Chinese long-distance runner Li Meizhen has returned to public notice this week as videos from the 2024 Hengshui Lake Marathon circulated widely on social media. The athlete from Fujian finished the full distance in 2 hours 35 minutes and 7 seconds even after her period began around the 34-kilometre mark.
Official records list her in 16th place among women at the event held on 22 September 2024. Born on 3 January 1999, she is now 27. The episode has renewed conversation about the practical realities of menstruation for elite female athletes.
