Robbie Wong in the News
Posted by planetultramarathon on February 23, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2j4fn9
The recent drop in temperatures has reduced Ronnie Wong's daily run to just four miles.
Running four miles in 20-degree temperatures may be a chilling thought for some, but for the Catonsville resident it’s little more than a warm-up. After all, he’s finished 178 26.2-mile marathons since he began running in 1980.
Last year, he said, he ran in 66 races, including six marathons in six consecutive weeks.
His latest marathon was Jan. 14 in Bermuda, just a day after he ran a 10-kilometer race (roughly 6.2 miles) on the island.
A week earlier, he ran in the Jan. 7 Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando, Fla.
“The more I run, the faster I feel,” said the 60- year-old retired chef.
On Feb. 4, he ran in two 5K races, each about 3.1 miles, on the same day, one in Columbia and one in Dundalk.
The 5- foot-6, 115-pound Wong said he bettered his time from the first race by 35 seconds in the second.
Wong, who is married, said he normally trains a few times a week with runs varying by the temperature.
He said he doesn’t like to train too often so he can run more races. He jogs a mile before running most races so he’ll be properly warmed up.
The Singapore native said he began running when he lived in Bermuda and accepted a bet to run in a 10K race. He’s been hooked ever since.
Wong’s love for running long distances isn’t unhealthy, but it’s not for everyone, said Troy Weaver, vice president for health and wellness for the YMCA of Central Maryland.
“It’s not something I, as a health and wellness expert, would recommend someone to attempt,” said Weaver, who has participated in several Ironman Triathlons.
Athletes must qualify to compete in the Ironman, a legendary test of human endurance in Hawaii that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle race and a 26.2-mile marathon run.
He said there is no “normal” recovery time between marathons for runners because people react to such a long race differently.
He said it takes about six months to train for a marathon, but after that it’s easy to stay in shape for more.
Wong is still overcoming a leg injury he sustained last year.
Even though doctors told him to slow down after hurting his knee and pulling his hamstring, he said he just slowed his training pace and focused on completing each race.
“Once you run, you can clear your mind,” Wong said. “It keeps your mind fresh.”
His ability to improve over time has led Wong to more “extreme” types of races. He has twice completed the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile trek over two days along the Western States Trail in California.
The race course goes over several mountains. Wong said his time was under 24 hours.
He said he also holds the Asian 1,000 mile- running record, having topped the millennial mark in 14 days, 12 hours.
In this year’s Arbutus Firecracker 10K July 4, his time of 42:54 was the best in his 50-59 age group and 17th overall among the 161 male competitors.
E-mail Scott Weybright at Scott Weybright@patuxent.com
