But soaring participation rates in China have come at a cost

China's ever-growing fascination with fitness has triggered a marathon craze among the country's health-conscious middle class, but lax management has often meant race organizers have struggled to keep pace with the demand for their events.

Whether it's throngs of participants jogging past Tian'anmen Square during the Beijing Marathon or sweat-soaked amateurs plodding the trails of the Olympic Forest Park, disciples of distance running are now a daily part of life in the Chinese capital.