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E-mail China Daily, June 24, 2024
A Chinese delivery man will race on the route of his dreams, but not on a mission of sending packages.
Luan Yushuai, known virtually as China's fastest delivery man working for JD Delivery, was picked as one of the amateur runners to race at Paris Olympics' marathon event in August, when amateur competitors will be for the first time invited to run with processional runners on the Olympic stage.
Torch bearer Luan Yushuai runs with the torch during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Torch Relay at the Winter Olympic Park in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
The chance was not won only by luck. Luan, 39 and a nine-year delivery employee, is an old hand runner who managed to collect the requited points by the organizers from his daily exercises before the Paris marathon lottery.
He finished his debut 42.195 kilometers at the 2017 Beijing Marathon and won the amateur group at the 2021 Beijing Half Marathon race. His personal full marathon best is 2 hours, 25 minutes and 55 seconds.
Luan practices his running skills through his daily routines - skipping elevators and using stairs with weight bags on his legs when delivering even heavy packages. In the preparation for the Olympics, he is keeping a distance of 300-400 kilometers worth of exercise monthly.
National May 1st Labor Medal winner of 2023 and torch bearer of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Luan believes that one may distinguish himself in any trade. He tops in delivery outputs among his near counterparts, managing to deliver as many as 600 packages daily during a "double eleven" online shopping peak. One of his frequent customers was amazed by Luan's speed: He could manage to finish the delivery between ringing at the ground entrance guard to the receiver's appearance at the door on the third level.
A total of 40,048 lucky amateur runners out of 800,000 global applicants will race on the Paris Olympics route on August 10.
