Thirty-nine year old Chen Penbin from the southern Zhejiang province in China has become somewhat of a celebrity in his home country after running 100 marathons in 100 days.
And his accomplishment has encouraged others to take up the sport.
"This commercial activity has started an enthusiasm among Chinese people towards marathon running and it has inspired a lot of people to improve their body through sports. In China, there are 1.3 billion people and just over two million people participate in running."
After finishing primary school, Chen began working in a fishing business to ease the financial pressures on his family.
At the age of 22, he won money in a push up competition, which sparked an interest in fitness, where he found that running was his gateway to see the world.
"When I visited foreign countries I discovered that each country was different. And I decided to go around the world to prove that Chinese people could also be good in this area."
His accomplishments now include conquering extreme marathons in all seven continents.
And according to one of Australia's greatest ever endurance Paralympians, Kurt Fearnley, it makes sense that China would want to nurture the sport.
"They are trying to promote a healthy lifestyle because they have an ageing population they need to keep physical and healthy and active."
Chen Penbin completed the 2017 Sydney Marathon in a time of just over 3 hours and 10 minutes, placing him outside the top 150.
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