At the 2014 Beijing International Marathon held last Sunday (the 19th), 44-year-old Wei Jing easily completed the full course with a time of 3 hours, 37 minutes and 43 seconds, ranking 34th in the 40-50 age group — marking her second time achieving a second-tier women's marathon result after last year’s Hangzhou Marathon.
Not many people can maintain such a healthy physique at the age of 44. Wei Jing said, “For over eight months a year, I wear short sleeves and shorts — even a week before the winter solstice. There are almost no people in Pengshan who can still wear as little as I do in winter.”
Maintaining a strong physique comes partly from regular exercise. Wei Jing said she goes jogging almost every day. On the other hand, a healthy diet is also crucial. Wei Jing usually eats lightly, pays attention to the intake of protein and carbohydrates, and rarely consumes greasy foods like hot pot — common in Sichuan cuisine.
However, Wei Jing said the deepest impression the Beijing International Marathon left on her was that if amateur athletes want to achieve good results, besides routine training and diet control, they should also aim for professional-level nutritional supplements to match the standards of professional athletes.
Wei Jing said that although she had seen some athletes drinking specially prepared drinks during previous races, she had always thought of them as placebos with no real effect. But before the Beijing Marathon, she was appointed as the brand ambassador for Yeuxingjia energy bars and received professional nutritional guidance for pre-race, during-race, and post-race diets. During the race, she didn’t feel any of the usual exhaustion — instead, she felt full of energy and very relaxed.
As an amateur athlete aiming to challenge professionals, Wei Jing said everything has to be done just like the pros do.