Hunan runner makes history at North Pole marathon

To rebuild his health, Wang began exercising, taking up activities including cycling and swimming.

In the autumn of 2017, a friend who had just finished a marathon showed up at his office, beaming with excitement. The friend, who had once been overweight, had shed dozens of pounds through running and was full of energy.

"I was amazed by the huge change in him, so I joined him for a run," Wang said. "It felt pretty good, so I took up running."

In February 2018, Wang ran his first full marathon, finishing in 4 hours and 28 minutes. Dissatisfied with the result, he joined a local running club and began training every day.

Seven months later, in his fourth marathon, Wang broke the three-hour mark for the first time, clocking 2 hours and 59 minutes.

At the time, fewer than 80 amateur runners in Hunan had broken the three-hour barrier. But Wang did not stop there. He kept asking faster runners for tips and pored over every running book he could find.

In 2021, he set his personal best of 2 hours, 34 minutes and 20 seconds.

In January this year, Wang took on the World Marathon Challenge, which requires participants to complete seven full marathons across seven continents in seven consecutive days. The drastic changes in time zones and climate push runners to their physical and mental limits.

At the first stop in Antarctica, the extreme cold triggered severe leg cramps and stomachaches, but Wang pushed through and won the race. He then continued to South Africa, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Brazil and the United States.

"The jet lag made me feel like throwing up before every race. And there was no real rest in between," Wang recalled. "The Western food didn't agree with me either. I had stomach trouble the whole time."

He finished second overall, the best result ever by a Chinese runner.

For Wang, running is not just a physical challenge but also a form of spiritual practice.

"It's a conversation with your inner self. Whatever difficulties you face, it helps you let them go," he said.

Now, Wang has set his sights on his next target: running a marathon at the South Pole.

"The high altitude and temperatures as low as minus 30 to 40 C make it much harder than at the North Pole," he said. "Probably only two or three people in the world have done that, and no Chinese ever has."