A friendly encounter with Hannah during the Wuxi Marathon. [Photo by Lyu Yihan/ chinadaily.com.cn]

Among those who finished the half marathon at the Jiangnan University stadium, I saw Hannah again. Compared to some of the other runners, who looked exhausted, excitement remained on Hannah's face. I would even say this 25-year-old Irish girl looked quite stunning for just having run a marathon.

Statistics shows that this year's contestants came from 49 countries and regions and 85 percent came from outside Wuxi, among which 1,352 came from overseas. Hannah Coleman was one of them, but she was different. Expats who participate in the Wuxi marathon usually live or work in China, while for Hannah, this is the first time she's ever set foot in the country.

Hannah found out about the Wuxi marathon online and got a registration entry ticket with the help of the Wuxi Facebook page. That was the last day of January, 2019, when she asked "Hi! I am travelling from Ireland to China in March and wish to participate in the half marathon or marathon. Is it possible to find an entry anywhere please? Thank you".

With the help of the organizing committee, we finally found a spot in the half marathon for Hannah, and Wuxi was subsequently added to her itinerary in China.

After two months of online communication, we eventually had the chance to meet Hannah in person the day before the race. When she arrived at Taihu International Expo Center, I was surprised that Wuxi Marathon's signature pink color coincidentally matched her nail polish. It was destiny from the start!

Hannah gets her race pack at Taihu International Expo Center on March 23.[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]