the old boy who sells energy gel

The fervor for marathons in China has not only given rise to a large number of 'marathon operation companies' and cultivated a group of excellent 'marathon operators,' but also led to the emergence of 'marathon suppliers' enterprises that revolve around marathon entrepreneurship. These include timing companies, sports nutrition food companies, sports eyewear companies, training companies, and sports rehabilitation companies. While seeking their own development, they are also contributing to the growth of marathons in China.

Among the 'marathon suppliers' enterprises, there is a large group of staff serving marathon races and runners, whom we can temporarily call 'marathon service staff.' I am one of them. I work at Codoon, providing energy supply services for marathon races. Many runners consume Codoon energy bars, energy gels, and salt tablets that I distribute. 'The old boy selling energy gels' has become one of my nicknames.

My yearly life rhythm sways with the rhythm of marathons in China.

Counting on my fingers, it has been five years since I started selling energy gels in 2015, and four years since I began selling Codoon energy gels. Over these five years, my life trajectory has closely aligned with the distribution of marathon races throughout the year in China. The more marathon races there are, the more I travel; when there are no marathon races, I stay in Zhengjia Village.

From mid-January to February, the atmosphere is filled with the New Year celebrations, and there are very few marathon races. I take my annual leave early and wait for the New Year in Zhengjia Village, usually starting to travel again after the Lantern Festival. From March to May, the number of marathon races increases but is not too dense, so I spend about half the time flying around and the other half staying in Zhengjia Village. From June to August, it is too hot, and marathons across the country enter a 'frozen period.' Occasionally, there are a few races, but I don't need to attend every one. I mostly stay in Zhengjia Village during these three months. Starting from the end of August until early January of the following year, marathon races are held intensively. During these four months, I am mostly on business trips, selling energy gels.

After selling energy gels, I also participate in a marathon or a half-marathon. In 2015, I earned 14 medals, 16 in 2016, 27 in 2017, 19 in 2018, and 5 this year, totaling 81 medals. It feels like I have gone through 81 hardships over these five years, earning a medal for each one. These 81 medals represent 81 memories, encapsulating the wonderful people, events, scenery, and food I encountered.

The rhythm of a race, repeated over and over.

After talking about how I spend a year, let's discuss how 'the old boy selling energy gels' spends each marathon race.

For each race, I usually contact the organizing committee 1-2 months in advance to discuss the specifics of our cooperation, mainly regarding what Codoon will provide for the event and what the organizing committee will provide for Codoon. The committee members I interact with are generally very nice and usually respond quickly to confirm the cooperation.

Two or three days before the race is the marathon expo. I usually arrive the day before the expo starts to receive the materials and products sent by the company and set up the booth. During the two or three days of the expo, runners collect their race materials, and I sell energy gels at the booth. Of course, Thursday and Friday are workdays, so I still have to handle my regular work, such as contacting event partners, arranging shipments with distributors, developing new customers, and leaving the energy gel sales mainly to the local staff I hire. On Saturday, I fully immerse myself in selling energy gels, continuously shouting, 'Codoon energy bars, energy gels, salt tablets, quickly and effectively replenish energy, run X marathon easily.' Many runners have probably heard my deep and magnetic baritone voice at the expo.

On race day, I stand at the starting line and enjoy the marathon journey. I run slowly, whether it's a full marathon or a half-marathon, and usually finish just before the cutoff time. During the race, I observe the well-executed aspects and note areas that need improvement, then write an article after finishing the race.

For me, a race is only complete when I finish writing and publishing an article about it. Otherwise, it feels like an unfinished task weighing on my mind. This habit started with the 2017 Jiangyue Trail Race and has continued ever since. Although the structure, style, and main content of my articles have changed significantly over time, each one is thoughtfully conceived and written.

After a race, if there is no race the following week, I return to Zhengjia Village. If there is another race, I stay in the area for a couple more days and then head directly to the next race on Tuesday, selling energy gels and running marathons. The longest period I have been on the road continuously was 12 weeks, during which I ran 13 races.

Like me, there are many 'marathon service staff' traveling across the country.

Over the past five years, I have spent a long time each year traveling across the country. During these travels, I have met many 'marathon service staff' who, like me, serve marathons and runners nationwide.

The first 'marathon service staff' I met was Mr. Qi from 'Easy Hero' during the 2015 Taishan Marathon. 'Easy Hero' mainly provides sports rehabilitation services, offering stretching services to runners after the race. Mr. Qi has been doing this for many years and has started many companies in the meantime. He is an excellent young entrepreneur and my role model. Later, I met Guilin, who was a young man following Mr. Qi at the time. Now, Guilin can handle the stretching services for a marathon race on his own.

The 'marathon supplier' brand I have seen the most in a year is 'First Protection.' If they claim to be second, no one dares to claim to be first. I first met Feiyu and Weijie at the 2016 Xianning Marathon. Unexpectedly, they became a constant presence in subsequent marathons, selling running gear at every expo and providing stretching services to runners after the race. Later, I met Meizi and Weijie's wife. Thanks to the 'First Protection' team, I never have to bring my own scissors and tape.

Guoguo from 'Bons Sports Eyewear' and I have been old friends since we met while serving a race together in 2015. Over the past five years, the brand we have worked hard for has become well-known in the marathon community and a choice for many runners. Our friendship has also deepened. Every time we meet at a race, we sit down, have a meal, chat about recent events, see what resources we can offer each other, and share some of our struggles.

At first, when you hear 'Auto,' you might think it's a car brand, but it's actually a clothing brand founded by our Jiangxi girl, Fu Yuan, specializing in marathon race apparel. Some marathon races have clothing brand sponsors for race apparel, but many need to procure their own. More than half of the marathons that need to procure their own race apparel are Yuan Yuan's clients. Her business skills are impressive, and she is stunningly beautiful. Initially, Yuan Yuan rarely attended marathon expos, but now, to expand 'Auto's' industry influence, she participates in expos everywhere, taking on custom orders for running club uniforms.

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Traveling across the country is honestly quite exhausting, with all the traveling and effort involved, and I never stop talking. Fortunately, I have met many 'marathon service staff' friends over the years. We look out for each other when we're away from home, have someone to talk to and eat with, so it doesn't feel too lonely. Without these friends, I don't think I could have persisted for so long. Thank you to every friend I've met on the road.

The gains from traveling across the country selling energy gels.

While traveling across the country selling energy gels, I have made many friends, tasted local delicacies, seen various landscapes, and experienced significant personal growth.

For more about this growth, you can read an article I wrote titled 'What Have I Gained from Traveling Across the Country Selling Energy Gels and Running Marathons?'. I won't elaborate here. If I have new insights, I will write another article to share with everyone.

The journey is tough but filled with songs. I look forward to meeting you on the road selling energy gels. Let's have a drink, share our stories, and become a beautiful note in each other's songs.