‘See the wonderful world outside’: dad in China runs 53 marathons with disabled son in special stroller – next stop Boston Marathon

A loving Chinese father takes his brain-damaged 12-year-old son with him on multiple marathons across China and plans to run the Boston Marathon with him one day

The boy’s brain defect was caused by a 15-minute-long oxygen deprivation he experienced when he was born

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A devoted Chinese father whose son has brain damage has entered more than 50 marathons with the 12-year-old whom he pushes in a special stroller. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 2 Nov 2022Updated: 9:23am, 2 Nov 2022

A Chinese father has taken his brain-damaged son with him in a specially-designed stroller on 53 marathons across China over the past seven years.

Luo Shujian and his 12-year-old son attended their latest marathon in Zhejiang province in eastern China on Sunday, the Zhejiang Daily reported.

Luo, a courier worker from Jinhua in Zhejiang, said his son’s brain damage was caused by a 15-minute-long oxygen deprivation he experienced when he was born.

He has received rehabilitation training for many years and cannot speak or walk unaided. Photo: Weibo

The boy, nicknamed Xiaobai, was then diagnosed with serious cerebral palsy six months after his birth. Although he has received rehabilitation training for many years, he is still not able to speak and cannot walk unaided.

Luo said he started taking Xiaobai with him to marathon and triathlon events in 2015 after reading the story of the iconic marathoner Dick Hoyt, an American father who competed in more than 1,000 long-distance running activities over four decades with his son who also had cerebral palsy.

In his spare time, Luo undergoes extensive physical training to prepare for marathons. Photo: Weibo

“I was shocked and touched by what Dick and his son did. Then I decided to follow in their footsteps,” Luo said.