GUIYANG, Aug. 7 (silubaba) -- Cen Wanjiang, 32, once worked as a motorcycle repairer and a factory worker, and now embraces a new life of running.
Cen was born in a remote village in Miao-Bouyei Autonomous County of Ziyun, southwest China's Guizhou Province, and always ran in the mountains during his childhood.
With outstanding physical condition, Cen was very good at running. When he was at school, he won the championship in a long-distance race competition in the sports meet. As a representative of his school, he attended the county's sports meet and ranked first among the long-distance runners.
After graduating from middle school, he chose to work as an apprentice in a motorcycle repair shop in his hometown. In 2010, Cen opened his own shop and took part in a half-marathon race, but the results were not satisfactory.
"My result was not that good, which discouraged me a lot. I stopped practicing running since then," said Cen.
With little experience, it was not easy for Cen to run the shop. After two years in business, he closed the shop and found a job in a factory in south China's Guangdong Province.
In September 2014, Cen went to Wenzhou City, south China's Zhejiang Province, and found a job in an electronic equipment factory. At that time, he was invited by his cousin, who also worked in the city, to run together.
He joined a local marathon club and ran a full marathon in March 2015, finishing the race in two hours and 44 minutes. Cen prepared for this competition for nearly four months. He would get up at 5:30 a.m., run about 15km, and continue to work for 12 consecutive hours during the day.
In December 2015, Cen took part in a mountain climbing race, where he won second place and was awarded 600 yuan (about 83 U.S. dollars).
"My first thought was that I should insist on running since it helped me make a living," said Cen with a smile.
Since then, Cen joined competitions constantly and improved his results steadily. Day after day, running added calluses to his feet. He had to trim them every two months, and even his toenails were worn off.
When there were races, he had to ask for leave from the factory. As he achieved better performances and earned enough competition prizes to support daily expenses, he decided to quit from the factory and became a professional marathon athlete in 2018.
Without coaches, Cen worked out a training plan based on his personal experience. At present, he can run more than 900 kilometers a month, and over 1,000 kilometers during winter.
"There is no shortcut for marathon athletes. How much effort you have paid, how much you will gain. The most important thing is to persist and never give up," said Cen.
In recent years, his performances have greatly improved. In the marathon held in southwest China's Chongqing in March, he won the first prize among the men's domestic athletes.
Cen said his ultimate goal is to finish the marathon within two hours and 10 minutes, and he will move towards the goal step by step.
Running brought many changes to Cen's life. When he ran the repair shop in his hometown, he started smoking and drinking. After he started running, he got rid of cigarettes and alcohol.
For his wonderful performances, he contracted with a well-known sportswear brand in China earlier this year and gained a stable income.
"My family is not well-off, and generally speaking, running a marathon has improved my living conditions," said Cen.
In 2022, Cen spent more than 100,000 yuan building a concrete basketball court in his hometown and opened it to villagers for free.
"It gives me a strong sense of fulfillment to see the kids playing at the court when I go back home," said Cen. Enditem.
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