He took up running aged 70. He’s run a sub-4-hour marathon. What’s this Chinese senior’s secret?
- Liang Huguo never smoked or drank and did a lot of swimming. He took up cycle racing after retirement, and hiked to Everest base camp
- Two years ago, the 72-year-old from Yunnan switched to running, and has since finished 23 marathons. He tells us about his simple diet and training
Liang Huguo, a 72-year-old Chinese runner from Yunnan, only started running at 70. He is following an old-school recipe for improving as a runner and leading a full life – a simple diet, no-frills training, travel, and stimulating company.
He has already run a sub-four-hour marathon, dominates in his age group in China, and is enjoying it all immensely.
But at the moment he has other matters on his mind.
“There are not enough seagulls,” Liang says, with a look of concern. The famous seagull swarms of Dianchi Lake in Kunming in Yunnan have inexplicably vanished.
“We are doing a photo shoot, please give way,” he shouts, shooing a few staring tourists out of the way, and then strikes up his favourite photo pose: a boxer’s guard.
The boxer’s pre-fight stance is just one in the repertoire of Liang’s photo poses. Another, which he often does for race photographers at marathons, is posing arms bent at the elbow, both index fingers pointing skywards – like a soccer striker celebrating a goal. Liang lives for his marathon running.