First Medal in Women’s Marathon

Nobody is interested, but there is hope on their faces. In Athens 2004, they are running and running to try and get the first medal ever for Korea in the women’s marathon.

The marathon’s female trio—Lee Eun-jung (23, Chungchongnam-do Provincial Government), Jung Yoon-hee (21, SH Corporation) and Choi Kyoung-hee (23, Gyeong gi-do Provincial Government)—will begin a new challenge in Athens on August 23 at midnight. The “Taegeuk (meaning Korean national flag) lady warriors” entered the fortress of Athens on July 29 and established a training camp. Since then, they have been running the marathon plains and getting ready for the race.

On August 16, they began the last phase of carbohydrate-loading with “Hell’s diet,” which consists of three days of protein and three days of carbohydrates.

Deemed “the lady of summer,” Lee Eun-jung is in the best condition. Winning the most recent Seoul International Marathon with a time of two hours, 26 minutes, and 17 seconds, just five seconds behind the Korean record (2:26:12), Lee has been running in the 40-degree Celsius Athens heat in a full-body training suit. Preparing for the classic Athens course, called the “death course” by some, she successfully finished 60 days of high-intensity uphill training, along with acclimation training.

“I think I’m physically predisposed to hot weather. I don’t feel hot at all. I feel the burden of my first big race, but I really want to make something happen.”

Expectations are also high for Jung Yoon-hee (2:30:50) and Choi Kyoung-hee (2:30:19), who also endured the hellish training with no major injuries. Their race plan is to stick with the lead group from the beginning, pulling and pushing one another. During the constant incline from the eighth kilometer to the 32nd kilometer, they plan to follow the leader and decide victory in the last 10 kilometers.

“We feel great after completing well such rigorous training. It’s a difficult course, but it’s all the same. Please look forward to our race.”

On the men’s side, there were Sohn Gi-jung (gold) in Berlin, 1936, Hwang Young-jo (gold) in Barcelona, 1992, and Lee Bong-ju (silver) in Atlanta, 1996. Compared to the men’s success on the international stage, the women have always been left behind. The women’s determination to beat this grudge is extraordinary.

SH Corporation Coach Choi Sun-geun said, “I can’t make any guarantees because the course is so difficult, but I think one of the three will make something happen. They finished the high-intensity training with no strain, and also did well with the acclimation training.”

The favorite to win is marathon’s empress Paula Radcliff (England). She holds the world record time of 2:15:25. Also challenging for victory is second-ranked (2:19:39) Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) and the Asian record (2:19:39) holder Sun Yingjie of China.

In addition, the marathon champion from the Busan Asian Games, Ham Bong-shil of North Korea, is also competing, drawing attention to the battle between the North and the South.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com