On the morning of April 17, a lot of people who dressed in blue and green short sleeves gathered towards the Yellow Crane Tower Wine Culture Expo Park in Wu Han successively. Here was the venue of the "Wuhan 100 km Yixing" competition. The athletes in blue short sleeves were in the 28km group, while the green ones in the 65km group. The two groups would set out at eight o'clock, and their destinations were Zhong Shan warship tourist area in Jiang Xia and Ba Yi Cultural Square in jizhou bay town. People who wore yellow and orange short sleeves were respectively belonging to eight kilometer group and the 100 kilometer group. They would start at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and end at the Huanghelou Wine Culture Expo Park in Wuhan and Erqiao Park in Jiayu County. Most of the participants in this competition were hikers from all over the country, including both college students and social figures. Yu Hongbo, Mi Hao and Yan Shun of our school participated in the 100 km hero group of this competition. They also wrote their own story with their feet in this competition which needed physical strength, endurance and perseverance.
Yu Hongbo: a challenging tour of "super enthusiasts"
After taking part in several competitions like Qingshan half marathon, Guanggu half marathon, 100 mile relay of Chinese universities, cross country challenge of Jiangxia, Yu Boyang, the super enthusiasts set his eyes on the 100 kilometer hero group of "Wuhan 100 kilometer Yixing" competition. As for the reason why he came to participate in this competition, he said it , he had never tried 100 km competition and he didn’t think too much about the results. Mainly because he wanted to challenge himself and experienced the activity process so he chose this competition.
Yu Hongbo, from the college of urban and environmental sciences of CCNU, has been participating in various long-distance running events since 2018, which gave him rich experience. But in this 100 kilometer competition, he encountered many difficulties. The first problem was the temperature. The 100km competition started at 2 p.m. at a very high temperature. The participants needed to run for more than ten hours until the early morning of the next day. The difference in temperature in the whole process was very large. The second problem was the loneliness during the journey. Because the distance was too long and the level of competitors was different, so Yu Hongbo completed the vast majority of the journey almost alone. After a brief talk with volunteers at various supply points, Yu Hongbo started his journey alone again and again. In the dark night and the long riverbank, there was no one around, only a light above the head. What he could do was to move forward.
In the end, Yu Hongbo reached the finish line and gained a good grade at 14th. He posted a gesture to the camera and said, no matter how hard the road is, the moment of reaching the finish line, all of the thing is worthy.
Yan Shun: I will follow this path until the end
Yan Shun, a 2019 grade student in the school of computer of CCNU described himself in this way, he was not very good at sports and he nearly failed the physical test. But he seems to be more than what he said. He took part in the 100 kilometers competition just to train himself and thought about some things clearly on the way. Yan Shun successfully finished the 23 hours walking. In order to improve the pace and make the team qualified, he decided to go on the journey alone after a teammate was injured accidentally in the middle of the competition. It's not easy for Yan Shun to walk such a long distance. He said that, it's really hard for him to do it. He was so tired that he didn’t want to eat food. The rest was just stopping at each supply point for more than ten minutes less than twenty minutes. And his mood was not very stable along the way. He even broke down and yelled during the walk. For a long time, he was unable to calm down.
During 100 kilometers long road, although his faith was shaken, but all the things he encountered along the way gave him the motivation to stick to it. Along the way, he was helped and encouraged by many strangers, who gave him energy glue and salt pills, and someone gave him a branch to take advantage of. The 100 kilometers walk’s feedback was more than that. Yan Shun recalled that, he met an aunt on the road. She was walking at a constant speed, with a steady pace and a peaceful mind. It was her peace that allowed him to reconcile with the last five kilometers, which was almost made him crazy.
In Yan Shun's eyes, the 100 kilometer walk was only a small gain in this competition. What's more important was the kindness from strangers, the spirit of solidarity and perseverance of other competitors, and the life attitude of always maintaining a peaceful attitude.
Mi Hao: the injured witness the honor, sports is always on the way
Mi Hao, a 2018 student of the school of physical education of CCNU, recalled after the match and said, at about 22 kilometers, there was a cramp in his calf, so he slowed down a little, added energy and adjusted for two kilometers. At about 35 kilometers, he was a little overdrawn and sore. At that time, he was a little wore out and regretted. However, he had already finished one third of the competition and this was a rare chance, so he continued to stick to it. After passing the supply point at 66th kilometer, he felt pain on his right knee, which seriously affected his running. He could only limp to the next supply point. It was dark at that time, and there were no competitors on the road. Loneliness, cold and fatigue all hit on him. The eight kilometers from 66 km to 74 km were the most painful.
Because it was his first run in such a long distance, Mi Hao had problems in speed control and physical distribution. He was a long lead before he was injured. But after got injured on the right posterior ligament, he was in a state of emotional collapse for a long time. He chose to listen to songs, shouted and share "pain" with his companions in the longest eight kilometers. Recalling the people and things he met along the way, he thought of a couple he saw on the road and an elder brother who looked very young. He said that the couple must love each other very much and although the elder brother and my grandfather are nearly about the same age, he had been training for a long distance. He thought that must be the charm of sports. This competition left him abundant of good memories.
Being injured was painful, and the long helplessness of eight kilometers was also painful. Although Mi Hao regretted stopping at 74 kilometers, he still did not stop running on the sports road. He said that this attempt had improved his competition experience. If he had the chance, he would continue to take part in the 100 kilometers competition!
The competition of "Wu Han 100 kilometers Yixing" came to an end smoothly, but the players' spirit of perseverance and hard-working still remained on the bank of the Yangtze River. Yu Hongbo, Mi Hao and Yan Shun are just the epitome of CCNU’s students. There are many other students of CCNU have always adhered to the motto of "simple and resolute" in different fields, spreading the spirit of perseverance and unity and the attitude of peaceful and silent life to distant places.
Translator: Shu Tianle
Date: May 9, 2021
