Singer Xu Fei at the Dalian marathon. Photo: Courtesy of Peak Sport

Peak Sport has made solid progress in the professional running field after Marius Kimutai of Kenya and Tsega Reta of Ethiopia ended their trip in Dalian with gold medals at the 28th Dalian International Marathon on May 9. Both of the runners wore Peak jerseys.

Chinese singer Xu Fei also joined the marathon alongside elite athletes, as well as some 15,000 enthusiasts. She wore Peak's professional running jersey and PEAK "Arrow 1.1" Running Shoes when completing her second marathon in a month.

PEAK 'Arrow 1.1' Running Shoes debut

Several world-renowned marathon runners led the pack just minutes after the start of the race, wearing Peak uniforms and PEAK "Arrow 1.1" Running Shoes.

"The shoes are very lightweight and offer good support, which meets the requirements of marathon running," said Kimutai, who clocked in his time in the men's marathon at 2 hours, 15 minutes and 18 seconds.

Peak is confident the PEAK "Arrow 1.1" Running Shoes, which provide the wearer with proper support, will become popular among marathon runners.

Peak Sport's CEO Xu Zhihua said the company aims to provide better service to marathoners and running enthusiasts.

"With the growing popularity of running in China, our running-related products have become the second best-selling Peak's products after those for basketball," Xu Zhihua said. "We hope we can improve our products through cooperation with professional runners to meet the enthusiasts' demands."

Xu Fei leads the Run High Club

As the official partner of the Dalian marathon, Peak not only provided professional running-related products to the participants, referees, guests, volunteers and staff, but also assembled the Run High Club.

The club is not only for enthusiasts, but also for Peak designers, as well as singer Xu Fei, who also completed the Xiamen International Marathon. After hours of running, all members in the club finished the race, while Xu Fei completed her best half marathon result in 2 hours and 7 minutes.

"Running is a sport where people challenge themselves continuously," Xu Fei said. "I did think about quitting during running, but persistence means victory and a 'better me' in this sport."

Peak seeks consumer experience improvement

Peak has enhanced its interactions with consumers, aiming to provide them with a better sporting experience.

On the day of the competition, a 150-square-meter interactive zone was set up outside the course. It provided fans and runners with information about the newly designed running shoes, and rewarded participants in mini games with gifts. Runners reacted to Peak's shoes with enthusiasm.

"They're really lightweight, and surely they can fulfill the demands of long-distance running. Do you have a bright-colored version? I run a lot at night," a runner asked.

Peak also created an app by partnering with Gumpgo, an app that caters to runners' needs to socialize. Fans used the app to find out how the runners of the Run High Club were performing and cheered for them using the app's "cheer" function.

"As a professional and international-oriented sports brand, Peak hopes to strengthen its communication with consumers after their participation in the Dalian marathon," Xu Zhihua said. "We hope we can better understand what they want and improve our products so that consumers remain dedicated to our brand."