A lone man ran more than 200 kilometers in 44 hours in early May around Beijing's sixth municipal ring after his breakup with a girl.

The man surnamed Jin, 22, became the first man to run around the sixth municipal ring of the city by foot.

The man surnamed Jin, 22, became the first man to run around the sixth municipal ring of the city by foot. The distance of 205.8 kilometers almost equals the distance that he runs to Tianjin and back.

Jin is a long-distance runner and member of a local marathon club. He has practiced long-distance running since seven and it has become his favorite sport.

With four energy gels, four energy bars, one bag of salt pills, one medicine bag, one long-running water bag, sports shirt, cap, a change of clothes, a selfie stick and the flag of his racing club, he had all his equipment ready. He weighed 58 kilos. His odyssey began at 5:00 a.m. on May 6 in Yongding River Square, Mentougou District, Beijing.

Jin remembered he put all his thoughts aside and had only one word in his mind --"run!"

The journey was very tough as there were many big trucks and very few side roads which can be dangerous. Some areas the road travels through are even located in the woods. It was very inconvenient for rest and replenishment and was very challenging. He almost gave up on the very first day.

Beijing's sixth ring was built in 1998, and is the longest freeway around a city in China at 187.6 kilometers. This distance only counts the path vehicles have to drive. However,according to traffic rules, a person cannot run on the freeway, so Jin had to run the countryside road, side road and mountain road along the sixth ring, which means he had to run a longer distance.

He experienced a shortage of water and food, overheating, and a loss of direction along the way. However,he finally made it at 3 p.m. on May 9. His weight has dropped to 54 kilos.

"A certain group of people run for their health. A lone man's running is a spiritual journey," he later said.

He was a very romantic and sensitive man, but his relationship with a girl in Beijing ended due to longtime separation and distance. After the breakup, he went to Beijing on St. Valentine's Day this year and wanted to feel her in the atmosphere of the city where she lives. As a result,he got to know more runners in the city and started to feel he could pull off a stunning long-distance run to both remember and forget.

"Running the sixth ring was like a long dream," Jin said, "I will move on."

Now his wish has been fulfilled and life goes on.

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