After arriving at the top of Huangshan, everyone was asking about Zeng Wenbo, who had been the first in the individual category to cross the finish line. Today (6June11), this dark horse "2016defeated everyone’s favorite, the renowned athlete Li Pengcheng, to be the first to appear at the summit finish line of Huangshan, shocking everyone.
“This kind of course is what I’m best at and what I like the most,” Zeng Wenbo, an unknown name in the triathlon scene under everyone’s questioning, told everyone. It turns out that this fresh face in the triathlon world is actually a well-known figure in China’s amateur off-road mountaineering scene. As the overall champion of last year’s China Mountaineering Association Mountaineering Series, Zeng Wenbo from Hunan excels in mountain races, while cycling and triathlon are more like side events for him.
Among today’s nearly one hundred participants, Qi Jun, wearing a triathlon suit with a Chinese dragon pattern, stood out particularly. Yet what made him even more unique was his identity as both a staff member of the Chinese Football Association and a hardcore triathlon enthusiast. “I often participate in113distance races, but this is my first time in China,” Qi Jun said. “The timing of this race was just right, falling during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, and it also presented a certain level of challenge, so I came.”
Qi Jun, who has loved triathlon for the past year or two, has recently started doing trail races, so he was very excited about a triathlon event like Huangshan that includes climbing segments. “This event is really fun, and the scenery is absolutely stunning.” Due to the rain, many athletes were afraid of falling during the cycling leg, and Qi Jun was also very cautious. “I was very careful today. It’s all about mindset. For us amateur athletes, participation is what matters. We don’t need to focus on results or compare ourselves to others — just keep a good attitude.”When he finally climbed to the finish line at Huangshan’s North Sea, Qi Jun looked especially happy. “I’ve been to Huangshan in the snow, I’ve been in sunny weather, and now I’ve come to compete in the rain. I’ve really seen all different kinds of Huangshan,” Qi Jun said. “I’ve participated in113kilometer races every year for the past few years, but coming to Huangshan this time has been the most special experience — totally worth it.”
Zhang Jie from Beijing was another standout athlete today. This swimming specialist once set a Guinness World Record for a non-stop freshwater swim of21hours covering74kilometers. Most remarkably, Zhang Jie, who had never participated in a triathlon before, signed up directly for the Huangshan113kilometer race on her first try. “If you don’t try, how will you know if you can do it?”
Today, Zhang Jie was the second to exit the water in the swimming leg, only behind Weihai’s young athlete Han Bing, but cycling is her weak point. “I only started preparing for this race a little over a month ago, and I’ve only ridden a bike for50kilometers once,” so she was quite worried about today’s cycling leg. Yesterday, she specifically removed her clipless pedals and switched to flat pedals for safety, afraid of falling on the road.Surprisingly, after more than7hours of racing, Zhang Jie had fought her way to the finish line and won the women’s championship. “I’m completely exhausted today. I rode in my swimsuit, and by the60kilometer mark of the bike leg, I was so cold I could barely continue. Luckily, someone gave me an energy gel, and I managed to make it to the transition. The uphill run was tough — the winding road was okay, but running up the steps nearly broke me. I kept cheering myself on and finally made it through.” Though tired, Zhang Jie was also excited as she crossed the finish line. “I’ll have to train harder before competing again.”
Today’s race was not only full of challenges but also full of family bonds. Wan Liuyang from the Singapore Lion City Triathlon Club was one of the happiest athletes. It turned out that his parents had driven all the way from Wuhan to accompany him to Huangshan. During today’s race, his parents stayed by his side the whole way, and in the end, Wan’s mother crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with her son. “This is our first time watching our son compete. He’s raced in Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S. before, but we never had the chance to see him. Actually, not seeing him used to make us less worried. But this time, being here for the first time, our hearts were in our throats — especially with the rain and slippery ground today, we were really concerned.” Wan’s mother is full of care for her son. “Our child loves this sport. We didn’t really understand it before, but now that we see him organizing his own club in Singapore with100participants and influencing many people, we’ve gradually come to understand. I told his dad, since we can’t change him, let’s change our own mindset and support him.”Zeng Lei from the Luneng Triathlon Club also crossed the finish line with his wife, but what made it unique was that he carried his wife across the finish line. “Seeing the finish line up ahead, I kept thinking about how to celebrate this moment.” Zeng Lei, who was participating in a113kilometer race for the first time, clearly felt the difficulty of the event. “This course is pretty tough, but finishing it made me really happy, so I celebrated with my family.” Zeng Lei and his wife are a very happy and sweet couple. Whenever he competes, his wife Zheng Yuhua always accompanies him. A former volleyball player, Zheng Yuhua said: “Cycling is quite dangerous, and I’m a bit worried, so I often accompany him. He’s also gotten used to it — he won’t race if I’m not there.”