Alarming Fact: Air quality in Beijing is so poor that many marathon runners wear masks in order to breathe in fewer pollutants.
The Human Geo Guy’s Take: As a runner I couldn’t imagine doing any run with a mask on, much less 26.2 miles. China has managed to turn itself into a global economic power through industrial production. In the process it has done serious damage to its environment. They face air quality that is so poor many world class marathon runners dropped out of the race. The scariest part is realizing that 11.5 million inhabitants of Beijing breathe this air on a daily basis.