Alumni Deng Chao Makes JUFE Flag Fly on Mount Everest!

Recently, in the 70-kilometer of the Mount Everest Extreme Marathon, Deng Chao, an alumnus of the accounting major of Class 1984 at JUFE, a publicity ambassador for the 2015 Guangzhou Marathon, and the founder of the Running for Love public welfare marathon, completed the 70-kilometer super marathon in 18 hours, 29 minutes, and 55 seconds. He is the only Chinese participant among the 11 competitors in the 70-kilometer group.

（Guangzhou Daily report: Guangzhou runner successfully challenges high altitude）

This year marks the 70th anniversary of humans reaching the summit of Mount Everest. A large number of climbers, off-road and hiking enthusiasts are flocking to the south slope of Everest in Nepal, hoping to stand at the top of the world at an altitude of 8,848.96 meters. This event, named the 2023 Everest Extreme Challenge, starts at Everest Base Camp at 5,364 meters and ends at Namche Bazaar at 3,440 meters, covering a total distance of 70 kilometers, which is the world's highest-altitude ultra-marathon.

As one of the founders of the Guangdong Alumni Association of JUFE, Alumnus Deng Chao has been planning a unique and meaningful way to celebrate the centennial of his alma mater since he learned about the event. This extreme marathon is precisely the combination of the human spirit that challenges limits and the centennial celebration series Centennial JUFE Global Relay. Not only can the JUFE flag fly at the world's third pole, but also its motto of Honesty, Vitality, Integrity and Tenacity can be conveyed to even greater heights.

（JUFE's team uniform）

(Deng Chao does one-handed push-ups on Mount Everest)

This competition can be described as full of difficulties from the early preparation to the final sprint. In the early stage, due to the impact of the pandemic, there was uncertainty about whether the participants could obtain the qualification to participate in the competition or get a visa. For the contestants, the most challenging thing is to adapt to the high altitude. Starting from Guangzhou, through Chengdu to Kathmandu, and then taking a small plane to Lukla, they finally walked to the base camp of Mount Everest. Along the way, in order to control the weight carried, he threw away the ice axe, spare clothing, and even a pack of compressed biscuits that were not many, but the flag of JUFE was always placed in the most inside of the backpack.

In the final competition, the weight was calculated by grams, but with him, besides the necessary 1.5 liters of drinking water, the heaviest thing was this 500-gram flag of JUFE. Deng Chao alumni said, The flag is impossible to be reduced. I have thought that if I really encounter the worst situation, I will wrap myself in the flag and believe that my alma mater will give me strength.

On May 19th, the second day after entering Lukla, a Chinese athlete in the 42-kilometer group announced his withdrawal. After arriving at the Everest Base Camp, some other athletes from different countries and regions also withdrew. At this time, Deng Chao alumni had been suffering from altitude sickness for several days. The energy bar and energy gel had made him sick, but he still persisted with gritted teeth.

On May 25th, to save phone power, he entered shutdown mode after texted to the staff of the Guangdong Alumni Association before preparing for the final competition. For the next four days, the alumni of the Guangdong Alumni Association were all worried about his safety.

Until 3:49 am on May 30th, Deng Chao finally sent the message of completing the race, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Afterwards, pictures of him struggling to unfold the JUFE flag in the strong wind and videos of him shouting Centennial JUFE Global Relay with all his might were shared. It flew over the Himalayas, crossed the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and flooded the alumni WeChat group. At that moment, everyone cheered for him.

​(Deng Chao's number Plate)

(Deng Chao takes a photo at the finish line after the game)

(Deng Chao presented the JUFE's team uniform to the legendary Nepalese cross-country athlete Mira)

Before departure, Deng Chao, 57, said, I'm not sure if I can do it because it's really dangerous. Please wait for me to finish and then tell everyone. After completing the race, Deng Chao said, Let the resounding voice of ' Centennial JUFE Global Relay' echo at the top of the world. It is the highest tribute of JUFE students in Southern Guangdong to their alma mater's centennial celebration. Honor belongs to JUFE forever.

Next, Deng Chao will also carry the flag relayed from various places in Fujian, Taiwan, Hainan Free Trade Zone, and Guangdong starting from Guangzhou, and run 1000 kilometers with the strongest footsteps towards his alma mater, arriving at JUFE on the day of the centennial celebration on October 28th.