In the classic American film *Forrest Gump*, the protagonist—who suffers from a childhood illness—touches the hearts of many viewers as he suddenly breaks into a run when his leg braces come loose. At the recently concluded Chongqing International Marathon, a young man in his twenties completed the 5-kilometer mini marathon in 48 minutes and 58 seconds using just one leg (his "golden left foot"). Many fellow runners cheered him on at the event, with some calling him the "Chongqing Forrest Gump."
Chen Lili, a national-level social sports instructor, told reporters that a full marathon spans 42.195 kilometers. On the 13th of this month, Kenyan runner Wilson Kipsang set a new world record for the marathon with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 29 seconds.
Hopping through the full marathon
Chongqing’s Forrest Gump moves Beijing runners
The young man is named Xiong Jun, from Huangbai Township in Wanzhou District. He has had polio since childhood. Now 27 years old and standing 1.65 meters tall, he has always gotten around on one foot and loves running.
"The longest I’ve run is 42.195 kilometers. My feet hurt for half a month afterward," Xiong Jun said confidently when talking about running. That distance was covered during the 2013 Beijing International Marathon. So far, he has participated in five marathons, with the most recent being the Chongqing International Marathon on March 22.
Yesterday, a reporter from the Chongqing Evening News contacted Beijing runner Zhang Heming. He said Xiong Jun is an admirable person. During the 2013 Beijing International Marathon, Zhang personally witnessed Xiong Jun complete the full 42.195-kilometer marathon in 5 hours and 57 minutes.
"That wasn’t really running—he was hopping to the finish line," Zhang Heming said. Completing a full marathon without long-term training is extremely difficult to endure.
Zhang Heming told reporters that in professional full marathons, there’s an unwritten rule called the "cut-off"—anyone who finishes the race in over six hours is not officially recorded. Xiong Jun not only managed to hop through the entire course but also crossed the finish line before the cut-off. This spirit deeply moved the Beijing runner.
Suffering from polio
Practicing hard in paddy fields until his left leg could jump
"Why can someone with a lifelong leg condition still stand on the marathon track?" Xiong Jun explained, "My right leg stays bent, and my left leg keeps jumping forward. In Chongqing slang, we call it 'dancing.'"
Xiong Jun told reporters that due to his leg condition, he couldn’t walk at all before the age of eight. Sometimes, he would fall over if he wasn’t careful while sitting. But his parents never gave up on him. When he turned eight and started school, his left leg could barely stand. The school was five kilometers from home, and his mother had to carry him back and forth every day, taking over an hour each trip. During school sports meets, he could only sit in a corner and cheer for his classmates. From then on, he secretly vowed to one day stand on the track like everyone else.
There was a paddy field in front of Xiong Jun’s old house. At the age of 14, he had a sudden idea. "If I could practice walking in the paddy field, it would not only prevent me from falling (the mud could help me keep balance) but also train my willpower." Yesterday, when recalling those days of practicing to walk, Xiong Jun described the experience with one word: "pain."
Xiong Jun’s hard work eventually paid off. One day when he was 18, his left leg suddenly gained the ability to jump. His parents were moved to tears when they heard the news. From then on, he began practicing single-leg rope jumping. He told reporters that he could once jump up to 300 times per minute. In 2012, while working in Wenzhou, he signed up for a local 10,000-meter fun run for the first time, and since then, he fell in love with marathon running.
Champion of Chongqing’s Walking Group
Who also gave him a thumbs-up
Among the members of the Chongqing Walking Group organized by the Chongqing Evening News, a netizen known as "Buddha’s Light," recognized as the fastest walker, gave Xiong Jun a thumbs-up.
"Buddha’s Light" told reporters that he once completed a full marathon of 42.195 kilometers on foot, taking about the same time as Xiong Jun did in Beijing (5 hours and 57 minutes).
Now 50 years old, "Buddha’s Light" said he also signed up for the full marathon at this year’s Chongqing International Marathon, finishing in about 4 hours and 30 minutes. "Because Xiong Jun’s posture is different from that of an average person, and he can complete the whole course on one leg, it’s already a miracle," said Buddha’s Light.
Admirable but not to be emulated
Excessive exercise is unhealthy
"The hardest part of a marathon is perseverance. The young man’s determination is admirable, but we don’t recommend it," Chen Lili said. While Xiong Jun’s running routine may improve his health, the full marathon exceeds the normal level of physical exertion. Long-term excessive exercise can cause muscle damage and is not healthy for the body.