Long-distance running not a stretch for cancer survivor

WUHAN — As he crossed the finish line of the Wuhan Marathon on Sunday, Ma Zhiyong pulled out his phone with trembling fingers. His chest heaved, sweat dripping from his forehead, but his face glowed with an irrepressible smile.

The first message he sent out was to his family: "I'm safe."

From a distance, Ma was hard to miss — a gray-haired runner, breathless but beaming. Up close, his voice was barely audible, a whisper that hinted at the battles he had fought. At 55, Ma had undergone three surgeries for throat cancer, leaving him without vocal cords. "The sound is produced by my muscle and airflow," he explained, touching his throat with a calm composure that belied his struggles.