ANN Bang, a Run Saipan member, on Saturday completed the full marathon distance of 42K in 105 laps at the Oleai Sports Complex.
“Any beginner has almost the same dream of completing a full marathon,” said Bang in an interview with Variety.
She used to enjoy jogging alone but she has started to build bonds with new friends thanks to Run Saipan.
“I wasn’t a fast runner or a strong woman before, but I realized I was getting faster and stronger by joining the various races of Run Saipan. Now, I can run 21K effortlessly, and my accumulated monthly running distance is more than 200K. So, I decided to take the challenge of a full marathon,” she said.
Before Saturday, Bang’s record was 35K which she completed on Sept. 24, 2022. However, during that attempt, she had to stop many times, and had to walk and take breaks. So she decided to keep training and running diverse races with members of Run Saipan.
She said she prepared in every way possible for her 42K challenge.
During the challenge, she said “after running 21K, I felt I was not tired but I tried to keep a slow pace and low heart rate to maintain my condition.”
Bang added, “I love the track and field…because I don’t need to care about street dogs and traffic.”
For her long slow distance training, she started running at 3:30 a.m.
Thanks to her preparation, which included energy gels and sports drinks, she was able to take in nutrients and hydrate every 5K which helped her complete 42K without stopping or walking.
As she reached the 38K distance, she said, “I heard two voices and was conflicted. One said, ‘Okay, that’s enough today because it’s already over 35K!’ But the other voice told me, ‘Don’t give up until you finish 42K!’ ”
Bang said “it was not easy to run the same route for five hours, but I completed 105 laps to achieve my goal. I was so pleased because I had won a fight against myself.”
Bang completed the 42K distance with an average time of 7:14/km for a total of 5:03:48.
“After finishing 42K, I thought I could run more, about 2 to 3 kms, and I still had energy. So I did a 6K recovery run the following day!” she said.
Her next goal is to reach 45K.
Ann Bang takes a selfie after completing the 42K challenge in 105 laps at the Oleai Sports Complex on Saturday morning.
