An In-depth Interview with the Celebrity Ambassador of Spartan Race 2020 in China, Ruoning Li: Spartan Race and Fitness Give Me Energy

From August 21 through August 23, the first Spartan Race 2020 in China Mainland landed in Chongli, where more than 10,000 enthusiasts worldwide participated in the game, according to live report from Yutang Sports. The competition among warriors covers seven colors of medals and nine events, including Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super, Spartan Sprint, Spartan Ultra Beast, Spartan Obstacles (10 KM/21 KM), Hurricane Heat (4H/12H) and Spartan Kids Race.

During the event, the reporter of Yutang Sports conducts an exclusive interview with Ms. Ruoning Li, the Celebrity Ambassador of Spartan Race 2020.

As a young and promising actress from China Mainland, Ms. Li was known for her role in the court drama, Story of Yanxi Palace, in 2018. Since her debut, Ms. Li has been consistently trying to play diversified characters, either as the tender concubine, Wanwan Lu, in Story of Yanxi Palace, or as the valiant policewoman, Miaoling Wen, in Original Sin. The colorful image of the diligent girl has deeply impressed the audience.

In 2020, Ms. Li is now acting as a volleyball enthusiast, Yueting Lang, in Go! Beach Volleyball Girls, an influential TV drama with sports elements. During her daily life, Ms. Li is passionate about sports and fitness as well. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, she has never stopped updating her fitness story on Weibo and sharing her highlights of exercising at home with fans. As an actress who always behaves as an individualized and cute character in front of the camera, Ms. Li now surprisingly becomes the Celebrity Ambassador of the Spartan Race 2020. During the game that is known for ferity and sense of masculine, she has even finished the 6-KM Spartan Sprint. During the exclusive interview, the warrior shares her stories with Yutang Sports with respect to her inside conformation to the Spartan Race, passions for fitness, as well as her acknowledgement to the existence of sports elements in TV and film productions.

Yutang Sports: What’s your first impression of the Spartan Race in Chongli? Compared to the sports and fitness that you have played in your daily life, why is Spartan Race so special?

Ruoning Li: When I arrived at Chongli yesterday, a group of participants had just finished the game, with exhausted but relaxed expression. To be honest, I felt a little nervous and stressed after watching the games. As far as I am concerned, the key point that differentiates Spartan Race from ordinary sports lies in its comprehensiveness. It is the rich and diversified content that makes the game special. For example, in the fitness room, you would focus mainly on certain single parts, such as running, aerobic exercises, bodybuilding, and weight loss. However, the comprehensive CrossFit would be the core of Spartan Race, since you have to unlock your potential in cardio-pulmonary function, endurance, as well as specialized skills. Thus, on the whole, it is a comprehensive race. Challenging as it might be, the Spartan Race demonstrates its colorfulness and enjoyment.

Yutang Sports: As an actress, you have played varying styles in front of the camera. So why would you choose a crossover to the Spartan Race?

Ruoning Li: I could feel that there is a strong coherence between the race and me. The enjoyment of overcoming challenges underlies my personality. Comparing to the systematic training in the fitness room, I prefer to experience diversified training methods. Thus, the Spartan Race would stimulate my deep passion for sports and fitness. I am going to achieve self-breakthrough through the game.

Yutang Sports: We have learned that you will compete in the Spartan Sprint this afternoon. Do you have any preparations for the game?

Ruoning Li: I have been preparing for the Spartan Sprint for about six months. During my leisure time, the time and intensity of training were strengthened to a new level. In the meantime, I would watch relevant videos and highlights through internet to acquire necessary knowledge about how those participants utilized certain skills to overcome obstacles. Personally, I am now enjoying every moment of preparation, because I feel that, from the bottom of my heart, I love the content of Spartan Race.

Yutang Sports: We see that you are now frequently updating your fitness story on Weibo and sharing ideas with fans. As an actress, you have demonstrated your strict standard towards health and figure. Thus, how do you balance the relations among fitness, work and your daily life?

Ruoning Li: Above all, I don’t think fitness is at variance with the other two aspects. Instead, it exists as an essential part of my life, just like you can never live without eating, sleeping and working. Maybe sometimes you are too busy to spend one hour on exercising, but at least it is never hard for you to spare half an hour, or even 15 minutes to exercise, which would not affect your daily work at all. Instead, it enables me to face the stress and challenges with a healthier and positive attitude.

Yutang Sports: During the Covid-19 Pandemic, do you have any adjustments about your fitness schedule? Could you please share any secret as well as sports experience with the audience of Spartan Race and your fans?

Ruoning Li: The adjustment under the Covid-19 might be the shift from training in fitness room to exercising at home (Laughing), or updating my stories on Weibo as well. In particular, I bought a rowing machine to improve the fitness efficiency at home. In addition, I would also borrow some portable equipment from fitness room. When you have to stay at home, the furniture, pets, and your baby dog (Laughing) could also be used as fitness equipment. But what matters most is perseverance, which refers not to a several-day training but to a long-time adherence. Hard work will always pay off, and finally there will be one day when you look into the mirror and suddenly feel that, “wow, I’ve really been changed”. When the day comes, I will feel that all of my efforts become worthwhile.

Yutang Sports: Go! Beach Volleyball Girls is the TV production that you are now working for, and it is also a program decorated by sports elements. In this regard, as a practitioner from the film-television industry, how do you think the value of sports elements in the entertainment industry?

Ruoning Li: From my point of view, when we promote the TV productions with the theme of sports, the positive energy would be explicitly revealed to public. At the earlier stage of the project, our crew specially invited professional coaches and volleyball athletes to give a systematic training for the actors, during which I could personally perceive the arduousness of sports athletes. They are dedicating far more time and energy than we expected to the sports industry. As the result, the shining point of this TV drama is that it can lead the audience to acquire thorough understandings about the culture and spirit of sports industry, and demonstrate the rich connotation and diversity of Chinese sports.

Yutang Sports: Finally, do you have any expectations about your game this afternoon?

Ruoning Li: First of all, I set up a goal for myself that I will regard finishing the race as my basic plan and there is no half-way surrender in my dictionary. Furthermore, I am looking forward to an extra surprise on my final result as well. Since it is my first experience in the Spartan Race, I will definitely try my best to compete and enjoy every moment in the game.

In addition, as the Celebrity Ambassador of Spartan Race 2020, I would encourage enthusiasts to learn more detailed information about the game by following the official WeChat Account of Spartan Race @SpartanRaceChina. Let us jump out of the comfortable zone together and fully taste the joy of sports and fitness.

Having landed in China Mainland since 2016, the Spartan Race exists not only as a tailored stage for professional athletes but a positive channel for those who are willing to challenge themselves and enjoy leisure time. Participants from different occupations, either as senior executives or as industry elites, are thirsty for a substitute of busyness to enjoy the moment prepared by Spartan Race, to break through the hurdle and to challenge themselves. In the meantime, the creative designs of the Spartan Kids Race, with great enjoyment, has also become an optimal choice for parents. By combining athletics and entertainment, bridging sports and fashion, as well as co-sharing amusement with elites and amateurs, the Spartan Race, with its unique charm, is now becoming a new engine accelerating the promotion of “National fitness” campaign.