Why I Run Beijing Marathon Under Toxic Air?

The 34^th Beijing international marathon kicks off Oct.20, despite the day’s hazardous air index which soars above 340 against 25-50 designed by the World Health Organization. As a runner, I not only participated, but completed the race in a little over four hours.

Why on earth would people run a marathon in such a toxic air?

Why on earth would I run the race?

I never forget the first physic education class at my university. According to requirement, we have to compete the run of 1,500 meter in a certain time. So a group of us, led by a strong and tall guy from an oilfield along the yellow river, started running the circle.

When we crossed the finish line, the person who felt mostly relieved is not one of us, but our strong and tall PE class representative. He bent down on this knees and throw up his gut out. That’s pretty much the beginning and the end of my distance run training.

After moving to Beijing more than two years ago, I have picked up running. The last year, I even run my first Beijing marathon, which happened to have strong wind blew away a blanket of smog I run to the end feeling thrilled.

So I already have a medal from Beijing marathon, the medal, although addictive, is not the motivation for this run.

Race fee could be another reason. After thinking thoroughly, the few hundred Chinese yuan is also neglectable, compared with unforeseeable immediate and long-term damages to the body and mind.

So, what exactly, is the reason for the race? I can think of three reasons:

1.      If the history is such that a marathon has to be held under toxic air, then as a runner I want to be the witness to the history

2.      I have never run wearing a mask, why don’t I experiment it on my own body? Does it work? Can one wear a mask and run to the finish line of a full marathon?

3.      Who are the runners so determined to run?

Even on the morning of the race day, I was not convinced to run. I wondered if there is a lasts-minute announcement from the Beijing organizing committee to cancel or suspend the race. There have been such cases. The most recent one is being New York City, which in 2013 cancelled the New York Marathon amid the aftermath of super storm Sandy.

So, can Beijing, for the health sake of tens of thousands runners and make the similar conclusion? I started searching for any news, no luck.

Sitting on the subway train to the starting point, I met several runners. One standing next to me is running his first half-marathon. He was dragged by one friend and entered a lottery for the half-marathon due to overwhelming applicants. His friend wasn’t chosen, but he was.

Beijing marathon became such popular, a sign of the strong social demand for health and fitness in Beijing.

I looked out of the train windows, searching for signs of Olympic Torch Tower, a landmark clearly seen miles away in a normal day or even lightly polluted day, but nowhere to be seen now.

Oddly, running in the bad air feels like running in high-attitude Mountains, and I constantly feel short of breath.

The mask proved to short-lasting. To improve air ventilation, I decided on a light-weight mask one filter opened.

While closed tightly via elastic bands, the mask trapped warm air inside it. While walking should not be an issue, running is a different story. The warm air quickly accumulated inside the mask, dampening it. By one hour mark, the mask started changing shape. Meanwhile, the moisture made the each breath heavier and harder.

One and half hours into running, I felt the mask has effectively stopped working. I took it off for quick seconds and put it back on, hoping to revitalize the only protection from the choky air.

The strategy worked, for another 20 minutes and the mask gave up. I took off and went on without it.

Less than two hours, that’s my experiment with mask in a marathon race.

Without any protection, I ran for another 2 hours and twenty minutes, before crossing the finish line.

And during the last few kilometers, there were literally no runners wearing masks.

During the last section leading to the finish line, the biggest topic for every runner is, where the finish is. After hours of running and exposing to the toxic air, every one is eager to put it behind them and just finish it, so they call it a day and can hide inside.

However, the pollution is so heavy that the red-colored finish gate is nowhere to be seen from hundreds of meters away, even the Bird’s Nest, the landmark next to the finish, only showing an obscured sketch.

The toughest section is around 37 kilometers, where I started feeling nausea. Despite fatigue, cramped legs and pain, nausea is something new to me, and I have never felt that way before. I felt a little panic attack, afraid of not being able to finish even coming this far.

I knew that I can’t throw up, which would take the remaining energy from my body. So I carried on, and stopped briefly at a drinking station, using fluids to force down the urge to throw up.

The nausea, however, remained with me to the next day. As to any mid-to long-term health impact, I have no idea.

Upon crossing the finish line, young volunteers customarily handed one white plastic bag to me. Inside is customarily a medal and some small-packaged snacks. This year, a large towel from the sport sponsors is been replaced by a light paper vest printed with Beijing Marathon logo.

Under a barely glowing sun light due to the smog, the paper vest provides shivering sweet-soaked runners with paper-like warmth.

The medal is about the same weight as the one from the last year.

Holding it, I can’t stop wondering, is the medal the proof of the completion of just another marathon race?