Standing at 1.85 meters tall with chiseled muscles, this quintessential athlete exudes natural athletic talent. Yet, unexpectedly, after reaching the first-stage finish line 3 kilometers away, Yu Lei didn’t shout in triumph. Instead, he silently turned back toward Huangjiawan and returned to the course to reposition the race markers that had been washed away and become nearly invisible due to the heavy rain. He did this even as the downpour was at its most intense. When asked by reporters why he did it, he explained professionally, “In outdoor challenge races, markers are crucial. They’re like the eyes of the athletes. Without them, you have no idea where to go. I hope all participants can not only complete the race but do so safely.”
He is a celebrity in outdoor sports
At age 14, he was selected for the Dalian Canoe and Kayak Team. By 16, he and his teammates won the national youth rowing championship. He later transitioned from canoeing to outdoor sports. In 2009, Yu Lei participated in a mountain speed climbing competition, becoming the first among 120 contestants to reach the summit, setting the fastest record on that mountain and beating the previous foreign-held record by 23 minutes. In 2011, he was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Dalian Mountaineering Association. In 2014, he became one of four Chinese athletes representing China in the 330-kilometer “Tor des Géants” ultra-trail race in Italy—the first time Chinese participants competed in this top-tier global trail running event—and completed the full course. That same year, he also represented China in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in France.
Helping teammates is nothing new
During a loaded trail race through the wilderness, Yu Lei and his team trekked dozens of kilometers through a primeval forest when two teammates suffered severe physical decline and could no longer continue. Yu Lei stepped up, carrying both their backpacks on his shoulders—more than 60 kilograms in total—while also helping one of them by holding his hand, and ran all the way to the finish line. While climbing Liaoning’s highest peak, after being the first to summit, he went back down to assist his teammates. During a Long March trekking event, he and his teammates braved wind and rain, hiking over 40 kilometers in a single night to win the only Best Team Award.
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