In Beijing for the long run

Winner of competition promoting the capital gives US executive more reason to pound the streets as she relishes chance to meet city's residents, Li Yingxue reports.

The first day after moving to Beijing from New York, Ella Kidron shook off her jet lag with a run at 4 am in her new city home. That was in July 2016. She still clearly remembers seeing the sun coming up, almost shyly, over the city and its sweeping streets.

That started a passion for exploring the city through running. This was the way she wanted to see, feel and hear the city and it allowed her to meet new friends.

"For me, running in Beijing is about juxtaposition-it's enjoying the quiet in a bustling city and shuttling back and forth between history and modernity," she says.

Kidron, a senior manager of international corporate affairs at e-commence platform JD, put her running story into a video titled Discovering Beijing's Limitless Possibilities. That video, which runs just over two minutes, won her the top award for the "100 Reasons to Love Beijing" short video and essay competition.

"Running in Beijing means treasure hunts, mystery and surprise," she says in the video. "It's a reminder of the unlimited possibilities of this city. It makes this place, which is more than 6,000 miles away from where I grew up, feel like home."