The 55-year-old "walking mother" Chen Yurong led a walk race followed by more than 5,000 citizens to help people keep fitness Wuhan on Sunday, the second National Fitness Day of China.

Chen walked more than 2,000 km in total after being told her 31-year-old son, Ye Haibin, needed a liver transplant -- but her liver was not suitable because it had accumulated too much fat, doctors told her in February.

In an effort to get her liver into shape, Chen marched along a dyke near her home in Jiang'an District, Hubei Province, everyday. She also went on a diet, only eating rice and vegetables. She eventually lost 8 kg.

On Oct. 19, doctors said her liver had reached the standard for the transplant. She finally gave part of her liver to her son and saved her son's life.

Among the top 10 figures of the "Touched China in 2009" selected by the country, Chen was recommended to lead the race for five kilometers in the park along Yangtze, China's longest river.

"Now I still keep walking for five kilometers everyday," the mother said. "I hope to tell everyone through this activity how important the sport is to our health."

The whole country kicked off a number of sports activities to mark this day and these activities will continue until the end of August.

To help people develop a habit of doing exercises, China's State General Administration of Sports also called for municipal authorities to open sports venues to the public for free on August 8. Pople have free access to some of the training bases for the national teams on this day.

Editor Yu Meng

Source Xinhua