Monday, June 11, 2007

The 8-year old Marathoner - How Young Is Too Young?

I've seen lots of teenagers in the marathon ranks, and a few in ultras as well (such as CA's 15 yr old Michael Kanning). But here is one I thought I would never see - Zhang Huimin, an 8-year-old, 42 lb girl from China with a marathon training schedule that would cripple most adults. The locals love her, but as the article says, "she personifies a darker side of today's China: a culture of relentless competition amplified by a media hungry for celebrities."


If you even hear of me training Sophie like this, just shoot me. You can read the full story here.

- SD

8 comments:

  1. Ah, that makes me sad. I have a seven year old daughter and kids just need time to play. :>(

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  2. Yikes. I'm not sure how young is too young but this is DEFINITELY too young to train those kind of miles with that intensity. Miki and I were just talking about this in relation to ultras over the weekend in that's it's probably not really good to run 50+ miles until you are at least 18. That stress on a still developing body can't be a good thing!

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  3. Sophie's blog- I LOVE it- glad I know abou tit now- thanks!
    Don't worry, I would shoot you if she was running like that!
    I have been running for 40+ years, but NOT high intensity miles like that- when I was a kid it was just fun; race- you-to-the fence kind of runs. And in high school, there wasn't even a girl's cross country team- had to run with the guys in Morgan Hill!

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  4. I feel really bad for the kid. I'm sure she enjoys running but she is incapable of knowing how this will hurt her down the road. And I don't think the dad fully understands either, or he might just be that hungry for fame and money. She's losing out on her childhood. But I suppose there is some comparison to if she would have to farm all day to help her father.

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  5. That was a pretty horrible story on the kid. Amazing or not, her well been is at serious risk. Trust me, lots of people will shoot you now by your own invitation - and oh, my, what a cutie pie Sophie is! Just adorable, and I am not often one who spills out those names for babies. She is a star! I think it comes with the fact that Dad takes pictures often:) may be you need to apply for photoshoots.

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  6. Scott -

    Your daughter's blog is great! A chip off the old blog, so 2 speak. And I suspect that's Cristy's handiwork at the camera, which is wonderful. A clever way to leak it...

    Andy

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  7. What WILL she give him for father's day...a negative split?

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  8. Wow, Zhang Huimin is an amazing kid, but ditto what has been said. You're only a kid once, and playing and socializing at that young, simple level is important for development. School is structured. It doesn't count as "simple" interaction with playmates.
    I don't think this speaks against China - not all of China agrees with this either. This is Zhang Huimin's and her father's idea. And neither may know the damage.

    Still, I can think of worse ways to grow up. I won't call it horrible yet. It just seems wrong.

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