An Exclusive Interview With Woo Chan Yew!

Who is he?

Woo Chan Yew, is a local marathoner who is based in the US. Our local running community may not have heard of him but he currently holds the national marathon record of 2:26:28, set in St. George Marathon, Utah in 2009. He has represented the country in SEA Games although without much success, but the experiences had inspired him to train harder to qualify for next Olympic Games in London. He was kind enough to share some of his background and experiences in this interview. Currently, he is running for an elite running club in the US, Runablaze Iowa.

So how fast is a 2:26 timing for a marathon (assuming you are running at a constant pace)?

- You will need to run a 3m27s per km pace.

Just in case you guys want to compare notes to your PB times for these distances:-

- At 10k point, you be running a time of 34m 36s.

- At halfway point your time would be 1h 12m 47s.

- At 30k mark, you be clocking a time of 1h 43m 48s.

So that is how fast you need to run. So...who is game for this?

The Interview

1. Tell us about yourself, where are you from and when did you move to the US?

I was raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, began running career at the age of 17. In 2002, I came to the United States and began competing for Northwood University, Michigan in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II cross country and track and field. I completed my BA in Management and Marketing in 2004 and received my MBA from the University of New Orleans in 2006 while competing for the school in NCAA Division I.

Now I am a Brooks athlete and belong to the Iowa Elite Running Club (Runablaze), and the Eugene Health and Performance Foundation. In addition to my running career, I am also a full-time staff member of Iowa State University Dining Services. I am currently on a mission to qualify for 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

2. How did you get involved in distance running?

It was back in 1997 at Sekolah Menangah Taman Bukit Maluri (Secondary School/High School). My first track event was 800m. Puan Lono, my high school teacher, had discovered my talent in running. She encouraged me to run in local road races. I ended up finishing top 15 most of the races.

3. Were you active in athletics when you were in school? How good were you then?

I was a badminton player back in high school. Our team was placed 2nd every year behind Sri Garden (national junior team at that time) but didn’t get any better than that. So, I paid full attention to running after graduating. In 2000, I was finally selected to run 800m and 1500m for Kuala Lumpur at SUKMA in Pulau Pinang. Mr. A. Trapadi and Mr. Gulam Ghani, my coaches, have done a great job of getting me ready for both races even though I torn my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)

4. You represented Malaysia in the 2007 Korat SEA Games but didn’t finish the race? Tell us about your experience then?

My race ended in a disaster but was a part of the learning process.

5. You had a second chance of competing for Malaysia in Laos SEA Games in 2009, but you decided to skip it? Why?

It was my honour to wear the yellow jersey again. Representing Malaysia is always my first priority of my running career. Due to my training and work schedules, my body won’t be able to recover 100% for another tough marathon race. After having a discussion with my coach, I decided to skip Laos SEA Games and focus on resting my body.

6. Did you know about the national record? Were you actually aiming for it when you set your PB of 2:26:28 (a new national record) in St. George Marathon in 2009?

Anything can happen when you are in top shape. I actually didn’t think about the time while racing. I just went out there to have fun.

7. What kind of preparation did you do leading up to that particular race?

I did a lot of long runs. My highest mileage was 128 miles (this is MILES! not KMs ya...that equates to a whopping 206km!!) in a week. My workouts are like:

Sunday: 140 min easy

Monday and Friday: AM-65 min easy

                               PM-45 min easy

Tuesday and Thursday: AM-80 min hills or 7km (800m-1600m track workout)

                                    PM-45 min easy

Wednesday: AM-80 min fartlek

                    PM-45 min easy

Saturday: 100 min tempo run

(My comment: Kids or rather runners, please do not try this at home without supervision!)

8. Do you have some kind ritual you follow strictly pre-race day?

I love to get plenty of sleep and also love carbo-loading. Some of my pre-racing favourite foods are chocolate chip and macadamia cookies, chocolate cake, pasta and anything with chocolate.

9. Was there someone who inspired you into running?

Dick Brown, my coach inspires me the most. He has given encouragement and advice to become a better runner. He has always been a fantastic mentor because his experiences have given him a lot of wisdom that he passed on to me.

10. Who is your favourite runner of all time and why? What about current batch of pro runners, any favourites?

Haile Gebrselassie - He is the greatest long distance runner of all time. (IAAF Bio)

Lisa Koll - she is 10,000m American Collegiate record holder and is also an Iowa State Cyclone. (IAAF bio)

11. What are the differences between the training system in Malaysia and in the US?

Malaysia - There is not much competition in Malaysia due to lack of participants in running. Many runners give up too soon and too easily because they are not encouraged in sport. In Malaysia, running is not as valued as it is in the US because it is not seen as something that might bring “success.”

US - The running atmosphere encourages the runner to get better. Over here, I find inspiration not only from my coach and also from other runners like my teammates such as Jason Flogel and Gabe Jennings. Moreover, NCAA did a great job of developing the sport. Many track stars like Ato Boldon, Bernard Lagat, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Tyson Gay, Lolo Jones and Alberto Salazar, used to run in NCAA. Experienced coaches like Alberto Salazar and Dick Brown, my coach, have developed more than a dozen champions.

12. What kind of advice do you have for those aspire to be like you, succeeding in marathon racing?

It takes time and commitment to be a good runner. I figure that many runners want to be champions over night. For sure, this didn’t happen to me. It took me years to run well. Obviously, I made mistakes here and there. But I refused to give up my dream. My first marathon performance was definitely not as good as my most recent marathon performance. I take the smallest steps and lots of pride in my performance. This process will help me to get to where I want to be eventually- The Olympics.

13. And what advice do you have for those who are keen to take up marathon for the first time?

They should set up appropriate training plans leading to the race and have an experienced coach to look at it. Please drink water every 5km and run slow in the first part of the race.

14. Will the locals be able to see you race in Malaysia soon?

Soon at least I hope.

(Edited by Christine Barilleaux)

There you have it, an “exclusive interview” with our national record holder for marathon. We hope one day Malaysian fans will be able to see him competing in Malaysian soil or the least to see him running in the Olympic Games 2012. Wishing him the best of luck!

As he commented, "you can't be champions over night" (you can also put it as you can't improve over night). It takes time and commitment. You should get good advice and train properly if you want to improve. Hope this will inspire more people into running or setting new PBs.