CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Life is like a marathon. Tu Zeyun, who is over 70 years old, runs every day. Living in Shapingba, she has been running since 70 years old; and now she runs one hour per day. She will be 73 years old by the end of this year, and she will participate in the half marathon for ten times during her life. Speaking of running, she said that it was so good.

Participating in marathon events for ten times in three years

Born in 1948, she has good lungs and chipper personality, and thinks quickly; and she is called as “Sister Tu” by other runners. In terms of running, she has as much energy as any young men, and even more than many young men.

She started running late. In 2017, due to the death of her husband, she was very sad and locked herself at home. She could not stop crying at the thought of every little bit of them, and her health was very poor. Because of a chance, she restarted her life. In 2018, encouraged by her son-in-law, she participated in a marathon at Zhaomu Mountain. Then, she also participated in running at night with her son-in-law, to feel the nature and open her mind. In her words, she “started to taste the sweetness of contact with others”, and her passion for running took off. She was 70 years old in that year.

She loved sports when she was young; and she had a good body and made rapid progress. By the end of 2018, she participated in marathon for the first time in Zhongxian County. Before that participation, she could finish 10km. “I feel the racing track for the first time. It’s so good!”

Since then, she took active to participate in competitions. “As long as I have time and I can register, I will participate in.” In 2019, she participated in all running events held in Sichuan and Chongqing, and she even participated in on every weekend. In that year, she finished half marathon for five times, and she finished all competitions safely.

By the end of this year, she will be 73 years old. She has registered for Chongqing Women’s Half Marathon which will be the tenth one she participates in.

Running one hour per day

She is used to running, so she will run every day. “If I don’t run a day, I feel uncomfortable and I want to exercise.”

She runs at least one hour per day. “If I have time during daytime, I will run; while if I am busy during daytime, I will run at night.” She even runs at home.

At the beginning of 2020, she ran at home because she had to stay at home as COVID-19 began to spread. “I started running back and forth from window, to living room, to bed room, to balcony.” She runs every day, and she can run more than ten kilometers at a time. She also runs at home if outdoor conditions are unsatisfactory. 

If it is close from her home to the destination where the activity is held, she runs to the destination. “If the activity is held at the Olympic Sports Center or Shaping Park, I directly run to the destination from my home.”

When it comes to running, she says everyone must not overdo it; and considering her age, she never pursues fast speed. “I just run the way I’m comfortable.” (Translated by Liu Hongyan, Fathom Language Limited)