SINGAPORE – After running marathons for nearly a decade, Soe Rui Yong has learned a lot and the two-time SEA Games champion now wants to pass on that knowledge to other runners.
That’s why the 32-year-old decided to launch RunSohFast Marathon Academy on social media last week to offer remote coaching services to working professionals.
He has been coaching runners for the past five years, but those sessions have been more ad hoc. “We definitely have a community that wants to learn, and we certainly have a community that wants to invest in fitness…” said So, who currently has nearly 30 customers.
“With me, you’ve been in the spotlight, you’ve been running marathons for 10 years, you’ve competed at a high level, you’ve made mistakes, you’ve learned from them, you’ve been injured, you’ve learned from them, you’ve performed really well, you’ve learned from them. You get people’s experience of what works and what doesn’t.
“So with me, you’ll avoid all the pitfalls that most novice athletes can face.”
The academy is still in its early stages, and Mr Soh, a Japanese record holder in the 5,000m and 10,000m, half marathon and marathon, said his clientele mainly consists of working adults.
His experience working and training as an elite athlete helps his clients devise individualized programs built around their daily lives and work schedules.
“It’s not like high school or university where you just come to school, have a team and train, where you have a family and a job. It’s so much easier,” said So, who won four national marathon titles with Standard Chartered. Told. Singapore Marathon.
“As you grow up, your schedule changes a lot, your time is no longer yours, your time belongs to your boss, your wife, your kids, and you may only have an hour a day of free time to exercise. .
“But the beauty of running is that it’s all you need.”
Cindy Ong, who started working with Soh in 2018, said the personalized training plan has allowed her to be flexible while running while caring for her two children.
In the same year, he achieved his goal of finishing in the top 10 at the Singapore Marathon National Championships. She also qualified for the 2020 Boston Marathon, which was ultimately held virtually due to the pandemic.
A financial consultant said: “It wasn’t easy to participate in organized group training. We did a lot of remote coaching…
“He has a lot of experience in racing. He can advise very well on running a race.
“He knows how to advise me on how to perform during a race, which is important because often during training you can run very well, but during a race I don’t know how to do that.”