Chinese Girl Completes 2,212 Mile Run

An eight-year-old Chinese girl has just completed an incredible 2,212 mile run across China. In celebration of the 2008 Olympics, which will be held in Beijing, Zhang Huimin ran for nearly two months, starting out on July 3rd from Sanya, at the southern tip of the island province of Hainan. On Sunday, the 26th of August, the young girl arrived in Beijing. Behind her all the way was Huimin's father, Zhang Jianmin. Zhang, a businessman, rode behind his daughter on a motorized bicycle, only giving the girl a ride twice during the entire odyssey, once when she was being chased by wild dogs, and again when a mountain road proved too steep to run down.

There have been outcries of child abuse from some corners as news of Zhang Huimin's amazing feat spreads. Her rigorous training for the run has raised concerns. The 8-year-old rose at 2:30 a.m. every day to train. Her father said to Reuters that he started his daughter at the age of three running 3 kilometers per day. As she grew older, the runs became longer. By the time Huimin reached the age of 7, she was clocking 23 kilometers a day. Experts worry that such strenuous training, which would be excessive for an adult, will have negative effects upon her young body.

During the 55-day run, the little girl would have averaged about 65 kilometers per day. That's a marathon and a half a day, says The Guardian.

So what comes next after such an incredible feat? Huimin's father is keeping his sights high with talks of the Olympics. And Huimin herself appears happy, saying only, "Running makes me happy."