Synopsis

To reach the goal you are running to, you must face what you are running from...

As a child, Shanghai-born Wan Shan Shu's father dies unexpectedly and his mother is left alone to support him. A bright boy, all he wants to do is follow in the footsteps of his medal-winning hero, Wang Jun Xia. After an argument with his mother, Shan runs away - the only thing he knows how to do - and is hit by a car. Hospitalized and set to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, he relies on Wen Yi, his close friend from childhood. Years pass and he excels at school. After this time, Wen Yi's father meets a foreign physical therapist who is willing to help Shan on his road to recovery. Wen Yi takes Shan to meet the physical therapist, a forty-something American named Elaine. A single mother who used to compete in athletics herself, she understands what drives people like Shan.

As Shan becomes physically stronger, he and Elaine become closer. For Shan, his exposure to Elaine is the first time he has spent with a foreign person before. A single mother who runs her own business and lives on the opposite side of the world from her hometown, he is fascinated by her and her deep inner strength. Elaine also derives a great deal of pleasure from understanding Shan and his background, as well as helping him to get better. After he learns to walk again, Shan and Elaine agree not to see each other for six months to encourage him to go about the process alone. During this time, he realizes he sees Wen Yi as more than just a friend, but remains unsure of how to express it to her. After the six month break between Shan and Elaine is over, he returns to see her only to find that she has passed away. At the funeral, Shan sets in his mind the message that Elaine left him; to follow his dreams and compete in the Ultra Marathon at Shangri-La in Yunnan, a 188km course over some of the most difficult terrain in the world and a test for any level of endurance.

With Wen Yi's career as a photographer set to sky-rocket, the two spend less and less time together. After a brief argument, Shan leaves for the Ultra Marathon, dejected and convinced that Wen Yi will not come to see him compete. He doesn't realize that at the same time she has been appointed to take photographs of it for a magazine. Supported by Zach, Li Bao and Yi Shi, Shan is finally able to pursue his dream. Up against him is the over-confident Josh and the under-dog Katsuro, the leaders of the pack from opposite backgrounds. Also competing are the Twins, two sisters who have never quite seen eye to eye.

Throughout the course of the 2 day race, Josh and Katsuro remain in constant battle with each other. Shan struggles through the course and lags far behind the other competitors. When his motivation wanes, he thinks of Elaine. Josh causes a media frenzy by trying to trip Katsuro at the finishing line; Katsuro graciously accepts Josh's apology. The twins, though their journey is fraught with disagreement, are also able to make it to the end together. Twelve hours after Josh and Katsuro finish the Ultra Marathon and the awards are being distributed, Shan completes the course to find Wen Yi waiting for him at the finishing line. When they are reconciled, Shan realizes how much he needs and loves Wen Yi. The story addresses the internal and external conflicts of everyday people attempting extraordinary feats. Shan's trials and tribulations in love, friendship, and loss have universal appeal. The film's central message of 'following your dreams' also makes it an uplifting and appealing story for anyone who has ever thought about giving up.