Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Golder’s News And Sport

Golders / Li Zhanzhe

This is the elderly Chinese marathon runner who has jogged 318 miles in his tiny flat while self-quarantining during the coronavirus outbreak.

Li Zhanzhe, 66, said he ran around 10 kilometres (6 miles) every day for the past 50 days while cooped up in his home in China’s capital Beijing.

Mr Li has kept a diary of his weekly progress and, by 19th March, had completed 513 kilometres (318 miles) – or just over 12 full marathons.

The former torchbearer for the Olympics, Asian Games and National Games of Game is doing his best to stay fit in order to avoid getting sick.

He told local media: “I began running on 29th January. By 19th March, I had been running for 50 days.

“I covered 513 kilometres (318 miles).

“Every day I run between my kitchen and sitting room. There’s not a lot of space, so one lap is about 10 metres (32 feet).

“I run about 10 to 12 kilometres (6 to 7 miles) a day, so around 1,000 laps, which takes me nearly an hour.”

Before the outbreak ,Mr Li had taken part in every major marathon in China for the past 37 years, ever since his first taste of long-distance running at the second annual Beijing Marathon in 1982.

As travel restrictions are slowly lifted in China in early spring, Mr Li will be returning to the streets of his native Beijing for his daily running routine.

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