Lee Bong-ju Eyes World Championships Next Year

“I was very disappointed with my result in the Athens Olympics. I wanted to exert myself to the fullest so that I could retire without any regrets,” says marathoner Lee Bong-ju of the Samsung Electronics Athletic Club. “My goal is to break the Korean record and to win a medal at the World Championships next year,” he adds.

Will Lee ever get tired of running? He resumed training on September 14 at the training center of the Samsung Electronics Athletic Club, just two weeks after the conclusion of the Athens Olympics. He finished 14th in the marathon race at the 2004 Olympics with a time of 2:15.33.

“I don’t know why, but I felt a little flat at Athens. There wasn’t any problem with the training. I went through a very systematic training, but I felt something was missing before the race began,” said Lee. “I am very sorry to the Korean citizens who supported me,” he added.

The title “national marathoner” puts Lee under tremendous pressure. Because of high expectations and encouragement from every part of Korea, no matter how hard he trained, he could not feel satisfied.

“I didn’t have problems with my physical stamina. I survived all that intensive training. But strangely, things didn’t work out,” said Lee. A 34-year-old veteran who finished 32 races out of 33 in which he participated, what happened in Athens was rather difficult to understand. Has he reached the age for retirement?

“Of course I don’t run as well as I did in my heyday,” said Lee. “But as long as I feel confident to compete in a full marathon course, I still have a chance, don’t I?”

He is not willing to retire yet. He said that there are people who try to persuade him to quit, but there are more fans who encourage him to continue running. After the 2004 Olympic Games finished, he received countless mails that cheered him up.

It requires at least three months to prepare for one race. From 50 days prior to the race, a marathoner has to run approximately 30 to 40 kilometers per day. For one championship, one has to run about 2,000 kilometers. Since Lee participated in 33 full marathon courses, he has run 65,000 kilometers, which is enough to go around the globe one and a half times. Comparing him to a car, he should have been scrapped a long time ago. What makes him continue to run?

Lee said that the goals he set keep him on track. He confessed his desire to break the Korean marathon record of 2:07.20 that he currently holds. “I do want to get a medal at the World Championships in Helsinki in 2005. I run because there is a goal,” he said.

Lee has never skipped one single practice, even during his two-week vacation. The day after the Athens Olympics marathon race, Lee ran for one hour in the morning. According to Lee, the secret to longevity for a marathoner is to eat, rest, and train well.

He aims to run in a full marathon course as soon as early next year.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com