上周朋友圈，一位年薪50萬的朋友發了一張圖：淩晨五點的街頭，他身披號牌、頭戴哪吒頭套，準備起跑。
I casually asked, "How much does it cost to run a horse?" He smiled and said, "Don't ask, asking is a set of equipment, a trip and a month to eat dirt." ”
It turns out that this 42-kilometer track is not about distance, but about the thickness of the wallet and emotional value.
In recent years, marathons have become popular. Not only in the news and social platforms, but also in the hearts of every middle-class who prides themselves on "lifestyle upgrades".
數據顯示，僅上個月，全國就有超過20場馬拉松賽事同時舉行，30萬人奔赴“出圈之路”。
But do you think running is a national sport that doesn't cost money? Then you would be naïve.
Registration is a barrier.In the first sign of the popular event, some people reported seven or eight games in a row, and there was no result.
The winner was jokingly called the "Horse Running Koi", and there was even scalping, and a license plate could be fried to more than 2500 yuan.
And you think that winning the lottery will be all right? No, it has just begun the journey of "spending money to run horses".
The first is the cost of equipment.
A double carbon plate running shoes start from 1000+, smart running watches, compression clothes, anti-wear shirts, energy bags, hat ink glasses waist bags, all of which are "basic configurations".
Don't think that ordinary runners can save equipment, "I finally won the lottery once, of course, you have to dress professionally, so as not to run this trip in vain."
In order to "make a film" on the track, some people put on makeup at 4 o'clock in the morning, wear conspicuous clothes to pretend to be the God of Wealth and Nezha, and fight for the photographer's lens.
Hundreds of dollars for a set of modeling clothes, hundreds of dollars to buy a beautiful picture, and in the end, "the running posture did not win, and the temperament won numb".
This is followed by travel expenses.
Once you win the lottery, you will immediately become a "city hunter" and start the travel mode: air tickets and hotels must be arranged, and you must not be left behind in eating, drinking, and checking in.
Running a horse in Xiamen, the registration fee is 1000 yuan, the air ticket is more than 0, the accommodation is 0+, plus seafood, ginger duck, bamboo shoot jelly, foot massage, and it is easy to spend five or six thousand on a trip.
去香港跑，順便把澳門逛了回來，一週一萬打底。你以為自己是在鍛煉，其實是去給GDP做貢獻。
哪怕你不出遠門，近郊賽事也難逃“賽道割韭菜”：無錫馬拉松期間，原價一百的酒店漲到千元，不願多花錢的人，硬是在地鐵沿線翻網站找房。
The most outrageous thing is that in order to save money for accommodation, some people took the night subway to the scene at two o'clock in the morning, and they had to run 42 kilometers.
Not to mention daily training. Weather doesn't work? Then get a gym annual card, make an appointment with a personal trainer, and even join a high-end running group, with an annual fee of hundreds or thousands, with a "social buff for running circles".
有人回頭一算，過去一年跑了8場馬拉松，花費五萬多，“不算不知道，一算嚇一跳”。
Brands know better than anyone about these costs.
As a result, you will see that the list of sponsors of the marathon is becoming more and more luxurious, from sports brands, fund companies, to car companies, insurance, real estate platforms, and 9 yuan 0 coffee, all of which are rushing to make their debuts.
After all, what is formed around the marathon is a "middle-class consumption field" with high consumption power, high emotional value and high dissemination.
And the tournament organizers are not to be outdone.
武漢馬拉松有小龍蝦熱乾麵流水席，柳州馬拉松派螺螄粉當補給，無錫更直接拿馬拉松名額綁定購房補貼，打出“跑步送3萬”神操作。
An event is not only a sports event, but also a local economic stimulus plan, and even a stage show for the city's brand marketing.
Everyone has earned it in the marathon, except for the one who paid for the sweat and took annual leave to run.
The marathon, originally a health sport in which the whole people participated, has gradually turned into an "ideal life show" for the middle class.
It carries the meaning of socialization, the label of self-discipline, the return of self-fulfillment, and the construction of elite personality.
But when "running horses" evolves from physical exercise to "self-investment", or even "consumption upgrading", you will find that it is no longer a pair of shoes, but a business, an emotional consumption.
Of course, we can pay for our hobbies and spend money for our passions, but we must also remember that the beauty of running is not in showing off, but in setting off.
The meaning of 195.0km should not be a delicate photo under a filter, but every step you have actually run.
Don't let "can't run" become another anxiety of the middle class, and don't let the marathon lose its original freedom and ordinariness.