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BEIJING, June 22-- At the starting line of the Dalian International Marathon, China's northeastern Liaoning province, runners were tuning up for the races in a fiesta atmosphere of dances and songs. Among some 30,000 runners, Tao Ni was full of vigor and couldn't wait to start her first half marathon on May 13, 2017. "After I knew our group of runners will participate in this year's Dalian Marathon, I felt both excited and nervous. I knew nothing about marathon when I first joined in the group last year, but I got to know it bit by bit and love it day by day. And I've trained a long time for it. Now my dream comes true," said Tao, looking ahead at a sea of runners dressed in sporting shirts and shorts. FEVER ACROSS CHINA Tao is a new comer to marathon, and so is China. Six years ago, the most populous country only hosted 22 marathons nationwide, yet the number of marathons and road running races registered at the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) reached 328 last year, a 150% increase compared to that of 2017. The 328 events included 125 marathons, 128 half marathons and 75 other running races, sprawling across 133 cities in 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, attracting a total of 2.8 million participants, namely 1.3 million more than that of 2017. According to CAA, more than 400 marathons will be staged across the country this year. Comparing to the 22 marathons in 2011, the number has been increased by 18 times. | 
