Huang Xuemei and her husband Chen Zhiming pose after completing a race together. [Photo provided to China Daily]
On the morning of Aug 10 in France, 32-year-old programmer Huang Xuemei, an amateur long-distance runner, stood near the finish line of the Paris 2024 Olympics marathon course, eager to witness the world's top distance runners as they completed the race.
"This was my first time seeing such incredible speed and passion in a marathon up close. It was truly overwhelming," she recalled.
"The finish line was within reach, and although exhausted, every runner dug deep to sprint the final hundred meters. I was moved by their determination," she added.
The enthusiastic cheers from the spectators lining the course also left a strong impression on her.
However, later that evening, when Huang became the first female runner to finish the 42.195-kilometer route in the public marathon at Paris 2024, she was so focused on her run that she didn't even notice her husband, Chen Zhiming, just a few meters away, cheering her on with shouts of "Come on, Xuemei!"
The Marathon Pour Tous (Marathon for All) event at Paris 2024 offered 20,024 amateur runners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to follow in the freshly laid footsteps of their Olympic heroes.
They could run the same course where the world's top athletes had competed just hours before — a demanding route with steep climbs and quad-crushing downhills that make it one of the most challenging marathon courses in the history of the Games.
Huang Xuemei and the 2024 Paris Olympics mascot at the Marathon Pour Tous. [Photo/Xinhua]
Huang completed the challenging route, which featured a total ascent of 436 meters, a descent of 438m, and a maximum hill gradient of 13.5 percent, in two hours, 41 minutes and three seconds.
Her personal best marathon time is 2:32:16, achieved at the 2023 Beijing Marathon last November. It was also the best performance by an amateur female runner in China.
Growing up in Zhaotong, in Southwest China's Yunnan province, Huang didn't discover her talent for long-distance running until she left her hometown to study computer science at Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
In 2011, during a 3,000m race at a school sports meet, her outstanding performance caught the attention of a coach.
This marked the beginning of her journey into long-distance running, as she started training in her spare time and occasionally participated in competitions.
In 2015, she represented the university in a student marathon league held in Xiamen, Fujian province, where she completed her first full marathon with a time of 4:01:36.
After graduation, she became a programmer at Xiamen International Bank and settled in the city.
To relieve work-related stress, she resumed running as a way to unwind.
"Every run leaves me feeling refreshed, as if the stress has been released, and I also feel a great sense of achievement," she said.
She was also an active competitor in a local 5km night running league in Xiamen, noting that: "Training for 5km races helped improve my marathon performance."
Her competitive spirit drove her to continually pursue faster times. In the 2019 Beijing Marathon, she finished in 2:50:00.
"In 2020, I really wanted to run 5km in under 18 minutes, but I couldn't manage it. I felt I was plateauing, so I decided to join a running club to train and interact with others," she explained.
Running has given Huang Xuemei more confidence. [Photo provided to China Daily]
She joined a local running club in 2021, where she met her future partner, Chen.
One day, Huang offered a pair of new running shoes that didn't fit on the running club's WeChat group, asking if anyone needed them. Chen, who happened to wear the same size, and had just begun running, noticed the message and contacted Huang.
Their shared interest led to frequent running sessions together, and their relationship blossomed.
They soon became a couple and married earlier this year.
Now, the pair run over 500km per month. Chen, whose marathon PB is 2:32:30, helps work out their training plans.
To prepare for the public marathon in Paris, they began training in May. Although Chen did not compete, he ran alongside Huang in the summer heat as her dedicated pace setter.
"We both keep each other accountable for our training plans. She has a remarkable quality of not giving up," Chen said.
When asked what running has taught them, they both emphasized the importance of persistence.
The couple insist that their shared passion for running has kept them going and continues to push them further than they could have imagined.
"It's incredibly rewarding," Huang said.
Huang Xuemei (fourth from left, front row) and her husband Chen Zhiming (third from left, front row) with members of the Black Horse Nike running club in Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]
