SANTIAGO, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese long-distance runner Bai Bin is in Chile to tackle his toughest challenge yet: linking the south and north poles by running from Antarctica to the Arctic.
Bai, now 48, has been running ever since he can remember.
"I was born to run. I don't stop for even a day," said Bai, who runs anywhere from six to 10 hours a day, or the equivalent of 60 to 90 kilometers.
His latest undertaking will take him from one end of the Americas to the other, over the varied landscapes of South America, through the tropical climates of Central America and past the bustling cities of North America.
But his journey actually began at the Great Wall Station of China in Antarctica, where he started his pole-to-pole run on March 1. From there, he ran across Ushuaia, a remote outpost in Argentina's Patagonian region that is considered the world's southernmost city.
"People are very kind in the south, they helped us without expecting anything in return," said Bai, who arrived in Chile's capital Santiago on Thursday, after 57 days of running 3,326 kilometers.
In total, his run is expected to take him to more than 60 cities in 13 countries and regions, and to cover from 22,000 to 24,000 kilometers over a period of 300 to 360 days.
Except for the short time he takes out to eat and sleep, Bai has not stopped running and always picks up exactly where he left off the day before.
His 1.6-meter frame and muscular legs reflect his singular lifestyle. Despite the enormous effort required to take on a challenge like this, he says he enjoys every step.
For Bai, there are only two states: running and being at rest.
While the press considers him to be an athlete, he says he just runs for the joy of it.
In 2011, Bai covered more than 10,000 kilometers of the ancient Silk Road in just 150 days. Five years later, in 2016, he won the Ultra Gobi, an exclusive 400-kilometer race limited to just 50 people, held in western China's Gobi Desert.
Now he's in Chile, which marks the farthest point from China, geographically speaking, for his latest challenge.
Li Zhenyu, the organizer of the route, said two teams traveling by car work to make sure all goes smoothly, including an advance team that stays ahead of the run by a few kilometers, arriving first to book lodgings and prepare or schedule meals.
Despite the pre-planning, things happen. Bai sustained a leg injury that hampered his gait for 10 days, and everyone had to deal with the fast-changing weather patterns typical of the southern tip of the world, including gale-force winds, torrential downpours and freezing temperatures.
But what Bai recalls most are the breathtaking South American landscapes of thick forests laced by rivers and lakes.
Everyone is as committed to the challenge as Bai. Li Zhenyu said if money runs short, he is willing to sell his house in Beijing. He already gave up his job in China to accompany Bai on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
The team is in talks with representatives of the Guinness Book of World Records.
"I want to be the person with the biggest capacity to run in the world," says Bai, who is looking forward to rejoining his pregnant wife after he completes the run.
By then, his first child will be born, presenting him with a whole new challenge.
