Zhang Shuihua: February Rest, Winter Training, Family Life, $3,000 at Chongqing Marathon

On January 20, Women’s Running featured Zhang Shuihua’s latest interview after the Chongqing Marathon. She plans to focus on winter training in Fuzhou and will return to open competitions in March. Stepping away from her nurse role, Zhang will balance life as a runner, store owner, mother, and wife. Regarding the elusive 2:30 marathon target, she emphasizes the need to improve mileage and speed during winter training.

Last week, Zhang and her husband Wang Ke traveled from Fuzhou to Chongqing on Friday, competed Sunday morning, and returned the same day. Pre-race jogging revealed some knee discomfort: “A tendon felt off, legs weren’t moving smoothly.” During the race, she spent most of the time off the leading pack but increased her pace to 300 in the final stage, finishing in 2:30:54—6th in the international category, 4th among Chinese women—and earned $3,000.

After 20% tax, she received about 17,500 RMB. Subtracting travel expenses (6,000–7,000 RMB), her net gain exceeded 10,000 RMB—a “fat year” indeed. She publicly thanked official sponsor Xtep for equipment, though it was not a formal endorsement deal.

After the marathon, Zhang quickly hit the top three trending topics on running social media, with over 500,000 discussions, gaining more attention than the women’s podium finishers. However, no brands have signed her yet, and her attempts at livestreaming have been modest in monetization.

Daily life after the marathon saw Zhang preparing breakfast for her 10-year-old son, sending him to school, and then visiting a massage therapy session; her husband managed their dry cleaning store. Though encouraged by her father to aim for 2:30, Zhang’s realistic pre-race goal was 2:35. Finishing in 2:30:54 left her very satisfied.

Zhang commented: “Of course I want 2:30, but I’m afraid of setbacks in winter training. I’m sensitive to cold, so winter training is challenging. I need to focus on both mileage and speed.”