Achieving the best result in each marathon is the Holy Grail for participants, and so it is for Li. Luckily, good things come to those who wait.

So far, the 29-year-old has competed in a dozen standard marathon races, receiving honors and awards.

For example, Li has participated in more than 40 races in the past three years. In 2015, he even set a record, winning 42 games out of 45 competitions. Last year, he won 12 championships from 17 full marathons, and recorded the best result for Chinese half-marathons throughout the year.

"Running a marathon takes determination, courage, perseverance. It is an arduous undertaking that requires months of dedicated training," Li said.

After "retirement", Li has trained himself with great diligence.

"I act as instructor, develop my own training schedule and implement those plans one by one," Li told China Daily. "At first, I was not accustomed to the high-intensity training for more than 4 hours each day. Little by little, everything seemed to be fine."