Chan Meng Hui, aged 84, is Singapore’s oldest marathon runner.
But Chan, who picked up running in his fifties – when he retired – is still going strong and has completed 99 marathons and still counting.
He has even written a book, Run For Life, and was promoting it at last weekend’s Run for Life event. While there, he also completed a 10km run with a finishing time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. This is admirable, considering his age.
With his book, Chan hopes to inspire other runners with his life story and how he managed to turn over a new leaf, from a party-boy to an avid athlete.
Picked up running after he retired
Chan actually used to be actively playing sports such as badminton in his teenage days, but due to his busy workload as a sales representative, he gave this up – and began indulging himself in late night partying, smoking and drinking.
But when he retired, he picked up sports again and chose running because of its ease, simplicity and convenience. This was because he realised that he was doing his health long-term damage and wanted to set things right again.
100th Marathon at the end of this year
Chan’s 100th marathon will be the StanChart marathon, taking place on 7 December this year. This will mark a personal milestone in his life.
For this run, Chan hopes to complete it in a good timing, so he is now training hard and building up mileage, from 50km to about 80km per week. His time target for the race is less than eight hours – which will be remarkable for someone of his age, should he achieve this.
Click here for more about Chan Meng Hui’s book and his marathon career.
Click here for Chan Meng Hui’s inspirational life story.
