For local runner Lu Xiaowei, a peach farmer, the marathon has become more than just an athletic event. "When peach blossoms bloom in spring, tourists visit for the marathon and enjoy the flowers in ...

And yet the 32-year-old found himself hurling his body through the idyllic streets of Paris, past the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, as he won the men’s marathon gold medal in Olympic record time.