China's marathon scene is thriving like never before. Over the past three years, both the number of races and participation have grown significantly. Meanwhile, runners are getting faster: more athletes are achieving personal bests, and average finishing times continue to improve each year. These remarkable trends highlight the explosive growth in the popularity of marathon running and the broader rise of grassroots sports participation across the country. (Produced by Chen Lidan, Zhan Huilan, Lu Dong and intern Ding Man; Proofread by Zhang Jian, Yang Yang and He Jieqiong))