Zhao Jiaju Sets Tor des Géants Record After Childhood on the Streets

Zhao Jiaju, who lived on the streets from age 15, broke the record for the Tor des Géants, a 330-kilometer race through the Alps. He attributes his achievement to willpower and an ability to endure pain. In an interview with Sixth Tone, the champion runner reflected on the long road that took him from homelessness to record-breaking greatness in ultra-distance mountain running. The conversation covered his life on the streets, his approach to suffering, and the mental resolve required to cover 330 kilometers through alpine terrain. The Tor des Géants, held in the Alps, is the stage for his record-setting performance. Zhao's story moves from a period of precarity in his youth to a landmark result in one of the sport's most punishing events.