A man from Chongqing in Southwest China is living with polio. But that has not hindered him from partaking in 20 local marathons around China over the past five years. Xiong Jun, who has been dubbed the "Forest Gump of Chongqing", has been an inspiration to a lot of people.

Xiong, who stands about 1.65 meters tall and hops only with his right leg, has become a marathon addict. He has partaken in several marathon competitions including a 5km mini-marathon, which he finished in 48 minutes. He also ran a full 42.195 kilometers race at the Beijing International Marathon Tournament in 2013.

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With a positive outlook towards life, Xiong has encouraged other people with physical disabilities to get involved in a sport. "I love running," he said. "In the beginning, I just ran for myself. But now I find I can help others with my activities."

Xiong was born to a family from the Wanzhou District of Chongqing. His father was a farmer. He suffers from cerebral palsy which causes serious damages to both his left brain and body. At the age of eight, he still could not talk. By the time he turned 14, he learned to stand with his left leg. But, he did not stop there, he wanted to be more active. So, he began to practice hopping despite breaking his arms and teeth a number of times.

Years later, he met a physical education coach at a local school where he got his professional training. However, he had to stop as his parents were transferring to Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.

In 2010, in Wenzhou, Xiong had to beg the organizers of a racing competition for three days to allow him to compete. He was eventually given the greenlight to run in the 5km competition. He was among the first 100 players to finish the race. 

That same year, he travelled across the country and joined 5km or 10km racing competitions. With overwhelming support of his co-runners, Xiong signed up for a full marathon in 2013 at the Beijing International Marathon Tournament. "It was very crowded and I couldn't jump well," he said. "After the Beijing race, my left leg hurt a lot for two months."

One of the biggest obstacles Xiong faces on a race is the road condition. He fell at this year's event in Guiyang because of the bumpy, rough and slippery surface.

Xiong now gives his time to charity activities. He participated in a fundraising cause for poor college entrants and plans to create a team of 20 to 30 people to drive electric wheelchairs around Chongqing and Tibet autonomous region. "I want to call on society to pay more attention to the disabled community and make their lives better," he said.

Tagscerebral palsy, runner with polio, Marathon, Forrest Gump of Chongqing, Marathon tournament, running competition, inspiring story