65k zhoushan trail race road to championship pain and joy

This was an unforgettable and long day. Just like my life, always progressing through unknowns and explorations, this time was no exception. We ran over one mountain after another on a strange and mysterious island.

Along the way, mountains connected to mountains, islands surrounded by islands, lush trees, chirping birds, blooming flowers... This is what spring looks like, so beautiful that it's indescribable. I couldn't even believe I was really there. Perhaps only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand...

01

I have always had a strong interest in mysterious peaks. I love the smell of plants growing in the mountains, the feeling of mountain winds blowing through my hair, and the various colors in the forests...

So, after reading an article about 'Trail Running in the East China Sea,' I didn't hesitate to give up my direct entry to the Wuxi Marathon and decided to travel far to the islands in the Zhoushan sea area.

This is an ITRA/UTMB certified points race. ITRA, the International Trail Running Association, was founded in 2013 and is currently the standard-setting body for trail running events worldwide.

One of ITRA's important tasks is to rate various events for its member units and ultimately certify points for the events based on its existing points system. To participate in the world's most prestigious trail running event, the UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc), one must first obtain ITRA points to apply for UTMB registration.

This race's 65 km group, certified by ITRA, has a course length of 65.4 km, with a cumulative ascent of 4730 meters and a cumulative descent of 4710 meters. The mountain difficulty level is 8. Participants who finish within the specified time can earn 4 ITRA points.

Before the race, I did my homework. The elevation gain and loss data on the outdoor assistant app looked like an irregular ECG, appearing quite dangerous with steep ascents and descents...

I arrived in Zhoushan two days early, actually using the race as an excuse to explore the surrounding scenery and taste more seaside delicacies. Just thinking about Zhoushan's food made me happy. Before coming, I had already compared Zhoushan's delicacies on various websites, just waiting to eat, eat, and eat.

I arranged to stay at a seaside resort hotel. Going downstairs, I could see the sea. There was a straight walking path along the beach that seemed endless. Next to the parallel grove was a rubber running track, an excellent place for running. With such good conditions, I couldn't miss out. I immediately went back to my room, changed into my running clothes, and went for a jog by the sea.

The seaside at night was incredibly charming. The waves gently lapped, the sea breeze blew softly, and with music playing in my earphones, I started running slowly. I stopped when my body was slightly warm and sweating. The cool sea breeze felt so comfortable on my body. I walked back slowly, enjoying this wonderful moment that belonged to me...

Perhaps I was too enamored with the night view by the sea. The next morning, I woke up with a sore throat. Thinking about running and then eating seafood after being exposed to the sea breeze, I could guess why my throat hurt. I had a runny nose and kept sneezing. Even worse, my period came early...

What on earth is going on?

That day, I felt weak all over, with a sore throat, sneezing, and a runny nose. So I stayed in bed, covered with two blankets, drinking warm water, going to the bathroom, taking medicine, drinking water, sleeping, and sweating. I spent the whole day and night in bed, feeling anxious...

02

The alarm clock rang at 4:30 the next morning. I turned on the bedside lamp and opened the curtains. It was still dark outside. I opened the window and took a deep breath. My throat didn't seem as sore as yesterday, and I wasn't sneezing as much. Although I still had a runny nose, I felt much better overall. OK, I can do this. I quickly washed up and packed my gear, ready to start at 6:00.

After quickly packing my gear, I headed out to the starting point. On the way, I kept telling myself not to push too hard and to drop out if I felt too uncomfortable. I came to Zhoushan to see beautiful scenery and eat delicious seafood...

The starting point of the race was set on the track at Donggang Wetland Park, which extended to the foot of the mountain a few hundred meters away. Because the road was not very wide and the trail up the mountain was narrow, a staggered start was used. The 65 km group started at 6:00, and the 35 km group started at 6:30. This staggered start effectively prevented congestion.

As soon as the starting gun fired, the runners shot forward like arrows. I slowly followed the crowd, running slowly. Soon, we reached the foot of the mountain. This was the only dirt road up the mountain. The other runners were running up with small steps, but I couldn't move my legs and could only walk up step by step. The other runners quickly overtook me, and I watched their backs get farther and farther away, unable to catch up. I had no strength to chase them. I touched my backpack, took out a coffee-flavored energy gel, bit it open, and ate it. It was less than two kilometers into the race, and I was already eating an energy gel. You can imagine how helpless I felt at that time...

After eating the first energy gel, I quickly took three salt tablets and drank some water, continuing to walk slowly. The runners behind me kept overtaking me. Finally, I reached the first peak and took a short break at the top. Once my breathing was steady, I started jogging slowly downhill. I ran slowly like this for a while until I reached CP1 Fengshuiling. The enthusiastic volunteers invited me to eat fruit and drink beverages. At this point, a young man from the 35 km group was already eating at the CP point. Seeing his bib number, I knew that the 35 km group had already reached the first CP point, even though they started half an hour later than us. You can imagine how slow I was...

At this supply point, I filled two water bags, took several small oranges, stuffed them into my bag, and took two bananas. I knew I had to eat. I hadn't had breakfast, and my body was weak from the previous day's exertion. I needed to eat to replenish my energy.

After a short stop at CP1, I continued walking to the next CP point, eating as I walked. I finished the bananas and oranges, ate a second energy gel, and took three more salt tablets. I continued walking and jogging slowly...

After fifteen kilometers, I felt better and could jog slowly. I wasn't as tired as at the beginning. But then another problem arose. My little toes started to hurt from rubbing. I thought, 'My feet can't have problems now. What's going on? Why are there so many issues all at once?'

At the 20 km CP2, before reaching the checkpoint, I asked the volunteer sister if she had any painkillers. 'Please give me two painkillers...'

I needed painkillers because my little toes were in unbearable pain. I could feel that my toenails had separated from the skin. I didn't have the courage to take off my shoes to check, fearing that if I did, I wouldn't be able to put them back on and walk. The volunteers told me they didn't have painkillers at this point and asked me what was wrong and where I felt uncomfortable. I couldn't explain clearly, so I just asked if the next CP point had painkillers...

At CP2, I still took a lot of food with me. I was most afraid of downhill sections at this time. I would rather keep going uphill because when going downhill, my feet would push against my toenails, causing excruciating pain. I cursed myself for not being careful. Why did I wear new shoes for the race? All this suffering was my own fault.

I gritted my teeth and silently cursed myself a thousand times along the way. When I reached CP3, I rushed to the volunteer brother and asked, 'Do you have any painkillers? Please give me two...'

The volunteer brother asked, 'What's wrong with you? We don't have painkillers here. Where do you feel uncomfortable? Can you continue the race?' I was on the verge of tears but still took a piece of bread, filled my water bag, and took some fruit. I asked hopefully if the next CP point would have painkillers. The volunteer brother replied, 'The next point is a big supply point, so it might have painkillers...'

Without painkillers, should I stop and not continue? At this point, my strength had returned, and I could feel the energy in my body. I could run, but my feet were killing me. I was on the verge of tears.

Leaving CP3, I started to adopt a strategy of speeding up on the uphill sections and slowing down on the downhill sections. This way, I began to overtake the male runners ahead of me, one by one. Every time I encountered a runner, I would ask, 'Do you have any painkillers? I need painkillers. Can you give me two?' Unfortunately, none of them had painkillers. I felt helpless and could only continue walking. They told me that there was only one male runner ahead of me, not far away. They also said that it looked like I would catch up with him soon. I could only smile bitterly, thinking that all I wanted now was painkillers.

CP4, CP4 finally arrived.

Me: 'Do you have any painkillers, volunteer sister?'

Volunteer sister: 'Sorry, we don't have painkillers here.'

I finally saw another runner. He was stretching nearby. I quickly went up to him and asked if he had any painkillers. Unfortunately, he didn't either. I gave up hope and stopped fantasizing about painkillers. It was my own fault for not bringing the right shoes. I deserved to have my toenails ruined...

So I settled down to eat a bowl of porridge to replenish my energy, took some fruit to eat on the way, filled my water bag, and decided to endure the pain in my toenails.

03

The next part of the journey was the story of me and the men's champion.

It was obvious that he was weaker on the uphill sections but extremely strong on the downhill sections. I could only overtake him on the uphill sections, but he would easily overtake me on the downhill sections. We went back and forth like this many times. I would overtake him on the uphill, and he would overtake me on the downhill.

We started chatting. I told him I envied his downhill skills, and he said he thought I was good at uphill. On the downhill sections, he taught me how to maintain balance and to be bold but careful when running downhill. On the uphill sections, I told him that we should keep going, even if we took small steps. We were almost at the top, and once we reached the top, it would be his specialty, the downhill. We just needed to hold on a little longer...

On the downhill sections, because my toenails had separated from my toes, I couldn't run freely. I couldn't use the balls of my feet to push off and had to rely on my heels, so I ran very slowly. When he saw that I was running too slowly, he would stop and wait for me. He was a shy young man who didn't talk much, but he took care of me throughout the last dozens of kilometers.

When I ran out of fruit, he would give me his. When I was too slow on the downhill and he disappeared from sight, I would find him waiting for me under a tree when I finally reached the bottom. When I saw that he was struggling on the uphill, I gave him my last energy gel. He asked if I had any more, and I said it was my last one. He took the gel but didn't eat it. After a while, he gave it back to me, saying that we still had two of the biggest climbs left. He said we would need the energy gel for those climbs, so he gave it back to me.

Finally, we climbed the last peak, the last big ascent. The remaining route was all downhill. I told him, 'Downhill is your specialty. If you have enough energy, just go for it and run to the finish line. Don't wait for me. Let's go down the mountain!' We started running downhill together. I slowly followed behind him, watching him fly down the mountain. Soon, I couldn't see him anymore. I could almost see him crossing the finish line. I was genuinely happy for him. After so many difficulties and moments of wanting to give up, he had finally made it. He could now drink water and beverages, sit down, and rest.

I jogged slowly, each step causing excruciating pain, each step a torment. Finally, I finished the uneven brick road and reached a more comfortable gravel path. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and pick up the pace a bit. After all, I was close to the finish line. Suddenly, I saw a white figure in the distance. It was my coach. My coach had come to meet me. I was so happy that I forgot about the pain and picked up the pace by at least 60 seconds. My pace of 7:00 per kilometer improved to 6:00. I smiled and said, 'Coach, what are you doing here?' I grinned foolishly.

'What's going on with you? Run! Why are you so slow?'

'Coach, my feet hurt. My toenails are gone...'

The coach didn't say anything more, just silently led the way in front of me, just like when he used to train me. He always ran ahead, letting me follow him. As we ran, I saw the men's champion standing by the roadside. We were about a kilometer from the finish line.

'What's wrong with you? Why aren't you running? You should have reached the finish line long ago. Why are you standing here? Let's go, run!'

So we started running together. My feet didn't seem to hurt anymore. I could even smile while jogging at a pace of 6:00 per kilometer downhill. The coach and the men's champion ran ahead of me, and I followed behind them.

In the last 200 meters, the coach sped up and said he would take pictures of us at the finish line and told us to run slowly. So, the men's champion and I crossed the finish line together, step by step!

This was the most painful 65 km race I had ever experienced. I had a cold, a sore throat, menstrual pain, and six ruined toenails. Three of them had already been torn off, and the other three were too bruised for me to deal with...

There were so many emotions along the way. I thanked the organizers for finding such a wild course for the runners to experience. Leech Peak was not only scary in name but also terrifying in its steep ascent. There were hardly any paved roads; the entire course was basically in the mountains. It was the first time I encountered a race course with seafood supplies, including prawns, razor clams, squid, and shellfish. I was really impressed. If I participate again, I will bring my friends along and eat seafood all the way to the finish line until the race closes!

As for that last energy gel, neither of us ended up eating it. It stayed quietly in my backpack pocket until the race ended...

The top three men took a group photo at the awards ceremony. Listening to the host announce his name and seeing the award presenter hand him the trophy, I felt genuinely happy for him when he raised the crystal trophy with a confident and bright smile. Congratulations, Mr. Champion! Congratulations on winning the championship!

I took a group photo with the top three men, the race director, the award presenter, and Runner 80! At that moment, all the sweat and effort turned into joy!

My journey across the Zhoushan Archipelago ended here.

The effort never stops. I will continue on my journey.