The 58-year-old Chinese-American winner of the 55-59 age group championship, Jin Hongyun
According to the US newspaper Qiao Bao, among the outstanding participants in the 18th Los Angeles Marathon were many Chinese-Americans, and 58-year-old Chinese-American female TCM practitioner Jin Hongyun was one of them. She had won the 55-59 age group championship for two consecutive years before, but due to the cold weather and injuries from a fall a few months ago that hadn’t fully healed, she said her performance this time was not her best, yet she still claimed the title in her age group.
At around 10:55 a.m. on the 18th, Jin Hongyun easily crossed the finish line set up on the Santa Monica beach, winning the 55-59 age group championship with a time of 3 hours and 22 minutes. Originally from Harbin, Heilongjiang, Jin specially printed “China” on the chest number tag during the marathon to let everyone know she was from China. She said that last year she had written “China Harbin” (China Harbin) on her number tag.
After crossing the finish line, Jin Hongyun wrapped herself in a Mylar blanket provided by volunteers to keep warm, but her face showed no signs of fatigue at all, and she said she still had to walk another 4 miles to get back to her home on Venice Beach.
Jin Hongyun explained that starting from 2010, she had participated in the Los Angeles Marathon for three consecutive years. In 2010, during her first participation, she achieved a time of 3 hours and 33 minutes; in 2011, her second year, she clocked 3 hours and 15 minutes; and this year, her time was 3 hours and 22 minutes. She has won the 55-59 age group championship for three consecutive years.
On the day of the 18th, the weather was cold and windy, and Jin Hongyun admitted her condition wasn’t at its best. She said that actually, before reaching the 20-mile mark, her legs began to cramp, which affected her pace, so she didn’t match last year’s performance. Also, due to the low temperatures, she should have worn long pants. Last October, she suffered a fall that dislocated her arm and also affected her waist and legs—factors that also influenced her performance this time.
As an acupuncturist and TCM practitioner, Jin Hongyun believes that physical exercise is very important, and she also encourages her patients to stay active. She said, “Exercise is the best medicine!”