Going the distance

An increasing number of Chinese runners travel away to join various marathons staged at home and abroad, as running has been picked up by many as a fashion of lifestyle and attitude. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Getting away from work pressure and hanging out with her runner friends are among the main reasons why Wu threw her hat into the ring.

The sport has enabled her to make new friends.

"You can rid yourself of all your troubles when you are running," she says.

Looking back, Wu is surprised at how far she has come.

She started training last August after seeing many of her friends sharing running logs online.

"It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm, so I wanted to be part of it".

Wu has run eight marathons this year, including the 42 kilometer standard full marathons in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, and Gansu's Lanzhou, as well as the cross-country marathon in Zhangye, Gansu.

She says that her goal is to complete 100 marathons before she turns 60.

At the moment, Wu just wants to share her running experiences and feelings through her WeChat and microblog accounts.

Her enthusiasm has also rubbed off on some of her friends who were not very athletic before.

"I found that some of them began to hit the track after seeing my posts, and it made me very proud, more proud than winning a marathon," she says.