As a tour guide, Jincheng Lanzhou is not unfamiliar to me because I have led groups here many times. There is a big river here called the Yellow River; there is a magazine that has accompanied many people growing up, called 'Reader'; there is the nationally renowned Lanzhou Beef Noodles; and there are many like-minded colleagues and friends in the industry.

As a runner, the Lanzhou Marathon is my first time, and it is my 12th marathon race, and also the highest level event. The Lanzhou Marathon is a Gold Label event by the Chinese Athletics Association and also by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Currently, only seven cities in China have this honor. So, when the Lanzhou Marathon opened for registration, I immediately submitted my application on the official website. I was very lucky to become a participant in the 2018 Lanzhou Marathon.

On the night of June 7th, I flew from Tunxi to Xianyang with my companions and camped in Xi'an. On the morning of June 8th, we took a high-speed train to Lanzhou. After arriving, we went directly to the hotel to check in, and in the afternoon, we went to the Lanzhou Exhibition Center to collect our race packs. Then, I took my companions to climb Baita Mountain, overlooking the city of Lanzhou, and visited the Iron Bridge of the Yellow River.

In the evening, our brother Yuan Bo from Lanzhou hosted us for a traditional charcoal-fired copper hotpot with mutton, Qingke barley wine, and Lanzhou's special Sanpao tea. Yuan Bo had already arranged this gathering when we were in Huangshan, considering the race on the 10th, and deliberately scheduled it for the night we arrived in Lanzhou.

The three companions who came with me always remembered the purpose of our trip to Lanzhou, which was to participate in the race. So, we drank the first two glasses of wine very cautiously. After two glasses, we boldly accepted Yuan Bo's suggestion to continue with outdoor barbecue and draft beer. At that moment, we had already thrown the race to the back of our minds.

I remember that during the barbecue, Yuan Bo's colleague Peter also brought Zhang Rui from the European Department of the China Travel Service to join us. Zhang Rui is also a top female runner participating in this Lanzhou Marathon.

When I woke up on the morning of June 9th, I was still dizzy from the hangover and had blacked out. My companions said that after the barbecue, we went to a karaoke bar to sing and drink more beer. I even sang a song and then fell asleep on the sofa. The scary part is that I don't remember how we got back.

At eight in the morning, after we finished breakfast, Yuan Bo came to the hotel to pick us up. According to the original plan, we were going to the Liujiaxia Reservoir on the Yellow River today, taking a speedboat to visit the Bingling Temple Grottoes, known as the 'Water Guilin' of the Yellow River. I really like the Bingling Temple Grottoes and had recommended them to my companions long ago.

The grottoes are located in the Dasi Valley of Xiaojishi Mountain, 35 kilometers southwest of Yongjing County. Whenever time permits, I usually visit them when I come to Lanzhou. The grottoes were created during the Sixteen Kingdoms period and have been expanded and renovated through the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, Western Xia, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, forming a complex of caves, statues, and murals.

'Bingling' means 'Ten Thousand Buddhas' in the Qiang language. The Yellow River makes a bend here. Every year, this place attracts many foreign tourists and overseas Chinese tour groups, but few domestic tourists. The main reasons are the inconvenience and the relatively high cost compared to the zero-cost domestic tourism market. Therefore, domestic travel agencies are reluctant to promote it. Many people join domestic tours not because they genuinely like it but because it's cheap. As a tourism professional, this makes me very anxious!

After a day of hangover dizziness, we finished our visit and returned to Lanzhou in the evening. I invited Yuan Bo to dine with us and booked a restaurant. We also invited running friends from Xi'an, including the big names from Codoon—Silly Panda and her friend Nana. In real life, Panda is even more approachable and genuine than in photos, and she is truly talented, with much better results than mine.

Because the race would start the next day, my companions were very restrained with alcohol during dinner and shamelessly asked me to drink on their behalf. Since I organized the gathering, I had to keep the atmosphere lively, so I ended up drinking a lot again. Fortunately, the dinner ended early, and everyone went back to rest for the race the next day.

June 10th, the day of the Lanzhou Marathon. Fortunately, the guests of the Lanzhou Marathon Organizing Committee were also staying at the Feitian Hotel. For the marathon, the hotel opened its breakfast buffet nearly two hours earlier. This was the first time I could enjoy a hotel breakfast on the day of a marathon in a different city! We took a taxi to the starting point, smoothly passed the check-in, and entered Zone B. Everyone was excitedly chatting and taking photos, but I was still dizzy, feeling a surreal sense of clarity as the sounds around me entered my ears.

I stood towards the back, trying to find a less crowded spot, embarrassed for other runners to smell the alcohol on me. It seemed like a long time passed before I vaguely heard the national anthem, signaling the imminent start. Sure enough, after a while, the crowd began to move slowly towards the arch.

It took me over three minutes to cross the arch. Music, drums, and various shouts filled the air. After crossing the Yantan Bridge, less than 2 kilometers in, the feeling of wanting to vomit from the hangover grew stronger. I ran slowly for 3 kilometers at a pace of about 6:40 per kilometer. At the first water station, I grabbed a bottle of water and ran slowly in a less crowded area. After drinking the entire bottle, I secretly vomited twice, feeling a bit better. I sweated a lot in the first half, finally waking up.

But my legs still felt as heavy as lead. Along the way, there were enthusiastic volunteers and citizens, some even shouting my name, cheering me on! The most memorable moment was passing by the Gansu Military District, where the young soldiers' enthusiastic cheers deeply moved me. I saluted them as I ran past, and they returned the salute with warm applause. Salute to them! In the second half, the temperature kept rising, and it was very sunny. Despite the organizing committee arranging several water-spraying trucks along the route, I still felt scorched, so I kept pouring mineral water over my head. After 4 hours and 36 minutes of struggle, I finally finished the race, setting my worst record.

The Lanzhou Marathon course had ample supplies, and the medals were very unique. However, the finisher's bag surprised me as it was just an ordinary plastic bag. I carried it all the way, walked across the Yantan Bridge, and took a taxi back to the hotel. After a hot shower and some stretching, I finally felt alive again. I had a beautiful nap in the afternoon.

Around five in the evening, Brother An from Lanzhou brought his colleagues to the hotel to find us and invited us to dinner to celebrate the race completion. We also invited the official photographer of the Lanzhou Marathon, Teacher Feng from the Grassland, to join us. Lanzhou's hand-pulled noodles and white liquor were, of course, indispensable.

During the dinner, we exchanged toasts and followed Lanzhou's custom of playing drinking games. I don't know how to play finger-guessing games, only the 'stick, stick, tiger, chicken' game. I sat with Teacher Grassland, and we talked a lot about photography. Marathon photographers are actually more hard-working, staying on the course from the start to the finish, constantly pressing the shutter. Teacher Grassland asked me about my feelings as a photography enthusiast. I said that no matter how early I get up or how much I endure the wind and sun, as long as I get a photo I like, I feel satisfied. He lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and slowly exhaled, as if the day's fatigue was drifting away with the light blue smoke. Teacher Grassland said that after taking tens of thousands of photos during an event, the post-processing and sorting of photos make him feel like vomiting. So, I stood up, poured him a full glass, clinked glasses with him, and drank it all in one go.

Photographers and volunteers are the most beautiful scenery on the marathon course.

On June 11th, we took a high-speed train from Lanzhou to Xi'an, flew from Xi'an to Hefei, and then took another high-speed train, safely arriving home around seven in the evening.

A marathon, 42.195 kilometers, is neither long nor short. It always tests the runner's attitude. If you consistently train, avoid excessive drinking before the race, rest well, and maintain your condition, it will give you a satisfactory result. Otherwise, you will crash like I did!

This trip to the Lanzhou Marathon, three nights and four days, although the result was poor and the process was painful, it was still very joyful. I drank a lot of wine along the way, met many people I wanted to see, and revisited the scenery I liked. Isn't life just like this?

As a runner, running happily and living happily is enough! So, see you at the next marathon on August 25th in Ordos!

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The article only represents the author's views and does not represent the views of Codoon.