Age is no barrier to pursuing their passion for running, for both Hooi Siew Weng, 82, and Lee Swee Luan, 71.

In fact, the two are set to be the oldest male and female runners respectively, who will be going the distance in the 42.195km Full Marathon category at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) next month. Altogether there are 13,105 Full Marathon participants.

Hooi started running to keep fit

Hooi Siew Weng

The KL-based Hooi started running at the age of 47. He said, “I wanted to keep healthy, fit and strong. But it was hard at the beginning because I lacked the stamina to run long distance and had difficulties running uphill.” 

He continued, “I was slow initially but I gradually increased my speed by running regularly, at least four times a week.”

Lee’s aim was to lose weight

Lee Swee Luan

Likewise, Lee, who is from Bukit Mertajam, Penang, took up running to lose weight and improve her fitness.

She explained, “It was in 2008 at the age of 60. I was feeling tired and my weight was 56kg, which was too heavy for my 5’ height. I wanted to reduce weight so I took up running. After one and a half years, my weight reduced to 46kg.”

She was slow at the beginning

At the beginning, Lee joined running events in her neighbourhood.

Added Lee, “I was very slow at the beginning, though, running 10mins/km pace. Not many people run at this pace. To overcome it and improve, I just ran for as long as I could.”

And she improved by leaps and bounds; and in fact, placing in the top 10 for the Women’s Veteran category motivated her to keep on running more.

Running to travel the world

Her marathon debut was at the 2013 Penang Bridge International Marathon and she has not looked back since. She is now a proud finisher of 17 full marathons and two ultra-marathons. And next month, she will be running the SCKLM Full Marathon for the fourth time.

And her passion for running continues to burn strongly. Said Lee, “I get to meet friends during races and travel the world running marathons. I have been to Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Taipei to run. This year in December, I am going to Japan for the Osaka Marathon.”

Likewise, the opportunity to run overseas is also a main draw for Hooi, who explained, “Running gives me the chance to go overseas, to make friends and to enjoy the holiday overseas after the run. It is also a great way to relieve stress and sweat out. And my friends and I always motivate each other in training sessions and during races.”

To date, Hooi has run 57 full marathons, with his marathon debut having been at the Singapore Marathon in 1984. 

Said Hooi, “I took part because I wanted to taste what a marathon was like. During that race, I was struggling all the way to the finish line. But I did it. At that time, I had no experience in running and did not train much.”

Hooi also continued, “So after that race, I made sure that I train hard and run regularly.”

Hooi’s training routine 

Nowadays, Hooi’s training routine consists of running four times a week, with his average sessions being about 10km – 15km and with a 20km long run on Sundays. His weekly mileage is about 40km – 60km.

Added Hooi, “I aim to run at my own pace to finish each race. Running has been my passion since it started, and it will continue as long as I do not get any injuries.”

Hooi’s marathon personal best today is 3 hours 44 minutes 58 seconds, which had been set at the MAS International Marathon in Penang, 1986.

Their most memorable marathon

That is not his most memorable marathon though. It is, in fact, the Medibank Melbourne Marathon in Australia, because Hooi came first in his age category.

Sad Hooi, “There was age category at that race and I got first in my age group, receiving a special medal for it, on top of the finishing medal. Now, I hope that SCKLM can give a token to the oldest participant as a memorable gift.”

For Lee though, her most memorable race was at the 2016 edition of SCKLM because that was the event where she ran with nine members of her family – for the first time.

Said Lee, “There was me, my husband, five kids and two of their spouses.”

Her family had been spread out, taking part in the event’s various races – across the Full Marathon, Half Marathon and the 5km categories.

Lee continued, “And it was so much fun to see everyone completing the race and having a group photo with our finisher medals.”

Since 2016, Lee has been back for each and every edition of the SCKLM. And to train for the race, she runs daily, clocking about 5km – 10km per session. She says, “I do nothing extra for the marathon, just completing my daily running routine.”

They aim to inspire others to be active

With their running, both Lee and Hooi hope to inspire others to lead an active lifestyle.

Said Lee, “I hope to see more people getting active and living a healthy life.”

And added Hooi, “As running is my passion, I see myself as an inspiration because running has helped me to stay healthy, fit and strong for my age.”

Running Tips from Hooi and Lee

And with both of them being seasoned marathoners, what words of wisdom do they have – for runners who will be stepping up to the Full Marathon for the first time at next month’s SCKLM?

Said Hooi, “Train well, run consistently, and drink water at every water station. Run safely and comfortably and run at your own pace. Always run against traffic and do not wear anything new on race day to prevent blisters. Lastly, drink lots of water in the days leading up to the race.”

And added Lee, “Go slow at the start and maintain a comfortable pace. A Full Marathon is a long distance run and you need to be able to keep moving, be it running or a mixture of running and walking.”

Photo credits to Hooi Siew Weng, Lee Swee Luan and SCKLM.