Chinese street cleaner, 47, ran 225km in just over a day … and then rode his bike home

A 47-year-old street cleaner from southwest China ran 225 km in just over 24 hours – and then rode his bike home, according to a newspaper report.

Chen Xuejun is a keen amateur runner and completed a course around Chengdu’s outer ring road in Sichuan province, the Tianfu Morning Post said.

It took Chen 25½ hours to complete the run, starting at 10.13am on Friday and finishing at 11.43am the next day, the newspaper reported.

He decided to take on the challenge after seeing news reports about a man who ran 122km around a Beijing highway in 14 hours.

“If he can do it in one breath, so can I. I’m prepared to break through 200 km,” Chen was quoted as saying before his run.

Chen had a team of cardiologists and doctors to give him a check-up every 60 km while he ran round the course.