running buddy shares gold coast marathon tian chenye
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Tian Chenye. Nowadays, if you don't have a few thousand kilometers logged on Codoon, you're too embarrassed to greet people. If your daily WeChat step count isn't in the top three, you're too embarrassed to post on Moments. I often run in Jinshan Park and Zhaomu Mountain. Friends with similar interests, let's meet up! I'm an air marshal, but I've now stepped back from the front line.
Let me talk about my running history. It's not long; I really started running in 2013. To be honest, due to congenital reasons—short legs and a long torso—my sports performance was never good from childhood to adulthood. I was always on the verge of passing. Not dragging down my scores in the high school and college entrance exams because of physical education was already a blessing.
Even after I started working, I needed to undergo physical fitness assessments due to my job. The annual 3,000-meter run was my biggest nightmare. I still remember that during the initial police physical training, I had to support myself against the wall to squat and stand up for the first two days.
With irregular working hours and jet lag, my health deteriorated. In 2009, due to a sudden incident, I spent three days in the ICU at Chongqing Medical University, with tubes all over my body. That feeling is something I'll never forget, and it made me leave the flying job I loved forever. From that moment, I deeply understood Chairman Mao's famous saying, 'The body is the capital of revolution!'
So, I started participating in various sports. I played badminton for a year (didn't lose weight), cycled (in Chongqing, it's often the bike riding you), swam (gained weight evenly). After a few years of trying, my weight shot up from 160 pounds to over 180 pounds. To describe it using last year's globally popular animated character, I was the Asian version of Baymax. Slowly, I began to doubt my life, thinking maybe I was destined to be fat.
In 2013, I started running. I would run 3 kilometers by myself when I had nothing to do, then 5 kilometers. I didn't care about speed, just about sweating. I never thought I would one day run marathons, even abroad. Running is a monotonous and boring sport. After meeting Captain Zhao of the Chongqing LET'S RUN running group, I finally found an organization. We encouraged each other, adjusted running techniques, and gradually increased from 5 kilometers to 10 kilometers, then to half marathons and full marathons. In my view, I'm not a marathon runner; I'm a marathon participant. The results don't matter. What's important is rediscovering myself through marathons, having a healthy body, and surpassing myself.
At the end of 2014, Captain Zhao asked me, 'Xiao Tian, are you interested in running the Gold Coast Marathon?' When I first heard 'Gold Coast,' I thought of the La Liga team 'Real Madrid.' After Googling, I found out there's such a beautiful marathon in the world. I immediately decided to participate. But then came the problem. Nowadays, people like to travel abroad freely, using websites like Qyer, Qunar, Ctrip, and Booking to plan and book their trips. However, those who have actually traveled freely know that going abroad with a group is troublesome, let alone running a marathon. You need to start collecting information from major travel forums at least six months in advance, plan the itinerary, book flights and hotels, prepare materials for visas, book cars and insurance, arrange activities, find local specialty restaurants, and figure out how to complete the entire trip within limited time while meeting everyone's individual needs. What if you don't speak the language? It's a headache just thinking about it. Plus, you have to run a marathon. That's when Wholetour came in. Rick helped us handle everything. We just needed to bring our running shoes and enjoy the marathon and the trip.
Event details sharing
Now, let me talk about the Gold Coast Marathon from my perspective. You could say the entire city revolves around the marathon for those two days. The event is split into two days. The first day features a youth mini-marathon and a family marathon, which serve as a warm-up for the official full and half marathons on the second day.
On the second day, you can leave your hotel early in the morning and take the local tram to the starting point for free with your race bib. Initially, I was worried about finding the starting point, but you just follow the crowd. Since I participated in the half marathon, we started running before dawn. Many people stood at the starting line wearing jackets, which they hung on the course barriers once the race began. Local volunteers collected, washed, and sent these jackets to African refugees—a very meaningful gesture. The race started at 6:30 AM, and many people were still half-asleep. But as the marathon progressed, runners were bathed in the first rays of morning sunlight, running along the coastline with the sun rising from the sea. The beauty was indescribable. I regret not bringing a camera to capture it. Maybe the locals are used to it, but for us, this was the reward of running a marathon.
The course design by the organizers was interesting. It didn't go through the city center with tall buildings. Instead, we passed through local residential areas, mostly small, unpretentious villas, showcasing the most authentic aspects of local life. This also allowed for more interaction with the residents. Many locals stood at their doorsteps or on their balconies, cheering for the runners. Some held signs, some played dynamic music, and there were even elderly people performing live. It felt like a market, experiencing the nuances of this southern hemisphere tourist destination.
Speaking of the locals' enthusiasm for running, during my run, I saw a resident who had just stepped out of his house and joined us. He didn't seem to care that a marathon was happening right outside his door. To him, it was just another day, and he was simply going for his usual morning run.
There were many Koreans and Japanese participating in the Gold Coast Marathon, including men, women, and children. The organizers set up dedicated rest areas for foreign participants based on language. In 2015, for the first time, they established a dedicated rest area for Chinese participants and made announcements in Mandarin, which made us feel incredibly close and proud. The hotel we stayed in was almost entirely booked by them. This might be related to their economic development level and the high importance they place on marathons. A marathon is the city's biggest celebration and an excellent opportunity for global integration and exchange. Another small detail: the organizers provided very Australian-style refreshments at the finish line. The best local fruits were piled up for runners to eat freely. I actually ate so much that I made myself sick.
Post-race tourism
On the day of the race, we started our self-driving trip along the route pre-set by Wholetour. The daily itinerary was well-planned, considering physical recovery and rest. Driving from the Gold Coast to Sydney, the scenery along the way made us forget our fatigue. On some days, we could even go for a slow run in the morning. Thanks to Wholetour for their thoughtful planning.
Participation in various activities was decided based on individual physical conditions, but I noticed that almost every team member participated in all the activities. Maybe it was the beautiful scenery that helped us recover quickly. The activities along the way were ones that general tour groups couldn't participate in, thanks to Wholetour's personalized planning of the Australian itinerary.
Finally, I hope to have more opportunities in the future to participate in more marathons under the leadership of Diecai Xiangling and Wholetour Rick, running all over the world.