This is yet another visit to China for me. From the moment I stepped off the plane in Shijiazhuang, I was enveloped by warmth. It felt like coming home.

During my days here in Shijiazhuang, I heard many inspiring stories from runners. On the marathon course, I saw thousands upon thousands of people who love to run. The look in their eyes, the rhythm of their strides — it reminded me of the days in Kaptagat, Kenya. On the other side of the world, so many people share the same devotion, getting up each morning to put one foot in front of the other. This only reaffirms my belief that running is a universal language.

On this trip to China, I also visited a company called Junlebao. They've been in the dairy business for three decades. I toured their pastures and factories, and I saw things that left a deep impression. They use big data to monitor the health of every cow, and smart systems to oversee every step of production. But what struck me even more than the technology was the way the people work. They told me that no matter how much technology advances, some things never change: inspecting every batch of milk, recording every data point, doing it over and over, just to make the product a little bit better. There's no shortcut. It's one step at a time.

This dedication and perseverance felt deeply familiar. So much of what I've learned on the track, I saw these things reflected here. I know there's a saying in China: jiujiu weigong — lasting effort brings lasting success. Isn't that exactly the spirit of a runner? No rush, no panic. Just do what needs to be done, and trust that time will deliver the answer. I truly respect a company like this and I respect this spirit.

In Shijiazhuang, I saw not only passionate runners and a dedicated company, but also a China that is running forward. What I felt wasn't a sudden sprint, but a steady, sustained advance.

As a runner from Africa, I feel warmth from the friendship between China and Africa. China and Africa are each walking their own path, but our direction is the same — forward. I hope I can bring back to Kenya the spirit I've seen in Chinese companies and the quality they stand for, and I hope I can leave behind the spirit of African runners. What we need is not one-way giving, but to run together and lift each other.

Finally, I want to say:

Cheers to the runners of China!

Cheers to the enterprises of China!

Cheers to this land that is running forward!

Thank you, China. Let's keep running together.

The author is a Kenyan marathon runner and two-time Olympic champion.