Xue keeps his photos and certificates from 2003 to 2011. Wu Ni / Shanghai Star

After the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Xue moved to Shanghai and became a physical education teacher in a primary school in 1946. The school was near the Huangpu River, so he ran every morning along the river and felt more energetic.

In the early 1950s, the school moved far from Xue's house. He started to run 10 kilometers to and from work every day.

"It was also to save money. We had four children and needed to tighten our belts. I could save the 10-fen ticket fee every day," he recalls.

Now, Xue's great-grandchildren are in high school.

Last year his granddaughter, who lives in New Zealand, phoned to try to dissuade him from joining the amateur running at the Shanghai International Marathon. He had participated in the event on eight previous occasions.

In June, he underwent an operation for cholecystitis at Zhongshan hospital. Four days later, he was up and walking again – his doctors calling it a miracle. A month after he was out of hospital, he resumed running.

Xue's wife Yang Lelan says that he is obstinate in his belief that "running heals". She cannot even stop him from running on heavily polluted days.

But Xue is optimistic. "If I keep running, I will stay healthy," he says.