5 votes

Marathon runner, 12, sets her sights on 2028 Olympics

Posted by Fal
Tags: usa, running, marathon.long distance, athletes, evan kim, children, olympics.summer 2028, author.noah goldberg, source.los angeles times, paywall
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-12/shes-12-she-runs-an-under-3-hour-marathon-and-shes-prepping-for-the-2028-olympics

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Title
She's 12. She runs an under-3-hour marathon. And she's prepping for the 2028 Olympics
Published
Mar 12 2024
Word count
1364 words

3 comments

  1. [3]
    Fal
    Link

    Evan Kim is not sure what she wants to do when she grows up. She might want to be an elementary school teacher. Or perhaps an Olympic long-distance runner.

    She’s working on the running thing.

    The 5-foot-tall sixth-grader placed second among all girls and women at the Ventura Marathon in February when she ran the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours 58 minutes, averaging less than 7 minutes per mile. Her goal this year is to run the fastest recorded marathon for a 12-year-old of either gender — she’s only four minutes away. Her trainer (also known as her dad, who goes by MK) says the equation is simple: Just follow the workout plan and the record will be hers.

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      GunnarRunnar
      Link Parent
      I wonder what kind of person is the record holder, like are they naturally gifted (obviously there's at least a sprinkle of this) or did they just train super hard, which doesn't sound super fun...

      I wonder what kind of person is the record holder, like are they naturally gifted (obviously there's at least a sprinkle of this) or did they just train super hard, which doesn't sound super fun for a 12-year-old.

      Also this comment by the father was kinda weird:

      MK said that the rule barring younger runners is similar to what women faced before the Boston Marathon went coed in 1972.

      1 vote
      1. Merry
        Link Parent
        Anecdotal experience, when I ran cross country in my youth and trained hard every day, I still got absolutely smoked by 12 and 13 year olds randomly. Part of it is a heavy training regime, but if...

        Anecdotal experience, when I ran cross country in my youth and trained hard every day, I still got absolutely smoked by 12 and 13 year olds randomly. Part of it is a heavy training regime, but if your body isn't built for it, you won't be able to match some people. Probably the most humbling experiences I had was running track for 6-7 years, only for some random kid to get on the track and just run laps around me.

        Yes, there is a chunk of training for them (especially for someone trying for an Olympic level) but also if they are a multisport kid and have a really active lifestyle, with great nutrition options at home, then I'm not surprised by how good some kids can just be without much targeted effort.

        4 votes