Feng Peiyou moves to Weining for Asian Games altitude training, hopes…

On June 30, after finishing the Huangguoshu half marathon in Zhenning, Guizhou, Feng Peiyou and coach Zou Leilei moved from Qingzhen to the Weining training base to begin systematic preparations for the Nagoya Asian Games.

In March in Tokyo this year the coach-and-protégé pulled off a fine comeback, bringing Chinese marathon into the 2:05 era. Now, with fewer than 100 days until the Asian Games, Zou Leilei has led his athletes to Weining to start high-altitude summer training. According to him, the camp will run until mid-August.

The marathon at the Nagoya Asian Games will be held on September 26 — the same day the Berlin Marathon, a World Marathon Major, will start.

Zou Leilei said the team's next task is very clear — do everything possible to ensure Feng Peiyou's Asian Games preparations. The two Guizhou natives will continue to contribute to Guizhou athletics and Chinese athletics with concrete action.

Marathon Academy

Hoping more young people will apply

Before leaving for Weining, Feng Peiyou, Zou Leilei, Hong Yue, Pan Sufang and other Guizhou stars gathered at the Guizhou University Marathon Academy to take part in the academy's first training session and graduated successfully.

Since the Guizhou University Marathon Academy was unveiled on March 19 this year, there has been a new move — "this September we will open our doors to outstanding athletes nationwide — students who meet the national Elite Athlete standard can enter without exams, and athletes at the Level 2 standard will also have the opportunity to join our academy." Secretary Li of the Marathon Academy said.

Secretary Li said the academy has appointed Zhao Xiaoli as chief consultant. As Feng Peiyou's coach, Zou Leilei also has a new role — he will serve as the executing coach for the academy's high-level athletes. After admissions in September, they will provide applicants with more professional, systematic training guidance.

In Secretary Li's words, "The goal of the Marathon Academy's first training is to let more athletes put aside mental burdens and worries. Come here and focus on training with the aim of achieving good results — we'll do our best to help resolve other issues like academic qualifications."

As a milestone in Guizhou marathon development — the Marathon Academy has now completed its first training session, taking the first step. Secretary Li welcomes outstanding physical exam students nationwide to apply to the academy; here there's not only a suitable environment and climate for training, but also superior training facilities and an unrivaled training atmosphere.

Secretary Li said the first session is just the beginning; in the future more outstanding students will come here and have the chance to train and learn alongside Feng Peiyou, Mao Jinhu, Hong Yue and other high-level athletes.

Preparing for Nagoya

Feng Peiyou begins Weining training camp

After completing the first training course at the Marathon Academy, young head coach Zou Leilei hurried back to their training base — the Qingzhen training base — with his athletes.

The Huangguoshu half marathon was Zou Leilei's return to the race course after nine years — he finished in 2:01. After retiring from the Guizhou team in 2019, Zou gradually transitioned to coaching behind the scenes. Without the high-intensity training routine, he inevitably gained weight and experienced some anxiety about his weight. Over the past six months in Qingzhen, in addition to his daily coaching duties, Zou has begun to run again — 5 km, 10 km.

About running the Huangguoshu half marathon, Coach Zou said it was an experience: "First, I wanted to lose weight; second, the team has younger members who often compete in various races in Guizhou. The juniors said that the Huangguoshu half marathon route has changed and become harder. I actually raced in these events more than a decade ago when I was an athlete, so I wanted to feel the current course; if I race it again next year, I can prepare and train specifically for it."

However, once on the course, Coach Zou spent the first half running while keeping an eye on Feng Peiyou's race updates: "In the first half I was running while watching the live broadcast. After he finished, I ran another 11 km. But afterwards my whole body was really sore."

Regarding Feng Peiyou's 1:04 performance, Coach Zou wasn't surprised: "After Lanzhou he has been adjusting his body and hasn't done specific high-intensity sessions. Deciding to enter this race was like taking a training session; this result reflects his normal level and was within our expectations."

Feng Peiyou, who ran the half marathon at Huangguoshu, also said he's more interested in Wang Wenjie's half-marathon record and hopes to challenge it in the future. But before chasing that record, he must complete another major task this year — preparations for the Asian Games.

On June 30, Zou Leilei led the team up from Qingzhen to the plateau — the Weining training camp — which includes Feng Peiyou, Mao Jinhu, Huang Yongzheng, Li Xinyu, and newcomer Zheng Hong, who recently won the half marathon at the Guiyang Marathon. The entire camp is expected to end in mid-August.

Weining lies in the heart of the Wumeng Mountains in northwest Guizhou, with an average altitude of 2,200 meters — the internationally recognized middle range for high-altitude training of athletes (1,800–2,500 m). Many provincial and municipal teams have trained in Weining. This also means that it's likely this year's Asian Games marathon training base will be in Weining.

Coach Zou said that the focus of the camp is very clear — to make the maximum effort and the most meticulous, comprehensive preparations for Feng Peiyou's Nagoya Asian Games. Having competed together in the Tokyo Marathon, the coach and athlete have no fear of Japanese runners; instead they're full of fighting spirit, ready to go into the opponent's backyard and fight for victory, aiming to replicate He Jie's gold-medal glory at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

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Text：Momo

Editor: HP

Photo source: Paoye Big Bang

Visuals: MAX

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Feng Peiyou moves to Weining for Asian Games altitude training, hopes more young athletes will join