every medal is a witness of the world measured by steps
What is a medal enthusiast? Probably someone like me. My athletic level is not high, but I have a special fondness for medals. Despite having little free time, I manage to squeeze in time to complete online marathons and collect medals from around the world.
Perhaps it was fate that when I started running marathons, Codoon also began hosting online marathons.In 2015,the Lanzhou Online Marathon was my first online half marathon. I still remember that it was the first time I got up at6AM to run. To ensure I could stick to it, I even invited my college roommate, who came from afar, to complete my first half marathon with me. Strictly speaking, this online half marathon was not completed because I walked and ran intermittently,21KMtaking more than3hours, which is longer than the usual cut-off time for a half marathon. However, this is the advantage of online races—as long as you reach the finish line, a medal awaits you.
After completing my first online race, there was a long wait. Although the wait was a bit long, when a heavy medal was finally in front of me, I felt a surge of excitement. This was also my first encounter with an online marathon medal—very exquisite and substantial.
From then on, I became a true medal enthusiast and participated in almost every online event hosted by Codoon. Each medal has its own characteristics and represents the effort and sweat I put in, witnessing every step I took. Almost every week, I would have a new medal to add to my collection. Every week, I would take out my beloved medals, arrange them, and take photos. From a small box to a rack, and now to a large box, the number of medals keeps growing, but my affection for each medal remains the same.
Of course, not all medals are easily obtained. I remember at the end of last year, during the Guangzhou Online Marathon, I realized after finishing that I had forgotten to register. Similar incidents happened three times in a month, probably because I was too busy during that period. However, since I completed the online race with effort, I still felt satisfied.
As the number of medals grew, I also started participating in some physical races. Comparing the medals from physical races with those from online races, I found that there is not much difference. Due to life and work, I can't travel far to participate in races, and online races have nicely filled this gap.
Some might say that online races are not standard. Indeed, if someone wants to cheat, there are always ways. But for a runner, running is done with your own feet, no matter where you are, and only you know the story behind each medal. From initially not being able to finish within the cut-off time to now completing half marathons in140minutes and full marathons in340minutes, each medal has witnessed my journey through ups and downs.
Counting them, I have collected56marathon medals so far, of which41are from Codoon online runs and15are from physical marathons. I remember only Guangzhou, Yangzhou, and two other online marathons were missed either because I didn't register or due to weather conditions. This year, I hope to increase my medal count to100because my baby will be born early next year. I hope to proudly tell him (or her) that your dad is a true medal enthusiast!