon to be held on Sept. 17, while the quotas are limited to 30,000 people. Those who fail to buy tickets for the race will pay 2,000 yuan ($305) on black market for a ticket valued at only 200 yuan.

Many cities in China have been scrambling to bid for holding marathon races to increase their popularity, as the races are a boost to local catering and tourism businesses.

Statistics show that a total of 328 marathon races were held in 133 Chinese cities in 2016. Nearly 2.8 million people took part in the races, up 1.3 million compared to 2015.

In addition, Chinese runners spent 3,601 yuan on sports equipment per capita in 2015, and experienced runners spent 4,594 yuan on high-end sports equipment, including smart watches and sports bracelets, said a report released by the Chinese Athletic Association and the global market research company Nielsen in 2015.

Many departments in China, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the General Administration of Sport, and the Ministry of Public Security also issued a scheme on July 13, 2017, to promote the development of national sporting events in China through strengthening policy support.

Tao Shaoming, a well-known marathon agent who has formed a business in the industry, established the “TaoCamp” in Africa in early 2012 to cultivate athletes for the races, attracting lots of African runners.

Tao disclosed that the camp usually deducts 10 to 15 percent from the runners’ income.

He also set up a sports match management company in 2016 with Sun Yingjie, the three successive championship winner of the 2016 Beijing International Marathon.

“What we have done is only the beginning. We hope to cultivate top Chinese runners for international marathon races in the future through the platform,” Tao noted.