AT the altitude training camp at Chengong, on the outskirts of Kunming, the blood from the turtle was poured into a cup and immediately drunk by the leading members of Ma's squad, including world-record holders Wang Junxia (3,000m and 10,000m) and Qu Yunxia (1,500m). They have turtle soup for lunch.
Ma's athletes drink 30ml a day of turtle blood and the only problem the coach has is with supply and cost. At 500 yuan (HK$750) apiece, Ma's apparently impoverished group - money and equipment is, he says, in short supply - are concerned at the escalating cost. ''The turtles are now more expensive than ever,'' he said. Turtle soup is apparently used to treat cancer patients in China, hence the increase in demand in recent years.
On his salary, he can only afford to pay for a quarter of the group's requirements; he has 18 athletes. ''The turtles are very nutritious,'' Ma explained. ''The blood and oil are good.'' Incredible mileage, innovative nutrition and recovery techniques are the three central themes of his coaching success.
Money, or the lack of it, is a huge problem, Ma claimed. A lot of the time the athletes cannot afford to fly from Liaoning and instead have to travel by train, usually for three days. ''No money to take an airplane, no money for turtles,'' is the plea. It is difficult to gauge the sincerity.
Unusual is one way to describe the former Red Army guard, flowergrower and livestock farmer, whose coaching methods have become the most sought-after blueprint in athletics since the one which was responsible for the legendary, but now discredited, former East German system. Even the colour of the eggs fed to the athletes is restricted - no white eggs, only reddish brown.
Ma is a mixture of what the ancient Chinese called a scha ma na : part actor, part doctor, part high priest. He is a Svengali of his time and his insistence that all the old theories are out of step with time is matched by a belief that ''you should runlong distances and have a quick speed''.
He has considered all theories scientifically and says that after competition it is not good for the athletes to have a rest. ''You need an active rest,'' he stressed.