Indefatigable pensioner is happily living life at her own pace

In 2011, Yang signed up for the Shanghai Marathon, but she was not satisfied after finishing in five hours. Since then, she has found professional teaching videos to adjust her running style. During morning exercises, she also asked other runners to help her correct her posture and point out what she did not do well.

In 2012, Yang suffered from varicose veins in her right leg and was forced to suspend her running schedule after the surgery. Many runners thought Yang would stop, but after three months, she appeared on the banks of the Ganjiang River once more.

Yang qualified to run the Hangzhou Marathon in 2016. After five years of professional training, then aged 66, she ran it in four hours and 20 minutes.

"To be able to participate is a victory. After running for many years, I understand that running a marathon is not about competing with others, but about competing with myself," Yang says.

In 2019, Yang signed up for the Helsinki Marathon with her running friends. "When I finished the whole course and saw many foreigners giving me the thumbs-up, it made me feel great. We, Chinese old ladies, are not only good at square dancing," quips Yang.

By the side of the Ganjiang River, they continue to push their limits. In addition to Yang, 67-year-old Xu Zhiyuan, whose monthly mileage is more than 300 km, says he always forgets his age when running. Yu Haohua, 72, has gone running four times a week for nearly 10 years, and his occasionally high blood sugar level has returned to normal.

This summer, driven by Yang, her two sons and two grandsons ran along the river with her every day — three generations running in the crowd.

"Now it takes me nearly an hour and a half to run 10 km. My steps are slower, but I will never stop," Yang says.