Peninsula All Media Reporter Wu Jing
The 2024 Qingdao International Marathon is about to start this Sunday, and the playground of Qingdao Chunga Campus has many college students training for the Qingma lottery winners, who are actively preparing for the race and hoping to achieve good results in the race. In recent years, middle-aged runners account for a large proportion of the marathon participants, and in order to encourage more young people under the age of 20~30 to participate in this healthy sport, the "Meow Zat College Student Running Group" has been formed.
On the afternoon of April 16, more than 10 college students from Shandong University of Science and Technology came to the track and field in sportswear after the intense cultural course, and started the long-distance running training of the day after a warm-up exercise. They are some of the winners of the school's Qingdao International Marathon this year, and they are using the days leading up to the race to prepare for the race.
Liu Longyu, who is a sophomore, told reporters that he didn't run much before going to college, and after he got in touch with the school marathon association in his freshman year, he carried out scientific training with the help of his seniors, 3 kilometers, 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, and half marathons...... In order to participate in the Qingdao International Marathon, he has run more than 300 kilometers every month for the past four months, and in five days he will challenge his first full marathon.
Wang Qu, a sophomore, said that he has participated in the Qingdao International Marathon for the second time, and the last time the half-marathon was about 1 hour and 50 minutes, and he hopes to challenge the time of 1 hour and 35 minutes through this event. Guo Qingguang, a junior student, told reporters that after the college entrance examination, he was exposed to long-distance running with more than 200 pounds in order to lose excess weight, but he did not expect to fall in love with long-distance running out of control since then, and this time he will challenge the half-marathon event.
At the scene, the figure of a girl is a little eye-catching among many boys, it turns out that she is a junior student of the school, Lu Jiaxin, she regretted not winning the lottery after signing up for this Qingdao International Marathon, but she did not relax her requirements, rushed to train with the students who had won the lottery, and continued to prepare for the long-distance running events of the school and outdoor games.
According to Zhuge Changhua, a teacher from Shandong University of Science and Technology, the number of marathon associations in the school has reached more than 300 people, and the atmosphere of long-distance running is strong.
It is understood that unlike previous years, these students are not only members of the school's marathon association, but also the first batch of members of the "Meowzat College Student Running Group" that will be formally established on April 18, this energetic college student running group is composed of nearly 30 students from Shandong University, Qingdao University, Ocean University of China, Shandong University of Science and Technology and other universities, and they will compete together in the Qingma competition.
Under the concept of national fitness and scientific sports, long-distance running has become a trendy and healthy lifestyle. More and more runners are joining the ranks of "horse racing" to experience the sense of accomplishment of challenging themselves, as well as the excitement of experiencing regional culture and meeting runners across the city.
Young people are the future and hope of the country. However, in recent years, there has been a serious aging of all levels of society, and this phenomenon has also occurred in many sports. In recent years, marathon participants across the country have become more and more aging. According to relevant data, in a large half-marathon event held in 2023, 35% of runners are between 30 and 39 years old, 34% are between 40 and 49 years old, and there is a "gap" in the number of runners in other age groups, with only 16% of runners aged 20 to 29, followed by 11% of runners aged 50 to 59.
It is understood that the Haier 2024 Qingdao Marathon (full/half marathon event), which will start on April 21, has a total of 109,978 registrations. Qingdao, a city full of charm, will welcome these friends from Tiannan and Haibei with the most beautiful attitude. In March this year, the organizers of the Qingdao Marathon received a special letter. "I am an athlete in the little Meow Zat family! I want to dedicate the first full marathon of my life to the Qingdao Marathon!" "I am famous for my 'lightning flying meow legs', ten kilometers a day, no problem for me. This year......, I want to challenge Qingdao Half Marathon!" In the letter, all kinds of cute cartoon cat images "cute" the recipient of the green horse's eager appearance, and then replied: "This letter from Little Meow Zat makes the organizing committee very happy, from these words, we see the sportsmanship and enthusiasm of young people in the new era, and it is also an honor to have so many runners trust and love the city of Qingdao." Therefore, we have sent an invitation letter to Meowzat and their friends, sincerely inviting them to participate in this year's 'Haier 2024 Qingdao Marathon'!"
The reporter saw that the introduction of the little meow zate public account was: "An IP brand that understands the young people of Generation Z better." Pay attention to the interests and spiritual world of young people, and tailor the interest and cultural community of 'meeting friends with meow' for them. "Meow Zat" is committed to the public welfare of animal protection, and supports and donates to many college stray cat rescue societies across the country.
Although junior Lu Jiaxin regretted not winning the lottery, he still insisted on coming to the playground for training.
The relevant person in charge of the little meow zate said that the formation of the meow zat college student running group is to hope that through such activities, more young people can participate in sports activities. I also hope to take this opportunity to find a home for the 4,000 cats to be adopted on the Meowzat public welfare platform.
In just half a month after receiving the "reply", Little Meow Zat planned and designed a series of Meow Zat animations for Qingma such as marathon equipment, food, scenic spots, and regional culture, which opened a round of Qingdao Marathon and city publicity among college students across the country, and also set off a Qingdao Marathon boom in colleges and universities across the country.
Tips: Generation Z generally refers to people born between 1995 and 2009, also known as Gen Z, Internet Generation, Internet Generation, etc. It refers to the generation that has been greatly influenced by technological products such as the Internet, instant messaging, MP3, smartphones and tablets, and is adept at using technological devices.