Formula fun: Runners rev up for annual F1 track treat

Most people spend New Year's Day enjoying a relaxing meal at home with family - not so the 10,000 hardy souls who will instead get the blood pumping by running around a Formula One track.

On Tuesday, the fifth edition of the Run the Track half marathon will be held at Shanghai International Circuit, home of F1's Chinese Grand Prix.

Since its debut in 2015, the race has become a popular New Year's Day activity in the city, with places in the race a coveted commodity.

This year's 10,000 entries were sold out in two hours last Saturday, with the 4,000 positions for the 21.6 km race snapped up in just 28 minutes.

"To welcome more people to join the event, we set two levels of competition - the 5.4km race is for entry-level runners," said Patrick Yang, general manager of event organizer Shanghai Juss Event Management Co. Ltd, and also one of the bosses of the company that owns the F1 track.

This year a special Kids' Festival has been organized for children aged five to 10. Even that sold out within 32 minutes, with 200 families registered.

"Originally speaking, Run the Track was a kind of exclusive activity for F1 drivers, technicians and other staff of the teams during the grand prix. We were inspired and believed in the bright future of the event," added Yang.

The first edition of the race attracted about 8,000 runners, with organizers now keen to keep entries at the 10,000 mark despite the growing demand for places.

"The total length of track is just 5.4 km, so if there are too many runners their experience of the event would be affected," said George Wei, general manager of Bright PR Shanghai, another of the race organizers.

"The registration number is limited and it's hard to have more people on the track. Half marathons have always been very popular in China because more people can finish the challenge compared to a full marathon.

"Each year, we allow 4,000 runners to register (for the half marathon) and it sells out very fast. So, how to let more people have the chance to step on the F1 track is a major problem we'd like to solve."

If you missed out on an entry this year, the good news is the event looks like it's here to stay, with organizers happy with its commercial success.

"I can reveal that, apart from the first year, we have not made a loss," said Yang. "It takes time to build a profitable sports event with a healthy business model. Marathon running is now popular in China, and Run the Track is a special event on the calendar."

Run The Track has accumulated many die-hard fans, with the number of runners who have completed the course in each of its four editions totaling over 300.

Organizers decided to reward the dedication and loyalty of these so-called "four-star" runners by allowing them to enter this year's race before the main online registration was opened.