| 簡介： Turning Kilometers into Dollars
Legend has it that in 5th century BC a soldier named Pheidippides ran 42.195 kilometers from the plain of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks' victory over the Persians. In modern times, this became standardized as the distance of a full marathon: the benchmark road race for runners.
A bewildering number of these events are held worldwide. In 2014, there were 3,375 full marathons, twice as many half marathons, more than 4,000 ultramarathons, and thousands more events with track distances falling somewhere in between. The most celebrated races are called the World Marathon Majors. Six take place annually in Tokyo, London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York. The biennial IAAF World Championships Marathon and the quadrennial Olympic Games Marathon complete the Majors lineup. The current leaderboard is dominated by Kenyan runners, maintaining the nation's legendary status in long distance running prowess.
Yet running is increasingly more popular among average people who are drawn to its accessibility and low investment costs. Doctors promote jogging for overall fitness, and runners get hooked on the release of endorphins and the better mood, sleep and confidence the sport provides. Running shoe sales in the U.S. top $3 billion each year, and others have picked up on the opportunities to cash in. Last year, Taiwan hosted 521 running competitions, with a collective profit of NT$25 billion.
路跑商機 錢途光明
據傳西元前五世紀時，名為菲迪皮德斯的士兵從馬拉松平原跑了 42.195 公里到雅典宣告希臘戰勝波斯的消息。現在，這段距離成了標準馬拉松賽事的全程長度，也是跑者們的路跑競賽基準。
世界各地都舉辦了令人目不暇給的賽事。在 2014 年便有3,375 場全馬，半馬的數量則為兩倍，超馬賽事超過四千場，更有數千場距離不等的賽事。最受矚目的賽事被稱作世界馬拉松系列賽。每年有六場分別在東京、倫敦、波士頓、柏林、芝加哥和紐約舉行。加上兩年一度的世界田徑錦標賽馬拉松以及四年一次的奧運馬拉松，就完成馬拉松大賽的陣容。目前的領先榜由肯亞跑者主宰，他們維持該國長跑傑出能力的傳奇地位。
不過，因為受便利性及低投資成本的吸引，路跑逐漸受到一般大眾的歡迎。醫生以維持整體健康為由推廣慢跑，而該運動所釋放的腦內啡，以及對於情緒、睡眠與自信上的改善則牢牢抓住跑者們的心。在美國，每年的慢跑鞋銷售業績高達 30 億美元，其他產業也抓住賺錢的機會。去年，台灣就主辦了 521 場路跑競賽，總獲利達新台幣 250 億元。
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