The amateur division runners were in a better position. They had just experienced the sensation of Shi Gaofei and Hah’Er whizzing past them. The professional division runners, however, had started earlier, so their only impression of Hah’Er was from when it struck the gong to start the race. They never imagined the pair could move so fast.
Alright, Hah’Er wasn’t running, but rather cruising past on a skateboard. Even so, it was astonishing enough. After all, standing on a skateboard for over an hour and covering more than twenty kilometers without falling once was no simple feat.
"Oh, my god, I regret signing up for the professional division now. I should have entered the amateur race so I could’ve run alongside this Panda the whole time," a well-built female athlete from abroad said with envy, her hands clasped to her chest. Her teammates beside her all looked as if they felt the same way.
"This is probably the unhappiest I’ve ever been winning a championship," the male winner said. "I would have rather run with the Panda. Why didn’t I know the organizing committee had planned something like this?" He had mistaken the surprise appearance for an official arrangement.
"But the champions from each division should be taking a group photo together at the end, so you’ll still have a chance to get close to the Panda," someone consoled him. "Those of us who didn’t place probably won’t be so lucky."
The surprises from the organizing committee didn’t stop there. After Shi Gaofei and Hah’Er collected their medals and prize money for the special award, it was time for the professional and amateur divisions’ awards ceremony. To the winners’ absolute delight, Hah’Er also appeared on the awards stage. It was holding medals in its paws; it seemed it was going to be the awards presenter.
"Aha! I take back what I said earlier. This is the happiest championship I’ve ever won!" The men’s professional champion jumped up in excitement. The thought of receiving a medal from the Panda’s paws was just too thrilling.
The first awards presented were for the top three women in the professional division. The first, second, and third-place winners ascended the podium, watching Hah’Er with eager eyes. At that moment, they all felt that this was even more exciting than standing on an Olympic podium.
"Hmph!" Following Shen Yibin’s gestures, Hah’Er spread the medal’s ribbon with both paws, looking as if it was about to place it around the winner’s neck. But given how short it was, standing in front of the nearly 1.8-meter-tall woman, there was no way it could reach her neck. The crowd instantly erupted in a wave of good-natured laughter.
"Ah, I’m so sorry, so sorry!" The bronze medalist apologized profusely, immediately hopping off the podium. She knelt on one knee and bowed, like a noble of old receiving an honor from their King, so that Hah’Er could place the medal on her. Straining on its tiptoes, Hah’Er just barely managed to hang the bronze medal around her neck.
"Excuse me, may I hug this Mr. Panda?" After receiving her bronze medal, the athlete didn’t immediately return to the podium. Instead, she looked at Shen Yibin and cautiously voiced her request.
"It’s impossible for you to hug a panda," Shen Yibin said, keeping a deliberately straight face. But before her disappointment could register, he quickly added, "But a panda can hug *you*!"
As he finished speaking, Hah’Er opened its arms for a hug. Its arms were just too short, however, and it could only manage to wrap them around the athlete’s legs. This drew another round of laughter and envy from the crowd, as every single athlete wished they could get a hug like that from the panda.
The female athlete was so excited she didn’t know what to do. It was only when someone reminded her that she remembered to flash a peace sign and a huge smile. The moment Hah’Er moved on to present the award to the second-place winner, she ran straight to the photographers to ask for copies of the pictures, leaving the champion and runner-up completely forgotten on the podium.
The most dejected person there was probably the fourth-place finisher. She stood in the crowd with a miserable look on her face. "SOB... I was just one second off! If I’d known the Panda was going to be presenting the awards, I definitely would have pushed through and sprinted to the finish!" That tiny margin had cost her the chance to have a close encounter with Hah’Er.
"It’ll probably be the same next year, right? I’m going home to train my heart out. Next year, I’m getting a picture with the Panda too," the fifth-place finisher vowed. Many other athletes nearby chimed in, agreeing wholeheartedly. This made a staff member who was eavesdropping nearby grin from ear to ear. It looked like next year’s marathon was going to be even more spectacular.
And with that, a new calling card for Yunzhong City was forged. Although this was the inaugural marathon, the athletes who had traveled from all over the world, along with the tourists who came to join the fun, had already generated hundreds of millions in economic benefits for Yunzhong City, causing a significant boost in its GDP. That number was expected to at least double the following year. A rising GDP didn’t just bring economic benefits to the city; it also meant promotions for the officials involved. How could they not be overjoyed?
After all the awards were presented in this fashion to the male and female winners of the professional and amateur divisions, Shen Yibin had Hah’Er pose for a group photo with all the international athletes. While it couldn’t compare to an individual picture, it served as a small consolation prize.
"Hello, are you Mr. Shen?" A white-haired, elderly man approached Shen Yibin and spoke through a translator. "I am the chairman of the Boston Marathon’s organizing committee. I would like to sincerely invite you and your Panda to participate in next year’s Boston Marathon!"
The Boston Marathon was one of the most famous and influential in the world, but even its chairman couldn’t resist the allure of a panda.
"I am the chairman of the Berlin Marathon’s organizing committee. This year’s race will be held in late September, and we hope Mr. Shen can attend." Just like that, Shen Yibin was surrounded by a crowd of foreigners, all clamoring to invite him, Hah’Er, and Shi Gaofei to their respective races.
’Sigh, I’d love to visit all these cities,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’But by then, Shi Gaofei will have probably been sold, right? You don’t expect me to drag Hah’Er along for a full 42,195 meters, do you? I’m sorry, but that’s a task this humble servant simply cannot accomplish!’
And so, Shen Yibin had no choice but to politely decline each offer. These people weren’t ones to give up easily, however. When he got home and turned on his computer, he was met with a cascade of email notifications. He opened them to find that nearly all were formal invitations from marathons around the world.
They not only promised free hotels and meals for Shen Yibin and Hah’Er, but they even offered to cover first-class airfare. If Shen Yibin agreed, he could travel the world without spending a single penny!
Boston, New York, Berlin, Amsterdam... ’To be able to visit any of these major global cities whenever I want...’ The thought was actually a little thrilling.