West of Yellow Crane Tower, to an old friend I bid farewell,
He leaves for Yangzhou in March when willow catkins flutter in the air. 
The shadow of his lonely sail gradually disappears into the blue sky,
I see only the vigorous Yangtze River flowing to the horizon.
 
This farewell poem of Li Bai expressed the poet’s profound feeling of reluctance to see his friend off.  It also depicted the beautiful scenery of China’s landmarks!  The description for Yangzhou of “March” vividly imprinted in people’s minds.  “Yangzhou in March when willow catkins flutter in the air” here refers to April on the western calendar, and around this time in Yangzhou, peach trees were in bloom, and willows were turning green, truly beautiful. 
 
Second Time to Assist with the Marathon
 
Dr. Chen’s STaR Studio, sponsored by Li Ning, took this opportunity to assist the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon for the second time, working with CCTV5’s program “Run Together with 5,” with the support of the Yangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau, and providing healthy running protective healthcare services for many enthusiastic runners.

Dr. Bob Chen arrived in Yangzhou on April 18, and participated in an activity called “Run together with Channel 5, build our Chinese dream.”  A conference organized by CCTV Sports Channel for the Yangzhou Marathon was held on the Yang Zi Jin campus of Yangzhou University.  The CCTV hosts, Lu Yiming, Huo Xiaolei (nicknamed “the Caterpillar,”) Wei Xiaonan, Olympic champions Li Na, Xing Aowei, and physical rehabilitation specialist Dr. Bob Chen all went on the stage, talking and sharing their own experiences with running exercises, sports life, sentiments on the Chinese dream, and other matters.  Various questions and the humorous speeches of guests triggered a lot of laughter among the audience.
 
Dr. Bob Chen said, “Life lies in movement, while movement lies in science, and the key for how to run scientifically lies in knowing how to recover.  Everyone knows that sudden death could occur during marathons, and this is caused by unscientific exercise.  As for the standard for health, there is a ratio between height and weight, but I think we should not worry too much about that.  It is important to gain happiness and a healthy mental state from exercises.  In short, scientific exercise is the security for health.”

Due to a light rain these two days, the weather for the April 20 Yangzhou Marathon seemed extraordinarily cool, plus the air was very fresh, and so the marathon running environment was extremely comfortable!  Dr. Chen’s studio was located in the indoor track and field stadium of the Yangzhou City Sports School near the end of the half marathon terminal. 
 
At 9:08, when the first runner dashed to the finish line, our team began to do relaxation and stretching for each athlete who had finished the marathon.  After nearly three hours of stretching, we discovered that, compared with the 2013 Beijing Marathon and the 2014 Xiamen Marathon, the awareness for initiative stretching of Yangzhou Marathon participants was more obvious.  Many runners were attracted by reputation to our “Healthy Running Counseling Service Station,” and they came for stretching and for more detailed consultation services. 
 
Li Ning Sports Equipment was Gone in Minutes!
 
We gathered detailed information by conducting a survey with marathon runners. We asked them about their preparation before and after the match, whether they had had injuries, comparisons before and after stretching, how they chose their running shoes, their running motivation, what are the benefits from running, and so on.  We also passed out Li Ning Sports Equipment to runners, and they were all gone in a matter of minutes.  It looks like we definitely need to bring more next time!

CCTV Team Battled Marathon Again!
 
As in previous marathons, as the protective service team for CCTV5’s “Run Together with 5,” we not only provide stretching and relaxation services for the CCTV hosts, such as Lu Yiming and “the Caterpillar” after the race, but we also treated them for their injuries the night before, which ensured that after the race they could continue their work healthily the next day.  However, the “lazy” Caterpillar did not come to the Station for post-race stretching and adjustment activities, and got caught crying “My legs are killing me now!” on Weibo.  So, next time, don’t forget the steps for healthy running!
 
 

We also thank Wangyi (www.163.com) for the exclusive report.  

Black Friends Came to Stretch
 
Three thin Africans arrived, attracting little attention, and through a brief conversation, Mr. Mo learned that two of them were the Wuxi Half Marathon runner-up and second runner-up, and that one of them had won first place at the Bangkok Marathon Championship.  Seeing such prominent runners turn up, our spirits rose again, and after a whole hour of exhausted work we continued to work on people.  

The eight-person team of Dr. Chen’s STaR Studio provided services for more than 200 athletes, and collected 197 valid questionnaires, which will provide full preparation for future studies. 
 
We know that the marathon, the entire distance of which is 42.195 km, is a sport that places high demands upon athletes’ physical endurance and will power.  Even though the Yangzhou Marathon is half of that distance, to most runners it is still a tough challenge to their physical strength and will.  For amateur marathon enthusiasts, successfully and safely finishing the race is considered the greatest victory.  In order to finish the race smoothly, one has to do various works.  Dr. Chen’s STaR Studio will provide information for the general running athletes with 4 topics, which are nutrition, preparation activities, adjustment activities, and common acute injuries in marathons.  We look forward to working with you!
 
To watch videos, please click on the pictures below.

Written by Wang Di