"Marathon Girl’s" Illness Draws Support from Fellow Runners
At around 9 a.m. yesterday, reporters spotted several citizens already conducting charity sales and on-site donations for Zheng Ping near Fujiashan. Yu Lei, a Dalian runner and organizer of the fundraising event, even specially offered commemorative medals from a recent "Cross-Country Running Invitational" for charity sale. Yu Lei told reporters that over ten days ago, he learned about Zheng Ping's situation online, and after hearing her story from fellow runners in Xiamen, he was deeply moved and decided to help her.
Yu Lei said Zheng Ping is only 22 years old, hailing from a remote mountainous area in Zunyi City, Guizhou Province. Starting at age 16, she moved to Xiamen alone to work and help support her younger siblings. In her spare time, Zheng Ping joined an amateur running group in Xiamen, and her marathon time for the 42.195 km distance quickly improved to 3 hours and 30 minutes — a time that could rank her within the top 100 female runners nationwide. "Zheng Ping is tall, kind-hearted, enthusiastic, and always willing to help others; she has a really good personality," he said. Late last year, Zheng Ping began experiencing leg swelling and sore throat. Due to her low income, she endured the pain and continued working. It wasn’t until early April this year, with the help of fellow runners in Xiamen, that she went to the hospital for a comprehensive checkup for the first time and was diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Eight Cities Organize Charity Runs for Zheng Ping
Yu Lei told reporters that according to local doctors, based on the initial diagnosis, Zheng Ping’s chance of recovery is over 60%, with treatment costs estimated at around 400,000 RMB. Currently, with the help of many runners, Zheng Ping has been admitted to a regular hospital in Xiamen.
Seeing that it would be difficult to raise the full amount of medical expenses in a short time, runners in Xiamen turned to the running community across the country for help via the internet. Within just over ten days, runners from eight cities responded. "Today, runners in Dalian, Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Yantai all organized fundraising activities through running," Yu Lei told reporters. So far, over 160 Dalian runners have joined the fundraising effort, and some compassionate businesses have also participated. A sports goods store has put up sports equipment worth tens of thousands of RMB for charity sale, and the marketing director of a sea cucumber company pledged to donate 100 RMB for every 10 km run by any participant.
Dalian Raises Over 24,000 RMB in Donations
At around 10 a.m. yesterday, the running event officially began. Over 160 runners, holding banners with messages of support for Zheng Ping, set off from Fujiashan toward the endpoint at Beida Bridge. The event drew attention from many passersby, who generously offered their support. By around 11:30 a.m., the fundraising activity concluded. Reporters learned that 100 runners completed the full 10 km, and the sea cucumber company fulfilled its promise by donating a total of 10,000 RMB. Coupled with donations from participants, the total amount raised reached over 24,000 RMB. Yu Lei stated that he would transfer the funds to Zheng Ping as soon as possible, hoping that the kindness of Dalian’s runners will help her overcome the illness and return to the running community.
At the time of reporting, the fundraising total from Beijing had been tallied at over 25,000 RMB, while fundraising activities in the remaining cities were still ongoing.