I commented on my Facebook page, saying that I felt like a Jehovah Witness doing all this door-to-door survey work. I suppose my “good word” is that of good health and boxing… hahaha.
I have to remind myself every single day that the struggle is part of our story and today I told Snickers, “One day we’re going to look back and all this will be worth it.” All our hardship and perseverance will pay off, I just know it, and I look forward to the day I can match my story with that of the story my father always reminds me of. He’s quite proud of how he and my mother were laughed at by the banks, how no one believed they could ever own their own house, let alone even get a bank loan to help them out. They went from nothing, minus nothing, to something… to a really big something.
Perseverance is key, he always told me, perseverance and believing in yourself.
Today, when we were driving home, I saw a picture of Lee Bong Ju on the side of the road. He’s a fellow Cheonanite, a Korean man who has become internationally known and respected.
Many people don’t really know the story of Lee Bong Ju, how he first became the national hero that he is today. As the story goes, when he was younger he was so ugly that even his friends teased him. He had been labeled the ugliest kid so the bullies refused to let him take the bus to school. And with no other means of getting to school, he decided to run. He ran to school every day and that’s how his love for running was sparked.
Lee established himself as a major international marathoner in 1993, capturing the Korean Championships in 2:10:27 then going on to win the Honolulu Marathon later that year. After earning a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics marathon, he ended the year with a first-place win in the prestigious Fukuoka Marathon – a combination good enough to earn the World Number One ranking ahead of the Olympic champion.
In 1998, Lee reduced the Korean national record to 2:07:44 while finishing second at the Rotterdam Marathon. Later that year, he also won the gold medal in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games marathon race. In 2000, Lee further reduced both the national record and is own personal record to 2:07:20 when coming in second at the Tokyo Marathon, and he consolidated his international stature with a second place finish at the Fukuoka Marathon. In 2001, Lee again took world notice when he won the Boston Marathon. In 2002, he won the 2002 Busan Asian Games marathon, thereby defending his championship title for that important race.
Lee's silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics was the first Olympic marathon medal of South Korean athletes after his contemporary marathoner Hwang Young-Cho's gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and Hwang Young-Cho's retirement Lee became the leading South Korean marathoner, and Lee is the leading South Korean marathoner still now in 2007. Lee is South Korea's record holder at both the half marathon and marathon distance.
Many people don’t really know the story of Lee Bong Ju, how he first became the national hero that he is today. As the story goes, when he was younger he was so ugly that even his friends teased him. He had been labeled the ugliest kid so the bullies refused to let him take the bus to school. And with no other means of getting to school, he decided to run. He ran to school every day and that’s how his love for running was sparked.
As we passed his picture on the street that’s now named after him, I gave a little giggle. I love his story. I may not be teased for my lack of looks (though I hope I’m not lacking) but I definitely want to follow in his footsteps. I too want my name known, I want to help put Cheonan on the map. Me starting up Flipside Fitness definitely helped to do so but I am really anticipating us opening up our boxing club to really make a mark on this city.
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