When spring warms and flowers bloom, dreams come true at the Zhengkai Marathon. Heading eastward toward the sea, chasing the rising sun!
The 2013 Zhengkai Marathon was like a dream for me: 3 hours, 20 minutes, and 55 seconds — the second half faster than the first by half a minute. Could such a time really be mine?

Many runners achieved personal bests (PBs) at this Zhengkai race, thanks largely to the ideal course and weather conditions. The rest depended on individual training and form.

Course:
A straight road heading east with almost no turns — the GPS measured just a few dozen extra meters, whereas a typical marathon course might add 400 to 500 meters. There were no overpasses, so no major elevation changes, and even the small undulations were negligible. In the final 5 kilometers entering downtown Kaifeng, the cheers from the crowds were an incredible boost — definitely not a factor to ignore. For those aiming to set a great time, this was the best marathon course I’ve ever run.

Weather:
The temperature during the race was around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, with a light breeze, and the haze even helped block the sun’s intensity. Compared to last year’s 27 degrees, this year’s weather was absolutely perfect.

Race:
I arrived at the start area a little after 7 a.m., met many fellow runners, chatted for a bit, and took quite a few photos. After checking my bag at 8 a.m., I squeezed into the full marathon start zone wearing a disposable raincoat and happened to run into Uncle Fang and Lele. We got to talking and found our running paces were similar, so we decided to stick together.

The gun went off around 8:27, and we started weaving through the crowd. Once I had a bit of space, I maintained a pace under 4:50. My first kilometer was 4:56, and then I stayed behind Uncle Fang and Lele for six or seven kilometers, keeping between 4:46 and 4:48. After that, I slightly fell back while drinking water and ended up with a half-marathon runner who used to be a triathlete. Our paces matched, so we ran together at a slightly quicker speed between 4:40 and 4:45. I checked my heart rate, which was around 165, and since I was having a good chat with my running partner, I felt comfortable maintaining that pace. That brought me to the halfway point in about 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 40 seconds.

That was the fastest first half I’ve done in any of my marathons. I felt tempted to speed up, but considering my lack of sufficient training, I held back and kept it at 4:45. Uncle Fang and Lele passed me then, going as far ahead as about 200 meters, but they remained in sight. After 30 kilometers, I began carefully monitoring my body for signs of cramps or dramatic slowdowns, and I slowed down a bit more. I continued like that until the 37-kilometer mark, gradually closing the gap with Uncle Fang and Lele, who had started to slow. No longer worried about cramping or hitting a wall, I picked the pace back up to under 4:45, passed them, and kept going all the way to the finish line. My final time — a dream-like 3:20:55. Even better, I maintained a nearly even pace throughout, and for the first time, my second half was faster than my first by half a minute. Post-race, I found out I placed 172nd among men.

Near the finish line, I saw Nan Nan running back — according to Weibo, it was his fourth turnaround. He ended up pacing Uncle Fang and Lele to the finish, both crossing in 3:21. Congratulations to both for setting new PBs!

Post-race:
After crossing the finish line, volunteers escorted each runner one-on-one to the rest area, helping collect bags, medals, food, and printing results. I saw Gui Ge taking photos — he had run another impressive 2:49 at the Chongqing Marathon. Wang Zongfa, who passed me in the last kilometer, and Ke Qiu Zhi Bai, whom I’d often chatted with on my blog, both ran PBs despite injuries — especially impressive. And Guang Guang, who also set a new PB of 3:06, was there too. We had a happy chat and took some photos to remember the day.

I was really happy that many runners set PBs this time: Dan Ying with 3:05, Lang with 3:42, Durham with 3:57, Tian Lan with 3:15, Shi Yanxiu with 3:03, and Xiao Ding with 3:35. Yang Jiagen won 7th place among men with 2:22 — what an amazing performance, no wonder he’s dominated 100-km races for years.

Waking from the Dream:
Although I set a PB this time, many factors were out of my control, and I know I’m not yet at that level. Going forward, I’ll stick to steady training, avoid being reckless or impatient, and improve gradually. Running should primarily be about health and joy, not pressure to improve times. Whether I go faster or slower doesn’t matter — as long as I keep progressing.
Next up are the TNF and Yishan 50K races. I plan to do more mountain running in April and push my long runs on weekends. Later in the year, I hope to take on either the Beijing or Shanghai Marathon, aiming for a 3:15 — tough, but I’ll give it my all. This out-of-the-ordinary performance has given me confidence, and I look forward to joining the Xiangshan Running Club activities soon.
Through these marathons, I’ve discovered an unusual ability: peaking mentally and physically right before a race. In early February, I injured myself playing ball, but after nearly two months of recovery and training, I felt fine — no discomfort, just normal responses during and after the race. The same was true for the Taiyuan Marathon, my night run around the Fourth Ring Road, and even the Beijing and Shanghai Marathons. Maybe I’m just in a growth phase, or maybe it’s just coincidence — but I’d rather believe it’s because of my genuine passion for a healthy lifestyle and running that positive energy flows, leading to such great outcomes.