Lee Bong-ju, director of the Korea Association of Athletics Federations, a ‘national marathon runner’ and ‘Samcheok’s son-in-law’, is a regular customer at the Samcheok International Marathon.
Lee Bong-ju, who began to suffer from pain of unknown cause in 2020 and was diagnosed with an incurable disease called ‘dystonia’, attended the competition last year when he was struggling with the disease. He attended as usual this year, showing his enthusiasm by greeting marathon runners across the country and even signing autographs for fans along with his father-in-law, Kim Yeong-geuk (88, Deoksan-ri, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si), who completed the 5km course that day.스포츠토토
Above all, this year’s attendance was more impressive because a competition named after Lee Bong-ju was held in Yangpyeong that day. Nevertheless, director Lee Bong-ju showed his affection for the marathon by choosing to attend the Samcheok Hwang Yeong-jo International Marathon.
On this day, Lee Bong-ju, director, was still in a state where his back was not straight, but he looked much better than last year. He said, “It’s gotten a lot better than before,” and sent a hopeful greeting to fans who were praying for a speedy recovery. The exact cause is still unknown, but his bright smile showed confidence and determination to play again.