Secretly Stole Li Meizhen’s Heart — Who Is This Rising Star from…

Over the past year Li Meizhen has helped the song "Stealing Hearts" go viral again in the running community, and runners have been asking: who will steal her heart? Before the answer is officially revealed, a pair of running shoes has already "got there first." Since June they've been showing up frequently on Li Meizhen's social media—on aerobic runs, hill sessions, strength training and at events, they're always present.

It's the model that not long ago completed its global debut at the "Tixiao" in BaliThunderbolt 2 GT; its first appearance attracted attention from both local and foreign runners. At the same time, accompanying the 雷雳2 GT's unveiling was the brand's "Sunset Lei Training Ground" themed event.

Just as domestic runners looked on enviously and were left wanting more by that debut, last week the "Sunset Lei Training Ground" made its first domestic stop at Wuhan's East Lake, officially meeting Chinese runners.

Is sunset the end of the day?

No — it's the start of recharging life.

After a busy day, energy drained at quittime, many people choose to go home and collapse. But this summer Zhongqiao Sports has put forward a new brand message: at sunset, we can open the evening in a different way.

Turn off the computer, wake up the sports watch; work ends, running begins. It's not just a change of scene but a mental shift — from mindless outward output to focusing on and rewarding yourself, initiating an active "energy-recovery" mode.

How much joy can that choice bring? The Wuhan stop of the "Sunset Lei Training Ground" provided the answer.

Local Wuhan running clubs and runners from other cities gathered at East Lake, pulled on the 雷雳2 GT, and used their steps to draw a heart at sunset. The run wasn't the end — there were hearty drinks, authentic Wuhan food, and a music-fueled party to round things off.Training, music, urban culture and running-club spirit converged into an immersive sunset party.

Using culture to elevate soft power,

a new evolution in brand development.

Those who follow Zhongqiao Sports have probably noticed — since the Feiying series, the brand's product strength has improved year after year, earning solid word-of-mouth among runners. But this time, the change feels especially distinct.

Beyond making outstanding products, Zhongqiao has begun investing in running culture.The "Sunset Lei Training Ground" is precisely that earnest offering.

According to reports, next the "Sunset Lei Training Ground" will beBeijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, ZhengzhouThese cities have been rolled out one after another, connecting with local running communities and bringing more runners together during the energizing after-work training moment.

From the scale of this rollout it’s clear how much effort Zhongqiao has poured into the project. In recent years China’s running-shoe and gear market has changed rapidly, but few sports brands have deployed a single themed activity so broadly across the country — Zhongqiao is among the frontrunners.

The quiet shift at Zhongqiao is easy to understand. Once a brand builds consistently strong products and its hard strength grows, the next step is to refine its cultural soft power — which both increases stickiness with the audience and creates a multiplier effect that expands the brand’s value.

In the “Sunset Leili Training Ground,” Zhongqiao’s sharp insight has identified its audience: modern urbanites whose fast-paced lives and busy work often make them forget to attend to the pleasures of body and mind and cause them to miss beautiful moments. It’s not that they don’t need those things, but high-speed living makes them neglect many important matters.

So the brand wants to act as an inviter — inviting people to, at sunset after work, begin caring for themselves, recharge through running, and turn the internet catchphrase “爱你老己” (roughly “love yourself”) into something real.

From Bali, which attracts people from around the world, to every corner of China, and from mass-participation runners to community running clubs joining hands, Zhongqiao is working to make the “Sunset Leili Training Ground” the brand’s longest-standing promise to runners.

A versatile all-rounder suitable for both fast and slow paces,

your worry-free partner for getting out the door

To help everyone smoothly kick off their “sunset runs,” Zhongqiao has simultaneously unveiled its latest creation:Thunderbolt 2 GT，positioned as a “versatile multi-tasker”—giving everyday runners a worry-free answer to choosing shoes.

At first glance it looks like a max-cushion jogging shoe — extra-thick midsole, widened platform, stable heel support — delivering abundant comfort and a secure, stable feel. But beneath the slow-run shoe’s “coat,” it harbors a “heart of speed.”

The secret lies in its “super” midsole.The Leili 2 GT features the same 100% PEBA supercritical-foamed material as the Feiying PLAID 3.0.with energy return up to 95% — giving the shoe real confidence in its speed performance.

Not only that, the lightweight performance of this “super” midsole also leaves a strong impression.As a running shoe with a 44 mm stack height, a single size 41 weighs just 187 g—so it holds its own even compared with many top racing shoes capped at 40 mm.

With that kind of weight reduction, runners naturally feel like they’ve been given wings when they pick up the pace. And that level of shoe weight performance has also becomea new benchmark for lightweighting non-racing running shoes。

Even more reassuring for runners is that many high-end shoes suffer in durability or price; the 雷雳2 GT does not disappoint in this regard.

According to the Leili 2 GT product team,accumulating 1,000 km in this shoe during testing is considered a “starting point”; some testers logged 1,500 km and the shoe’s performance showed no obvious degradation.

The reason behind this is, first, the midsole foam is coated externally with a “protective film.” This not only speeds rebound but also effectively protects the foam from wear and performance decline.

Second, the breathable, durable upper and the full-length CPU wear-resistant, anti-slip outsole—top and bottom—together ensure the durability needs of both upper and outsole.

And Zhongqiao’s pricing for it is very competitive.100% PEBA midsole, 187 g weight, 44 mm stack height, wear-resistant CPU outsole—With this set of specifications,priced at 599 yuanthe price makes it much easier for runners who want to try the shoe to hit “buy.”

From 飞影 to 雷雳, from a racing reputation to co-creating running experiences, Zhongqiao is completing a shift from “making good products” to “spreading running culture.”

Beyond a single great pair of shoes, cultural influence provides further support to the running community and yields deeper, longer-lasting benefits. Runners are likely to welcome such a change. As for what exciting moves Zhongqiao Sports will make next, let’s wait and see.

[End-of-article interaction]

#What do you think of the Leili 2GT?#

Text/Editor: HP

Image source: Pao Ye Da Bao Zha

Visuals: Max

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Secretly Stole Li Meizhen’s Heart — Who Is This Rising Star from Bali’s Sports Academy?