Chapter 252

More than 70,000 people signed up to participate in this marathon, including over 10,000 people to participate in the full marathon.

However, very few people finished the half marathon. Most only ran one third of the course before stopping, as it was simply too long.

Although fewer and fewer people finished the full marathon, the first echelon of a dozen or so people still ran firmly at the forefront.

And number 00697 was mentioned a few times.

There is basic information for everyone who signs up for the full marathon. The organizers looked up the information and found that this was a freshman university student, not yet 18 years old, not a professional athlete, but the performance was very impressive.

Looking at her, although not leading, she was always maintaining her position in the mid-front of the first echelon.

Aerial footage clearly showed that the relative position of this player barely changed.

If you think about it carefully, it's a bit horrifying. Some academically gifted students can always rank among the top, while some academically gifted students can control their own scores and always rank at the same spot.

Number 00697 gave people a feeling like that. But this idea was too unbelievable. The commentators did not say it out loud either. They just jokingly said, "A dark horse may emerge from this year's marathon."

The commentator next to him immediately fought back and disagreed, while introducing several other leading players. Tadesse from Ethiopia was last year’s men’s champion, and he broke his own record. Jones from Kenya was last year's women’s champion, but this year's marathon also featured several young domestic track and field athletes who performed very well. Among them, Li Miaomiao, number 00018, was a very promising track and field athlete. She had been leading with a calm expression. I am more optimistic about her.

The two commentators bantered with each other, which also contributed some interesting parts to the long live broadcast. But the main focus was still on the scene.

After running more than 20 kilometers, it was also Xiao Qi’s usual training volume.

There were still 20 kilometers left, which was more testing.

Xiao Qi was still relatively relaxed in the early stages, always running in the team, neither conspicuous nor outstanding, nor falling behind. In fact, it’s easier to run when someone is leading.

But the difficulties of a marathon race are still in the later stages. The more tired you get as you go along, and many people find it very difficult to persist.

This is when you have to consider patience, endurance and physical strength.

Xiao Qi still maintained a not fast but not slow speed. Her goal was to break the record. She must be steady in the early stages and have an explosion in the last stage. Any mistakes in between would waste all the preparation in the early stages, so she was still running very steadily now. By the 30 kilometer mark, the sun had become quite hot.

The breathing of those around had become much heavier. Even the black runners were panting. After all, although they had different skin colors, they were still people of planet Earth.

And the female players would be weaker than the male players. The distance between people in the first echelon had also widened, at least more than one kilometer apart front and back.

It was unknown who had fallen behind or was still keeping up.

When running, there was basically only one principle - run forward and don’t look back, just keep running.

Xiao Qi could feel her sweat wetting then drying then wetting her body again. Her body also felt slightly weak.

Fortunately, this was when the benefits of usually eating more showed. Most of the energy stored in her body was consumed without stopping at this time.

Those who usually didn't eat much or were on a diet would definitely not be able to last this long.

Her body was also somewhat fatigued, mainly with a sore sensation in the muscles.

But her spirit was still very excited, and her mind was still very clear.

Xiao Qi didn’t know what the conditions for breaking the record were. She looked at the marathon records from previous years. The best she could do was avoid detours and unnecessary minor mistakes, while maintaining her body in optimal condition.

The road signs on the sidelines showed the kilometers.

At 35 kilometers, there were less than 10 kilometers ahead.

Xiao Qi stopped to drink some water there.

She rested and adjusted slightly, then continued running.

At this point, she subconsciously started to increase her speed.

The last section was the most important.

This section could not be too long, or accelerating would cause exhaustion. It also could not be too short or there would be no point pulling ahead.

From here, Xiao Qi subconsciously accelerated.

After running for a long time, running had become an instinct of the body. Her endurance and stamina were still there, while at this time her bounce was also utilized with her shoes. However, she did not sprint immediately, but increased her speed little by little, feeling the changes in her body little by little.

At this point, was she tired or not?

Tired, extremely tired.

But Xiao Qi thought of her aunt who worked as a low-level nurse in the hospital, scolded by doctors and nurses every day, scolded by patients and patient’s families, doing the most tiring and thankless work, sweaty and smiling apologetically. That kind of tiredness was even more tiring. She couldn’t do it. In her hometown Gumula Village, holding a knife and cutting bamboo one by one, carrying the heavy bamboo, limping along the slippery country trails, limping towards home, hunchbacked, lame-legged, surrounded by deep mountains and old forests, rotten leaves, which was perhaps a beautiful sense of belonging to petty urbanites, but that was where Xiao Qi lived, big mountains, deep mountains, ignorance, hardship, no future in sight.

Every single thing was more tiring than running.

She wanted to run.

Run on this spacious avenue. She could run. In sight was the sea, in sight were tall buildings, in sight were all kinds of modern things, warm, bright and beautiful.

She wanted to run.

Not just physically, but mentally too.

Keep running and never stop.

Probably like Kuafu chasing the sun, that warmth, running, not knowing what was ahead, but running was better than retreating, better than stagnation, better than hiding in a shell. There would always be more scenery ahead.

She had run out of Gumula village, run out of the Su Lame’s house that villagers mocked was a cursed household, run out of the gloomy basement next to the hospital morgue, run out of that reputed number one high school in Lvshan which actually made her oppressed and timidly insecure, she ran out of the backward mountain city Lvshan, she ran to the seaside metropolis Meng City, she would keep running, running towards farther, bigger and wider places.

Her spirit was running.

Her body was also running.

She did not notice that she had overtaken one player after another. She just looked ahead.

The scenery in front seemed to be moving backwards as the images in her mind faded away.

And the live broadcast picture made people a little dumbfounded.

The class leader and deputy leader looked up at the screen at the girl galloping like a wild horse, both falling into an awkward silence, thinking what on earth was happening...

Early in the morning, Uncle Rong had taken the young master out and they were waiting at the finish line.

As they came to see the marathon, Uncle Rong was also very well prepared. He drove a car with a TV screen so the young master could rest comfortably in the back and watch TV.

At this time the channel was also switched to the marathon live broadcast.

Uncle Rong sat in the back, ready to serve water and drinks at any time, and provide food. As a result, as soon as he looked up, he saw number 00697 sprinting wildly on the screen. Then he looked at his young master again, with an increasingly stern and strict expression, showing no signs of liking the young girl at all.

Li Weijin's expression was very serious at this moment, but his clavicle felt hot, so hot that his throat felt a little uncomfortable, and his expression became even more serious.

He saw her. He knew she was different.

She would always give surprises.