Chinese "Forrest Gump" to run from Hohhot to Lhasa

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-20 17:33

HOHHOT, North China - A Chinese marathon lover decided to run from north China's Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, all the way to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region this summer.

Ren Weidong, nicknamed Chinese Forrest Gump, who participated in all the 12 international marathons held in China last year, said he will spend two months to run from his hometown Hohhot to Lhasa, where he will cap his bold plan with a following plateau marathon.

The 50-year-old has made his name early this year by running from Hohhot to Chinese capital Beijing within six days.

Ren said he is about to leave Hohhot on June 6 and finish the run on August 15 before taking part in the Lhasa international marathon on August 22.

The awe-inspiring run, covering 3,974 km, starts from Inner Mongolia and go through northwest China's Shannxi, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu and Qinghai, and ends in Tibet.

The marathon will definitely become a hard test while Ren is entering Qinghai and Tibet, which form the main body of the lofty Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Ren said he has to make much prep work for this stage where the oxygen level is only half of that on plain and the altitude is at least 4,000 meters above sea level, some part even above 6,000 meters.