A junior college student commemorates university life with a 250-kilometer run
Character profile Name: Zhao Hao Gender: Male Age: 21 Identity: Junior year materials science and engineering major at Chongqing University of Technology
○ Won first place in the high school sports meet and never looked back
○ Halfway through college, he commemorated his university life with a 250-kilometer run
Many people commemorate their university days with memory books, graduation photos, or a trip, but Zhao Hao from Jiulongpo has written his own “youth trilogy” with a 250-kilometer run.
On the 16th, when Morning News reporters met Zhao Hao, he had just returned from a 100-kilometer trail race held on Erhai Lake in Dali last month.
Zhao Hao said that his first exposure to running was during the 3000-meter race at his high school sports meet in his freshman year. “I won first place, and both teachers and classmates praised me, which instantly boosted my confidence and made me fall in love with running.” By the end of last year, with his college life halfway over, Zhao Hao felt he should use his favorite long-distance running to leave a mark on his university years, so he set his sights on “a marathon, a 100-kilometer endurance run, and a 100-kilometer trail race.”
“These are three events every runner must go through,” Zhao Hao said.
Run
Run
Run
“Winning first place in my freshman year instantly gave me confidence.”
“I felt youth should be wild.”
“I love running freely, without constraints.”
Yesterday, at Chongqing University of Technology, 21-year-old Zhao Hao commemorated his university time with running. This photo series / Photographed by Wang Hai, reporter at Chongqing Morning News, and Zeng Xuesong, intern reporter
42 kilometers
3 hours, 3 minutes, 34 seconds — performance surpasses second-tier athletes
Chongqing International Marathon Date: March 23
At the beginning of this year in January, registration opened for the Chongqing International Marathon, and Zhao Hao signed up without hesitation. “I was pretty excited—it was my first full marathon.” The marathon distance is 42 kilometers, with thousands of participants.
On the morning of March 23, as Zhao Hao stood at the starting line, thinking about his “youth trilogy,” he felt excited. He took out a black marker and neatly wrote the four characters “Chongqing Tech” on his chest. “It gave me a sense of belonging, like I wasn’t running alone.”
During the race, Zhao Hao kept pace with the runners ahead of him, overtaking one and then another. As he ran, he was inspired by athletes of all ages, genders, and physical conditions around him, which strengthened his passion for long-distance running. “We were all heading toward the same goal—no matter who you are, I could see determination on everyone’s face.”
The sides of the track were lined with cheering spectators. Listening to their shouts, Zhao Hao felt as if they were all cheering just for him. When he reached Lijiatuo, people saw the “Chongqing Tech” on his chest and their cheers grew even louder. “Go, handsome guy from Chongqing Tech, run fast!” “Come on!” The waves of encouragement fired him up. “It felt like going back to the sports meet in my freshman year—my heart was full of pride!”
In the end, Zhao Hao finished the full marathon in 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, several minutes faster than the time of a professional second-tier athlete. This made him very happy and reaffirmed his determination to keep going.
100 kilometers
10 hours, 5 minutes — unexpectedly won the championship
Dali Erhai Lake Endurance Run Date: April 2
At 9 a.m. on April 2, Zhao Hao stood by the beautiful Erhai Lake, waiting for the starting gun, as the sun shone brightly, and he was mesmerized by the scenery.
This was Zhao Hao’s first 100-kilometer run. Before this, the longest he’d run was the Chongqing International Marathon in March. “The reason I chose this as my second stop was purely to challenge myself—I felt youth should be wild.”
After the race began, Zhao Hao continued to closely observe the tactics of the athletes ahead, catching up with one, passing them, then targeting another... In this way, he ran the first 50 kilometers by constantly overtaking and seeking out new opponents.
When he reached Shuanglang (a traditional folk village in Dali), Zhao Hao suddenly realized he had caught up with the leading "first group." Excitement surged within him. After following the main pack through Shuanglang, he quickened his pace and continued to pass others. "I’ve caught up—they’ve been ahead the whole time, and some are already showing signs of exhaustion."
By this point, Zhao Hao had abandoned any notion of just participating in the race. He ran faster and faster until he had left all his competitors far behind. It was only then that he paused to massage his thighs. "Honestly, I was at my limit. But I thought, I’ve come this far—why not fight for first place?"
Around 7 p.m., Zhao Hao ran alone on the road. When he reached the finish line and discovered he was the first to arrive, he was so overcome with emotion that he cried.
"I felt incredibly proud and really wanted to tell my dad, 'Look how amazing your son is!' " About 40 minutes after Zhao Hao finished, he spotted the second-place runner. To avoid worrying his parents, he had entered the race without telling them. After the race, he called his father, who told him, "Son, I’m proud of you."
This time, in the 100-kilometer endurance run, Zhao Hao finished in 10 hours and 5 minutes—and won the championship.
News of Zhao Hao’s victory in the cross-country race without any professional training quickly spread among his schoolmates and running friends after he returned from Dali, and many regarded him as an inspiration.
100 kilometers
Borrowed money to compete, paid it back with prize—He measured his youth with every stride
Dali Cangshan Erhai Cross-Country Race Date: November 2
Six months later, he returned to Dali to complete the final chapter of his youth trilogy: the Dali Cangshan Erhai 100-Kilometer Cross-Country Race.
Before the race, Zhao Hao hesitated about whether to go—not because he feared the difficulty, but because he had no money. However, thinking about his youth trilogy, he decided to compete anyway. He convinced another classmate, who was also on the fence, to sign up. For the travel expenses and costs of the race, Zhao Hao borrowed most of the money from this classmate.
On the morning of November 2, just as dawn broke, the race began. At first, Zhao Hao stayed with the main group, but as the race progressed and the distance between runners grew, he found himself alone. Holding a trekking pole, he carefully picked his way forward. All he could hear was the sound of the wind, occasionally interrupted by squirrels and birds. Surrounded by towering trees and unable to locate the red trail markers left by the organizers, Zhao Hao began to panic. "I was afraid of taking a wrong turn—once you do, you can only get more lost." Eventually, after asking someone coming down the mountain, he confirmed the route and felt reassured.
Cangshan Mountain has many steep cliffs, fenced off with railings and dropping into unseen depths. Some sections required crawling on all fours to climb. As the altitude increased and his energy waned, Zhao Hao gradually felt drained. "It felt like I was the only person in the world."
Just when he thought he couldn’t hold on any longer, he realized he had reached the highest peak of Cangshan. "There were many people around me—most had taken the cable car up—but I had climbed every step. Just thinking about that gave me a lot of motivation."
Zhao Hao was the youngest participant in the race. In the end, he placed eighth overall. The first thing he did after the race was use his prize money to repay his classmate. As he brought the trophy back to the dorm room one after another, his classmates’ attitudes began to shift. Chen Junwei from the neighboring dorm said the trophies made him rethink university life. "Those trophies are memories of his youth. Compared to him, I feel like I wasted my college years."
Because of his outstanding long-distance running performance, the school track team once invited Zhao Hao to join, but he declined: "I prefer running freely, without constraints."
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