creative talent paints with medals collects medals while running

I come from a small city in Nantong, Jiangsu. Although the city is small, it is known as the first modern city and is also called the hometown of sports because many Olympic champions have been born here.

In this small city, there is a group of people who love running. We encourage each other, cheer each other on, and help each other. Our team has a resounding name called 'Love Running Tribe.' We come from all walks of life, including civil servants, teachers, workers, students, etc. Everyone has a common goal: participation is victory, and being able to run is happiness!

In 2015, I was still a novice runner, just like the newcomers who have just entered the running circle now, with no strength, running silently alone, let alone participating in any marathon races. I purely relied on collecting Codoon online medals to give myself the motivation to persist.

At the beginning, I mostly participated in Codoon online marathons and had no idea what it felt like to be on-site. The fun of running Codoon online marathons lies in getting the exquisite medals you want, but as I collected more, my curiosity gradually faded. So, I started to ponder over the medals, and later, through my creativity, I gave these medals new souls.

Some people treat marathon medals as scrap metal, while others see them as rare treasures. I use creativity to turn them into paintings, presenting a unique effect that makes the medals more vivid, more imaginative, and more story-like.

Whenever I paint, I always think of the scene of thousands of people running in a marathon. I feel more envy and admiration, thinking about how great it would be if I could also appear at various marathon venues in the future.

On October 16, 2016, that was when my dream began. At that time, due to a friend's recommendation, I got on the marathon train, and it was also my first half-marathon race in my life. I didn't know anything about gold label events or Chinese Athletic Association certifications; I was just curious about everything. The excitement of being at the marathon site can be described as electrifying.

Through this debut, I quickly joined the 'Love Running Tribe,' the team mentioned earlier in the article. After joining the team, I learned a lot and understood a lot, met many like-minded friends, and met my mentor. Gradually, we who had the ability to participate in marathon races began to focus on high-level marathon events in other places. 

On March 19, 2017, I completed my first full marathon. I felt proud of myself; something I never dared to imagine before had become a reality. But with gains come losses. The injuries left by the full marathon presented me with new challenges. Perhaps due to the large amount of exercise for the first time, I was troubled by the so-called 'iliotibial band syndrome' for nearly two months.

The mentor I mentioned earlier is not someone who helps me improve my running skills or sets up running training plans for me. Instead, he is the person who gives me the greatest comfort and encouragement whenever I get injured, feel tired of running, or face setbacks.

I remember completing my first full marathon in excitement, the second in breakthrough, the third in regret, and the fourth in contemplation of life. Each time was a different experience, each time had intriguing stories, with successes, failures, tears, and laughter. Sometimes I laughed to the finish line, and sometimes I endured pain to the finish line.

My mentor's comfort and encouragement each time prevented me from being overwhelmed by unexpected situations. In the process of running (marathons), it is inevitable to encounter injuries, fatigue, and setbacks, but these are not reasons for us to give up. A true runner will always keep moving forward on this path. Running may seem simple, but as we persist over time, we can slowly understand its depth.

From a novice runner to a medal collector, then to creating art with medals, and finally becoming a true runner, I have now run four full marathons and am on the verge of becoming a 'quasi-master.' This journey feels like a movie, just like the world's most popular movie 'Avengers: Endgame.' Marvel created 22 movies over 11 years to achieve the global sensation of 'Avengers: Endgame.' My running story is similar to this arduous process. Although I didn't spend eleven years or cause a global sensation, I have transformed into a new self through 15 marathon experiences.

Beijing Marathon, Shanghai Marathon, Wuxi Marathon, Nanjing Marathon, and other famous events have now left my footprints. Just like the movie series that accompanied us for eleven years, everything has settled, but it can also be a brand new beginning. The flowers wither and fall into the soil, nourishing the roots for the next splendid bloom. The heroes in the movies are like this, and so are we outside the movies!

Nowadays, marathon events have become the calling cards of many cities. If Nantong could also host such an event, it would surely let the world know more about us.

Finally, I want to thank Yibao and Codoon for providing this opportunity to share my running growth story, which gave me the chance to win a spot in a domestic marathon. Although the luck belongs to me, I want to give this luck to my mentor. He is also a passionate runner, and his passion is like the slogan, 'Love running, love what I choose to love.'

He is turning fifty this year and has always had a wish to run the Beijing Marathon. He has applied many times but never got the chance. So this is the best opportunity. I hope Yibao can help me fulfill this wish and give this surprise as the best birthday gift to my mentor, making his fiftieth birthday the most unforgettable and special one. Since there is only one spot, I can't accompany him to run the Beijing Marathon, but I believe he will be very happy to achieve it alone.

I am 685_Wind Lives on the Street, and this is my running growth story. I hope to help my mentor fulfill his dream of running the Beijing Marathon. These stories are just the first stage of my running journey. In the future, I hope to participate in more major events, such as the Chengdu Marathon, a candidate event for the World Marathon Majors. I also want to walk the streets of Chengdu.