# AGAIN Lee Bong-ju! I ran with my comrade Hwang Young-jo for the first time in four years

"Bong Dal," Lee Bong-ju (54), has jumped again. It is the first time since his illness. He started the race in four years. It took place at the "28th Samcheok Hwang Yeong-jo International Marathon" held at the Samcheok Expo Plaza on Sunday. The hidden winner of the race was Lee Bong-ju, a marathoner of the nation.


Lee Bong-ju suffered from pain of unknown cause in 2020. Since then, he has been diagnosed with intractable disease (dystonia). Muscle tension is a disease in which the body is fixed in an abnormal position due to tension and contraction of certain muscles.

In June last year, Lee Bong-ju also appeared in a severely bent back during an interview with CBS No-Cut News, suggesting his grievances at a glance. At the time, he promised to make a comeback with a commitment to his will to overcome the disease, saying, "If you don't give up and have positive thoughts, another good day will come." (CBS No-Cut News, June 28, Lee Bong-ju's "Wooling" message, "If you don't give up, you'll have another good day.")

Lee Bong-ju's participation in the race on the day gave a heavy feeling to the public as he meant keeping his promise not only to himself but also to the public. Lee ran with some 5,000 people, including some 200 foreigners from 15 countries. As he is not fully recovered yet, he raced about 150 meters. The 150-meter race was more valuable to Lee than the 42.195-meter race.

In particular, Hwang Yeong-jo, the coach of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, stood by his eternal comrade in the marathon, adding to the warmth of his running together. In an interview in June, Lee Bong-ju said, "Hwang is an eternal friend. His wife was also introduced to him. (He) is a lifelong comrade that he should go with."

In an interview with CBS No Cut News on Wednesday, Lee said his voice was full of energy unlike in June last year. His voice sounded excited as he raced for the first time in four years. Asked about when and why he improved, Lee said, "I started to feel better from the end of last year, and I was able to play with a straight back. I believe that is the result of my hard rehabilitation and consistent home training."

As for whether the race was difficult on the day of the competition, he said, "I was fine as I continued to run little by little every weekend. I ran only 150 meters without overburden (on the day of the competition), so I still have good condition. I was even more encouraged as Hwang was running next to me (on the day of the competition)."

When asked about his future plans, he said, "My physical condition has not returned 100 percent yet. My biggest goal is to build up my physical condition to run more than 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers. Please keep an eye on me. Please look forward to me running with you in a better way." He promised to stand in front of the public in a more advanced way.

The day of the competition was also a special day for Lee, making the race even brighter. Monday was the anniversary of Lee's wedding, in which he became the "three sons-in-law." As if recalling that the competition was attended every year by his late father-in-law, Kim Young-geuk, he said, "It's too bad that my father-in-law could not come with me. I think he might have been watching from somewhere in the venue and congratulating me (on today's race)."

Lee Bong-ju is shining as he has achieved three new marathon records in Korea. The record of 2:07:20 has not been broken for 23 years. The Korea Olympic Committee highly appreciated his past history and providing dreams and hopes to the people, and named him the "Korea Sports Hero" in 2022.

Lee Bong-ju was also the most popular on the day of the competition, as he was nicknamed "The Immortal Marathoner, Icon of Hope, Marathon Legend, Iron Man, National Hero, and Bongdal." Fans flocked to the "Lee Bong-ju and Hwang Young-jo fan signing event," which was held as a side event, and requests for photos were flooded from all over the venue.

Many people cheered him on at his healthy appearance. Samcheok Mayor Park Sam-soo visited the stadium and said, "Seeing Lee Bong-joo in good health makes me feel better today." Citizens who visited him in person also chanted, "Fighting," and cheered at his improved performance. Bong-dal continues to run as he is coping with adversity.

BY: [토토사이트](https://www.sportstotohot.com
)