Girls run along the riverbank in Xuhui district in a weekly night event organized by Puxi Run, a women-only running club. Photo: Cai Xianmin/GT

On a breezy late summer evening, a group of Chinese and Western young women dressed in colorful running outfits are performing warm-up exercises before a small crowd. After doing their dynamic stretches, jumping jacks, arm circles, leg swings, calf stretches and butt kicks for five minutes, the girls are ready to hit the road. As they run they are hard to miss with their bright costumes and cheerful banter.

You might run (literally) into these athletic ladies along the eastern section of the Huangpu River in Xuhui district on a Monday night. They are the members of the Puxi Run, a new women-only running group.

"Puxi Run is a group of girls that just love running. Our aim is to create a just-for-girls running community in Shanghai," Chiara Squinzi, the organizer of Puxi Run, told the Global Times at their rendezvous in Eco Village on Fenglin Road, Xuhui district.

The 28-year-old Italian, who speaks fluent Putonghua, has been living in Shanghai for about six years and worked for a business consulting company for five years before she quit her job to study yoga in India a year ago.

Healthier lifestyle

"I used to smoke, drink and party a lot until my health began to deteriorate. So I decided that it was time to adopt a healthier lifestyle," Squinzi said.

After studying the exercises and philosophy under leading gurus in India, she became proficient at yoga and also fell in love with running, an exercise which, she says, is a "good choice to stay fit."

When she returned to Shanghai, Squinzi and a couple of friends launched the Puxi Run at the end of May. As a health coach and a jogging enthusiast, Squinzi said that the main reason for them launching an all-women run was the significant differences in the running speeds and styles of men and women.

"Comparatively speaking, men have a great deal of advantages - both physically and athletically when it comes to sports. In mixed running groups, most female runners often find it very hard to keep up with their male counterparts which is really frustrating and annoying," she said.

So she and her friends began inviting other young women to join them for a run every Monday at 8 pm and posted details on the city's popular expat social networking websites. Within three months she had received nearly 100 e-mails and phone calls asking to join, and now between 10 and 20 women usually show up every Monday.

"I was very happy to see that some people still wanted to run even on sweltering summer days," she said.

The Puxi Run meets every Monday just before 8 pm at the Sprout Café, inside Eco Village. After storing their bags and personal belongings, the girls run towards the south end of Fenglin Road and jog along the riverbank then run back to the café for a drink and rest. The run is about 5.5 kilometers and usually takes 45 minutes.

Although Puxi Run welcomes any women, the club is still largely made up of expats. And there are two teams - a fast team and a regular team, Squinzi said.

"Our goals are no fear and no competition. Given the fact that there are both experienced and first-time runners joining us every Monday, we divide them into two groups so that everyone can run at their own pace," said Squinzi, who usually runs with the regular group to give newcomers advice and guidance. And runners, who find it too difficult, can stop half way along and wait to meet up with the teams as they return.

Girls run along the riverbank in Xuhui district in a weekly night event organized by Puxi Run, a women-only running club. Photo: Cai Xianmin/GT

Similar pace

Hannah Dong is a new member. Having worked in Shanghai as a tax consultant for two years, Dong, an overseas-educated Chinese girl, found out about the group on a local listing website. After looking over the route and the address of the meeting point, she came to join the girls as soon as she could.

"The Puxi Run is a great running group for girls because they can pair up with others who are running at the same pace. I think running the right distance is a great workout for girls. Another benefit that I've got from joining this group is that I have met many girls who have the same interest as I do in sport," Dong told the Global Times.

"Because Shanghai doesn't offer many spots for outdoor sports, I run a lot in the city and have joined several running groups. I think the Puxi Run so far has done a good job in terms of picking a nice route which offers a gorgeous view of the riverside. And it's particularly beautiful at night. Although I have only run once with this group so far, I will be back for sure."

Dong's sentiments were echoed by a Japanese woman who has been living in Shanghai for four years but preferred to remain anonymous. She saw Squinzi's event post on another online site and has run with the group several times now. As a fitness devotee, she thinks a girls-only running group in Shanghai is wonderful concept.

"The Puxi Run is a healthy and friendly idea. There is no money involved and we can have a fun Monday event to help stay healthy and meet new people with common interests," she told the Global Times.

She has found one intriguing aspect of some of the Chinese runners she has met. "I have found that many Chinese people don't care much about their appearance when they run - they run with just any clothes. I have seen lots of runners here who look like they are wearing pajamas or underwear. I think it is wonderful!"

Another regular member is Kimberly Otsuji, a physical education teacher from the US. She moved to Shanghai with her husband earlier this summer. After seeing an online blurb about Puxi Run, she joined soon after the establishment of the club and now, as an experienced runner, she leads the fast team.

She thinks that the Puxi Run taps into a group that is looking for something social and sporty. "As a newcomer to Shanghai, it doesn't take very long to see that you could find happy hour groups every night of the week, but there aren't many fitness-based groups jumping out at you in the same way. While there are also quite a few fitness opportunities like yoga or spinning, those don't necessarily build a sense of community as you don't get to talk while you are doing the activity," Otsuji told the Global Times.

She said that the Puxi Run was also unique in that the women who ran came from a wide variety of backgrounds, both culturally and athletically, and have a common interest in wanting to run.

"I've met runners who have done marathons and others for whom this is their first experience with running, but we all learn together and enjoy getting out there and sweating. I've really enjoyed meeting new people and the friendships that I've made have gone beyond the group. We get together outside of the Puxi Run and that's why I keep coming. I usually run on my own because it is a quiet time in my day, but there is something nice about running with others and getting to hear about what is going on in their lives."

Usually Otsuji runs around 6 every morning and maintained this daily routine even on the really hot days. "Even during the city's recent heat wave, there was something peaceful about getting up before everyone and running when there were few cars, motorcycles, scooters, bikes or people on the street. I feel like I'm letting everyone in on a big secret. It's really amazing to run down a normally congested street.

"Sometimes people stare at me when I run, like I'm crazy. That was mostly when it was 38 C at 6:30 am in the morning. It was probably a feeling of disbelief more than anything else. Kind of like the look I must have had the first time I saw a motorcycle on a sidewalk - in your mind, it's just out of place and unusual. Most people are really nice and try to get out of way and you start to see the same people if you run a regular route."

Girls run along the riverbank in Xuhui district in a weekly night event organized by Puxi Run, a women-only running club. Photo: Cai Xianmin/GT

Hard to commit

Otsuji acknowledges that sometimes it can be hard to commit to running with the group every week.

"Although it is hard to maintain a balance between work, home and play, it's still worth sticking with the group as I think the Puxi Run provides a venue where one can be fit and work toward that sense of wellness that we all want. The really tough thing about running is that you need internal motivation to put your shoes on and get out there," she said.

Despite the positive reception to the running and the social activities of the club, Squinzi told the Global Times that there were still too few people enjoying fun and healthy social-cum-sports events in Shanghai.

"Shanghai offers a plethora of late-night entertainment venues where people can enjoy booze, throw parties, and have fun. Yet most people seem to have little motivation for enjoyable and healthy activities. You know, when you do sport, your body produces chemicals that can make you happy as well," Squinzi said.

She's currently looking for sponsorship to design and produce Puxi Run T-shirts, which will be given to members who have attended a set number of runs. And they will be asked to wear the T-shirt when they run. "So no one in the group will be lost," she joked.