两万选手参与北京国际长跑节

两万选手参与北京国际长跑节

春天是脱掉笨拙的冬装外出锻炼的好时候。周日上午，中外两万跑步爱好者齐聚天安门广场参与北京国际长跑节活动。

Spring is the time to shake off the winter blues and go outdoors to exercise. Sunday morning, nearly 20,000 enthusiasts from home and abroad turned out at Tiananmen Square for the Beijing International Running Festival.

Sunday morning, nearly 20,000 enthusiasts from home and abroad turned

out at Tiananmen Square for the Beijing International Running Festival.

It’s eight in the morning, and this place is buzzing with excited runners who’ve come to compete, exercise and have fun.

"This is my first time participating in such an event. I usually prefer to run myself. This time I just can’t wait to run with so many people. It will be so interesting!"

The race is open to all  whether you’re a kid, or a senior citizen. Or come from a galaxy far, far away.

While the runners are going for a personal best, many people are still lying in bed, promising themselves to get some exercise tomorrow.

"In some countries, many people embrace sport and exercise as a life-long habit. In China, especially for young people, exercise feels more like a burden. One reason is that Chinese face heavier a work load, but more importantly, people are simply not health conscious enough." Huang Guangmin, chief physician of National Institute Of Sports , medicine said.

More money and easy access to fast food means Chinese waistlines are growing faster than the GDP.

How fast, you ask?

In 2013, over a third of adults were overweight or obese, twice the figure ten years ago.

Cyberspace puts the world at our fingertips, not our feet.

Obesity rates are higher for internet users, half of whom seldom or never exercise.

"70 percent of Chinese are in sub-healthy condition. That means they are more vulnerable to chronic diseases. I’ve seen some people almost go out of breath after climbing just one flight of stairs. This is how a lack of sports impairs heart function. It will also weaken the immune system and cause digestion problems." Huang said.

This is the finishing point where people are celebrating. Today, all of us are winners. The best prize for us is a healthier body.