Daily Evolution from Mastering Tai Chi-Chapter 183: Conflict

Today’s temperature in Lanzhou, Gansu is around 30 degrees.

The Sun is exceptionally fierce.

The rays on one’s body make it feel unbearably hot and stuffy.

So most volunteers and staff are hiding under sunshades to avoid the light and fan themselves.

But the athletes don’t have a choice; in the nearly three-hour race, they can only keep running under the scorching sun, occasionally getting water and food from supply stations. Some less physically capable athletes even faint from heatstroke halfway due to dehydration, and volunteers have to carry them on stretchers to medical stations for rescue.

Under the relentless baking of the Sun, even the ground has been heated to around sixty or seventy degrees. Barefoot, it feels like stepping on a hot iron plate.

Among amateur runners, a few entered the race barefoot, like "monks on a pilgrimage," but most have withdrawn, unable to withstand the high temperatures.

Only Wang Ye continues to maintain a pace of 240, leading the race.

The footsteps of the following black athletes are becoming increasingly unsteady.

Obviously, their strength is waning.

Their lungs keep heaving, with a breath that sounds horrible, like a broken bellows.

The air takes away a significant amount of moisture from their throats, making them feel extremely thirsty.

Their heart rates reach 200 beats per minute due to high-intensity exercise and simply can’t be calmed down.

One black athlete cursed, "We’ve only run ten kilometers, and my stamina is already depleted."

Another black athlete remarked, "Damn, he’s messed up our pace!"

The black athlete who seemed like the leader said, "From now on, everyone slow down the pace, don’t follow Wang Ye anymore!"

"But if we don’t follow him, how can we win first place?"

"Forget about first place; if we keep following, we’ll surely not last until the finish line! It’s better to hold our current position and run to the end!"

"Don’t worry, we still have a ’trump card’! I refuse to believe he can resist human interference when he’s exhausted and ready to sprint to the finish!"

"Exactly, when he gets disrupted, we can overtake him in one fell swoop!"

··························

··························

Under the sunshade printed with the Anta brand logo.

Li Weimin, originally in Weihai, Shandong.

No one knows when he arrived in Lanzhou, Gansu.

He is now standing on the left side of the track, closely watching the race,

"Don’t make any mistakes... Wang Ye."

"Manager Li, it’s rare to see you personally come to watch the race." An employee next to him respectfully said, "Speaking of which, Wang Ye didn’t report to the headquarters, he participated barefoot without authorization, violating the terms in the endorsement contract, surely he will be penalized, right?"

Li Weimin wiped the sweat off his forehead, curled his lips in a forced smile and said, "Failure, certainly; but what if... he breaks the record barefoot?"

The employee beside him showed surprise, "Didn’t he already break the world record to under two hours during the Shenzhen race? Can he break the world record again barefoot this time? Impossible, right?"

"There’s nothing impossible." Li Weimin chuckled lightly.

A few days ago, a video of Wang Ye breaking the record barefoot was shot by his employees.

It absolutely couldn’t be fake.

As long as there’s no mistake in this race, this race will inevitably become Wang Ye’s Divine Battle.

And it will become a unique opportunity for the Anta Group.

··························

··························

Meanwhile, under the surrounding sunshades, several notable figures from various fields are discussing the race with great interest.

Compared to previous years’ races where black athletes almost always predestined to win,

This race is obviously much more interesting.

Moreover, the hope and expectation for the winner of this race.

Turned out to be participating barefoot.

Such an instance in the hundred-year history of world marathons is probably the first.

"Currently, over ninety-nine percent of professional running shoes globally have built-in inflexible carbon plates within the midsoles, providing athletes with spring-like propulsion and support for foot arches, invisibly reducing physical exertion with each step. Thus, for runners accustomed to carbon-plated shoes, running barefoot puts several times the pressure on foot and ankle muscles, posing a severe challenge to muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory capability."

An old man with round-frame glasses pointed with a twig-like finger at the live broadcast footage captured by a drone, speaking in a deep voice, "Look, over in Zone C there’s another runner participating barefoot, but have you noticed any obvious characteristics about him?"

A slightly younger man slowly shared the features he discerned,

"Short, thin, heavy running posture, unusually thick calves and ankles, high stride frequency and low step length, center of mass leaning backwards, besides... running posture tends to land full-foot."

The old man nodded satisfactorily and continued, "Yes, to excel in barefoot running, the muscle in the feet and ankles must be strong, while the height preferably should be below 1.6 meters and weight below 55 kilograms. In contrast, Wang Ye is 1.9 meters height, weighs 120 kilograms, his muscles are evenly distributed across his body, with a light and powerful running posture, primarily using the forefeet for landing; center of mass slightly forward, stride length is relatively large, making for a very aggressive running style, compared to the shorter athlete, his running posture appears more explosive and fast."

"Although Wang Ye hasn’t shown any sign of decline right now, based on my experience, his pace will gradually slow to less than a three-minute pace at most before thirty kilometers."

The slightly younger man agreed, "Teacher’s observation is excellent; his running posture doesn’t fit the characteristics of barefoot running, such a posture causes significant damage to foot muscles; even a well-trained arch can’t bear such explosive running’s long-term wear."

As they were discussing aloud,

Li Weimin chimed in from not far away:

"You teachers are right, but you haven’t considered the most important point."

"Anta’s Manager Li? What insights do you have?" The old man adjusted his glasses and asked.

Li Manager lightly coughed twice, cleared his throat, and said, "Typically, when humans train for long-distance running barefoot, the body naturally adjusts the running posture over time, modifying it to a high stride frequency and full-foot landing style because the human body adaptively alters its form to the most energy-efficient state through prolonged training."

"So what do you mean?" The old man asked with a frown.