Silk Road inspires German runner to break down cultural barriers

With the goal of building a cultural bridge between countries along the ancient Silk Road, German amateur runner Kai Markus undertook what looked to be an impossible mission: running a marathon all the way from his hometown Hamburg to the Chinese city of Shanghai.

The 44-year-old German runner started in March and reached the finish line in December. During the nine-month-long journey, Markus covered a distance of over 12,000 kilometers and visited eight countries along the ancient Silk Road, including Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.

Along the way, the German ex-banker was accompanied by his friend Victor Neubauer, who drove a vintage Bug that pulled a trailer filled with their living necessities. Together, the pair covered 40 to 80 kilometers on average every day.

According to German media Deutsche Welle, Markus wore out 40 pairs of trainers running over the freezing Siberia as well as the scorching Gobi Desert.

When he reached central China's Hubei Province in September, Markus fell over himself and fractured his foot. His friend Neubauer finished the rest of the journey for him while he traveled the 1,200 kilometers by train in a wheelchair.

On the morning of December 16, Markus and Neubauer completed their mission in Shanghai at the Bund. Writing on his blog, Markus reflected that "it's not the ending – it's a new beginning."

The German sports enthusiast was motivated to run the marathon due to his passion for sports and his fondness for China.

Despite growing up in the German state of Bavaria, Markus has developed a great interest in China thanks to his grandparents and a school teacher who spent 30 years living in China.

As a businessman, Markus travels to China on a regular basis and found "plenty similarities between Chinese culture and [that of] Bavarian," he wrote on his personal website runmysilkroad.com.

"China is trying to become better and better. Now the new initiatives Belt and Road and Made in China 2025 really fit my way of thinking," Markus wrote.

Over the years, he found that many people were still clinging to the outdated views about China, which he decided to challenge with the form of "cultural marathon."

"To get rid of the prejudice which others hold against China, you must present the real side of the country to them in person," Markus told Deutsche Welle. "In addition, I hope my action can influence the younger generation, giving them courage and letting them know you should always hang on to your dream."

Markus said he is planning for the next challenge, but first "I must recover from the injury and get back to running."