YANG XIUYUN, 72, is enthusiastic about running. A 10-kilometer run in the morning is as important to her as the first meal of the day.

Before her retirement, Yang was a breeder at Chaoyang Reclamation Farm in Nanchang, East China’s Jiangxi Province. At that time, she did not know what a marathon was, but now, she has run nearly 40 marathons, not only in China, but also in Helsinki, Finland.

“Life is like a marathon. I’m just racing against the clock,” says Yang, who has been running consistently for 22 years. The elderly woman has short hair and speaks as fast as she runs.

When she retired, Yang suffered from kidney stones. The doctor said that if she did not have surgery, she could only recover by taking medicine and exercising. At that time, Yang often saw people running along the Ganjiang River, even when it was windy or rainy.

One morning, Yang went out for a walk and met this group of runners again, who ran together and cheered each other on. Seeing Yang’s envious look, the runners warmly invited her to join in.

“At first, I was afraid that I would become a drag on this group of young people, but they accepted me with great warmth.” Starting with 5 km, then progressing to 10 km, 20 km and, finally, a full marathon, the distance that Yang was able to cover became longer and longer. At the same time, her circle of runner friends also grew.

“There are some older runners, but most of them are much younger than me. They call me ‘Sister Yang,’ which makes me feel young and flattered,” Yang says with a smile. Now she feels down if a day passes without seeing her runner friends.

Running every day has also brought changes to Yang’s body and mind. To the doctor’s surprise, her kidney stones, which were initially the size of broad beans, disappeared after several years of running.

Yang used to spend long hours working in a noisy and messy environment, and she was always tired after work, but running changed her. In 2006, Yang joined the Nanchang Distance Running Association and became one of its first members.

In 2011, Yang signed up for the Shanghai Marathon, but she was not satisfied after finishing in five hours. Since then, she has watched professional teaching videos to improve her running skills. During morning exercises, she also asked other runners to help her correct her posture and point out what she did not do well.

In 2012, Yang suffered from varicose veins in her right leg and was forced to suspend her running schedule after the surgery. Many runners thought Yang would stop, but after three months, she appeared on the banks of the Ganjiang River once more.

Yang qualified to run the Hangzhou Marathon in 2016. After five years of professional training, then aged 66, she ran it in four hours and 20 minutes.

“To be able to participate is a victory. After running for many years, I understand that running a marathon is not about competing with others, but about competing with myself,” Yang says.

In 2019, Yang signed up for the Helsinki Marathon with her running friends. “When I finished the whole course and saw many foreigners giving me the thumbs-up, it made me feel great. We, Chinese old ladies, are not only good at square dancing,” quips Yang. By the side of the Ganjiang River, they continue to push their limits. In addition to Yang, 67-year-old Xu Zhiyuan, whose monthly mileage is more than 300 km, says he always forgets his age when running. Yu Haohua, 72, has gone running four times a week for nearly 10 years, and his occasionally high blood sugar level has returned to normal.

This summer, driven by Yang, her two sons and two grandsons ran along the river with her every day — three generations running in the crowd.

“Now it takes me nearly an hour and a half to run 10 km. My steps are slower, but I will never stop,” Yang says.(Xinhua)