Female runner discovers joy of marathons

Sun Jiaoqiong, a 54-year-old runner, just completed her fifth marathon of the year in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, finishing in 4 hours and 14 minutes.

Since she began running six years ago, Sun has accumulated 9,900 kilometers, just shy of the 10,000-km milestone.

"I'm definitely hitting that mark this year," said Sun, adding that her training has suffered in 2024 due to a busy work schedule, which has left her feeling less than ideal.

The 2024 Nanchang Marathon, held on Nov 10, saw a record 35,000 participants.

On the 42.2-km marathon circuit, Sun and her running friends find themselves in a distinct minority: older female participants. At the same time, this demographic difference is a source of pride for her. "Typically, women runners make up only about 20 percent of participants in a marathon," she said.

Women over 50 who take on this challenging sport are a minority within that minority.

For instance, in the upcoming Xiamen Marathon in early January, official statistics show that women over 50 constitute less than 10 percent of the approximately 35,000 entrants.

Sun said that a fellow female runner from Huangpu district in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, who recently turned 74, completed the Beijing Marathon in an impressive 4 hours and 54 minutes on Nov 3.

This kind of runners inspire Sun. "I want to learn from her. My goal is to keep running until I'm 99," she said.

A native of Lianshan town in Guanghan city, Sichuan province, Sun's talent for long-distance running was recognized in junior high during school sports events. As she wasn't fast in sprints, she chose to focus on longer distances, such as the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. "Classmates used to say, 'How can someone so petite run so well?'," said Sun, who is less than 1.6 meters tall.

Her passion for running was reignited in August 2018 when she volunteered at a hospital in Huangpu district in Guangzhou. There, she connected with a group of long-distance enthusiasts who helped her get back on track.

Currently, she works as a cleaner at Asensing, a Guangzhou-based Chinese startup specializing in high-precision positioning technology.

As she navigates the workstations with her cart every day, she often goes unnoticed by the engineers focused on coding and product development.

However, her slightly tanned skin, Garmin sports watch on her left wrist, and impressive collection of colorful running shoes reveal her identity as a veteran runner.

"I have a lot of running shoes — over a dozen pairs," Sun said.

Over the past six years, Sun has left her mark in 12 locations across China, including Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

When asked about the greatest change that running marathons has brought to her life, Sun said that it "brought me out of my mental distress".

"Besides life and death, I believe there's no difficulty that can't be overcome," she said.

On Dec 1, she will participate in her 16th marathon, and sixth of the year, on the seaside island of Hailing in Yangjiang, Guangdong province.