dont laugh, i am a serious leading panda

Don't laugh, I am a serious leading panda.

🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼

Yesterday I participated in the Tianma Marathon, and today I boarded a train to Luoyang. Everything feels so wonderful. Running brings a kind of unordered excitement to an orderly life. So, I decided to use this overnight train time and the intermittent railway signal to share my experience as a Codoon leading rabbit at the Tianma Marathon.

Finally achieved success with Tianma.

I remember last year's Tianma. At that time, I impulsively signed up for the Beijing Marathon but got rejected. Considering that I had never run more than 10 kilometers, let alone a half or full marathon, I hesitated about signing up for Tianma. I worried about not finishing, having something come up on race day, going alone, how to get to Wuqing, and whether to go a day early. This indecision made me miss the registration deadline, and when I wanted to sign up again, it was too late. I regretted it deeply and decided to say no to my indecisive self!

This year's Tianma was full of twists and turns.

[First Twist]

Because I ran the Qinma during the May Day holiday, I planned to sign up for the half marathon at Tianma and even gathered a group of classmates to form a team. Unexpectedly, the plan fell through. Despite having many people ready to participate and even arranging for a half-day leave from our internships, the half marathon slots were filled by noon on the registration day. By the afternoon, I was devastated. I called the Tianma organizing committee to ask if they would add more slots, but the answer was no.

[Second Twist]

After some time, I remembered my first running friend, Brother Ce, who also signed up for Tianma, and it was his first full marathon. Thinking I could recover in two weeks after Qinma, I decided to sign up for the full marathon to run with him. But again, bad news struck: the 4,000 full marathon slots were gone. I was heartbroken and frustrated at always being a step behind.

[Third Twist]

A few days later, I saw a recruitment notice for Codoon leading rabbits for Tianma in the Codoon Tianjin running group. This reignited my desire for Tianma. Without hesitation, I contacted the group leader and the running group organizer, Li Shuai. He arranged for me to be a 2:00 leading rabbit. To participate, I needed a race slot, so Li Shuai found a female half marathon slot for me. Although it was against marathon rules, I had no choice and hoped for understanding. Thus, my Tianma journey began, and I was thrilled to run a marathon in the city where I studied.

2016.5.15

At 5:30 AM, the sky was getting light, and fog enveloped the city. A group of Codoon runners had already gathered on Nanjing Road, bringing the first wave of energy to the still-sleeping city. We then took the special Codoon bus to the Wuqing Marathon venue.

During the live TV broadcast, I thought I saw myself. Although the image was blurry, I felt it was me 😄 (Yes, the one with the green balloon on the head, raising a hand high, the 'panda').

The Chinese runner came in third, and the foreign runner next to him was fourth. On the way back to the rest area, the black runner happily congratulated the Chinese runner on his third-place finish. It's a pity I didn't capture that touching moment.

In the second half, I overtook an older man who decided to follow me when he saw I was a 2:00 rabbit. I encouraged the runners around us, and we overtook many ahead. In the last kilometer, we sped up and energetically sprinted to the finish line.

Quoting Li Shuai:
'A group of people, one heart, one thing, a lifetime. Thank you Codoon for letting me meet you all. Thank you Codoon Tianjin running group. May we never part on the road of running!'



This was my first time participating in a running group event. I didn't expect to honorably complete the panda leading task on my first try and meet such a lovely group of Codoon runners. In the running group, people bond over running and call each other by their Codoon nicknames, forming an interesting big family. Thank you Codoon for letting me find such a loving organization.

I will graduate from university next year. I hope to use Tianma as a graduation run and participate with many partners, wearing academic gowns and running on the marathon track (imagine the scene!). It will be a memorable way to bid farewell to university life and bravely head towards a bright future.