Diabetic Shen Lin finished a long-distance race in the United States. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Although more than a month has passed, 20-year-old Shen Lin is still basking in excitement and cheerfulness because he succeeded in a personal challenge.

The 1.9-meter tall boy from Zhengzhou, Henan province, has Type 1 diabetes. He has been living with an insulin pump, which helped him achieve better glucose control, for eight years.

But the young man refuses to let his disease slow him down. Last month, Shen and another diabetic Wang Yaohui, 21, from Wuhan, Hubei province, were part of the "Medtronic Global Heroes" team - a long-distance race for those who benefit from medical technology. The race was held in Minneapolis, in the United States.

"I love sport, especially basketball. And I'm also a member of my campus basketball team," says Shen. "I joined the marathon to demonstrate that the disease cannot stop me."

The race, launched in 2006, has attracted hundreds of patients with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, spinal disorders, chronic pain or neurological disorders.

At this year's competition, 25 special chronic medical device carriers joined the race together with more than 28,700 runners. They came from countries including China, Uruguay, US, UK and Portugal, among others.

Shen and Wang joined the 10-mile or 16-kilometer competition with their insulin pumps on. The two young runners finished the race within two hours.