Dressed in a gray work uniform, yet wearing an international marathon medal around his neck. Li Jianhua’s ordinary life is filled with extraordinary stories.
On November 25 last year, he participated in an international marathon for the first time and won a medal, ranking 1,560th among over 1,700 runners who finished in under 4 hours. He has been running for 17 years, with a total distance that could circle the Earth.
Li Jianhua, 44, is an ordinary employee at Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile Company Ltd., a front-line maintenance worker responsible for five power stations and over 300 pieces of equipment, as well as a native of Wuhan. Out of curiosity, a reporter recently stepped into the long-distance running world of this maintenance worker.
Even in the cold winter, Li Jianhua only wears two thin long-sleeved T-shirts.
Runs an average of 60 kilometers per week
Runs from Zhuankou to East Lake to watch the sunrise
He started running in 1995, persisting in running for one to two hours every day regardless of the season. Li Jianhua said that back then, Zhuankou was still quite undeveloped, and apart from the Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën plant where he worked, there were few fitness facilities nearby. “Every evening after work, I had no choice but to run to stay fit. It not only strengthened my body but also helped relieve work pressure.” In 2006, due to shift work, Li Jianhua reduced the frequency of his runs but increased the distance, running over 20 kilometers each time. After years of training, he now runs at least 60 kilometers a week and often jogs from his home on Shendao Avenue in Zhuankou to East Lake in Wuchang early on weekend mornings to watch the sunrise.
Balancing work and running
Founded Zhuankou’s first road running association
In Li Jianhua’s eyes, life is like a marathon — it requires perseverance. In his ordinary role as a maintenance fitter, he is dedicated and willing to contribute. Faced with heavy daily production tasks and a tight workforce, when company leaders asked him to take on shift work, he agreed without hesitation, even working night shifts just before participating in the Beijing Marathon. Li Jianhua said with a smile, “On weekdays from Monday to Friday, I run after work. Sometimes my son joins me too — it doesn’t affect my work at all.”
Later, on the suggestion of friends, Li Jianhua established a public-service-oriented road running association, bringing together friends who enjoy running to engage in scientific fitness together.
The running association has now grown to over 30 members, including more than 10 from Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën, with four members participating in the Beijing Marathon.
Wears out 10 pairs of shoes a year
Running helped break up kidney stones
Li Jianhua told reporters that whenever his wife goes grocery shopping, aside from buying daily necessities, she always picks up fruits, milk, and running shoes for him. “I always buy two pairs of running shoes at a time because they wear out so quickly.”
Li Jianhua spends at least 10,000 yuan annually on running-related expenses. Since he started running in 1995, he has spent at least 200,000 yuan.
Li Jianhua revealed, “I was also worried about not being able to keep up with running, and even suffered from severe kidney stones due to unscientific nutrition.” He laughed and said, “Later, I gradually mastered scientific training methods and adjusted my nutrition reasonably. The stones were supposed to be removed surgically, but they dissolved on their own through running.”
“The people I’m most grateful to are my wife and my son. Without their support, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going.” Speaking of his wife Chen Shengxia, who also works at Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën, and his fifth-grade son, Li Jianhua expressed deep guilt. Whenever he’s off work, he takes on all the household chores.