Young Marathoners Return from Hellish Training with Confidence

Jin Young-jun (22, Kolon) and Bae Hae-jin (24, Seoul Urban Development Corporation) were full of confidence as they returned from the national team`s latest training in Kunming, China. They completed the hellish training in Kunming which is 2,500 meter above the sea level despite the pain that almost tore their hearts apart.

Their goal was setting a national record and winning the title at the 2003 Dong-ah Seoul International Marathon set for March 16.

Dakahashi Naoko, the queen of marathon in Japan, is also known for harsh training she goes through on high mountainous areas. Before she set a world record at 2 hours 19 minutes and 46 seconds at the 2001 Berlin Marathon, Naoko went to Boulder, Colorado located 2,000 to 3,500 meter above the sea level to train herself hard.

Experts say that training on high ground could make 3 to 4 minutes difference in the finish line.

It becomes several times harder to train once players reach 2,000 meter above the sea level. Yet, Ji and Bae completed the harsh training course originally programmed for the level ground, up 2,500 to 2,800 meter high above the sea level.

Ji emerged as a rising star in men`s marathon last year as he set an impressive record of 2 hours 9 minutes and 48 seconds. He ran 400km every week during the training in Kunming from Jan. 10 through Feb. 14. He passed the 40km line at about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Put it into a course on the ground, it was like he completed the full course at about 2 hours and 7 minutes. As long as he keeps the current pace, he will then be able to break the national record of 2 hours 7 minutes and 20 seconds set by Lee Bong-joo (Samsung Electronics) in 2000.

What is important is releasing the stress from the harsh training before standing on the starting line next month. Ji is now focusing on speed as he undergoes recovery training.

His colleague Yoo Young-jin (24) is also all set to finish his race within 2 hours and 10 minutes this time.

Female marathoner Bae Hae-jin also experienced 63 days in hell from Dec. 23 last year through Feb. 24. ˝I shed enough tears to fill a big drum,˝ Bae said as she retuned home.

She ran 70km per day and 350km per week early in the morning and late in the evening. Between 11:00 a.m. and the noon, she had to do stretching and muscle strengthening. The training on the highland, indeed, boosted her speed and endurance significantly.

Bae recorded about 2 hours and 22 minutes in 400m interval training, almost emulating with Japanese players. She ran 400 meter and took a 60 seconds break to run again. Repeating the short race 20 times, the average speed was at 73 to 74 seconds, which is believed to be hard to achieve even on the ground. Bae, in particular, persisted even when her heart beat 200 times a minute.

Having set a national half-marathon record at 1 hour 12 minutes and 13 seconds, Bae now aims to break the 2 hours 26 minutes and 12 seconds record set by Gwon Eun-joo (Samsung Electronics) in 1997 by reaching the 2 hours 23 minutes mark.

Having successfully gone through the training, 20-year-old Jung Yun-hee is also hoping to set a new record.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com