The growing Chinese wealthy classes are spurring on a demand for marathon races﻿ , with ﻿runners preferring expensive high - end professional equipment﻿ , instead of normal sports ##wear and sportswear . Investors and local governments are increasingly organising marathons , or similar events to meet the demand , which is opening doors for international sports ##wear brands , such as Brooks and New Balance , to increase their sales in the Chinese market , say sources . Nike 's China sales , which were strong for 2Q2015 , highlights﻿ this . ﻿Data from the National Business Daily reveals that in 2014 around 400 people took part in different marathon races across the country , with these events generating about $ 2bn in direct revenue , and over $ 10bn in peripheral revenue in related events .
The growing Chinese wealthy classes are spurring on a demand for marathon races﻿, with ﻿runners preferring ﻿the high-end professional equipment﻿, instead of normal sports shoes and sportswear. Investors and local governments are increasingly organising marathons, or similar events to meet the demand, which is opening doors for international sports shoe brands, such as Brooks and New Balance, to increase their sales in the Chinese market, say sources. Nike's China sales, which were strong for 2Q2015, highlights﻿ this. ﻿Data from the National Business Daily reveals that in 2014 around 900,000 people took part in different marathon races across the country, with these events generating about $2bn in direct revenue, and over $10bn in peripheral revenue in related sectors.