XI'AN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- How committed can a soccer fan be? A Chinese young man ran 65 km in nine hours in order to get to the stadium and watch his team's game.
Sun Hongkang, a football and marathon fan, finished the super marathon during his trip from his home in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to the stadium of the Chang'an Athletic on June 1, according to a post by Shaanxi sports bureau on Chinese social networking Sina Weibo.
Sun, an employee at a local electrics company, started his trip at 5:31 am in Xi'an and arrived at the stadium in the neighboring city of Weinan at 2:15 pm. After a proper rest, he joined the 23,188 spectators in the stadium at 7:00 pm to support Chang'an Athletic, a China's second division side.
The team, based in Xi'an, plays its home games in Weinan in the 2019 season as its old stadium in Xi'an undergoes renovation. Since the temporary move to Weinan, the distance between the two cities has become a headache for fans in Xi'an.
To help the fans out, railway bureaus from both cities have arranged "fans trains" for each home match of Chang'an Athletic till the end of the season.
Sun likes running and is active in many marathon races. He was called "the most amazing soccer fan" by many Sina Weibo users.
The home team edged Nantong Zhiyun 3-2 on June 1, winning its first game in the latest six matches.
