Keegan Kok and I met through the internet first, and then got to meet in person at the CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon last November.

During this episode, sponsored by Amazfit, we talk about:

• How he grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, moved to Hong Kong at 16, and ended up in Boston for college — where he stumbled into fencing tryouts (literally the only ones he didn't sleep through) and ended up team captain
• Starting running at 41 after losing 50 pounds through YouTube workouts and smaller portions — only to break his fibula on a ninja warrior structure at the park on Father's Day 🤦
• Running his first 5K on New Year's Eve and somehow getting a Chicago Marathon bib just eight months later while training for a 10K
• Running Chicago four years in a row (plus Bayshore) and the deliberate decision to skip it this year and cheer from the sidelines instead
• His third Chicago Marathon, where two friends paced him the whole way — one hyping the crowd, one filming on a GoPro — and why that race changed how he thinks about running with others
• Nutrition lessons learned the hard way: cramping at mile 14 after skipping sodium on a cold race day despite a hot training summer
• Winning the Shamrock Shuffle Mile — with a lead car and actual tape to break — after just showing up to see what would happen
• How he fell into the Brooks Running Collective, went to ambassador camp in Santa Monica, and found his people (and then aged out after three years)
• Co-founding a Tuesday morning track club in Chicago with friends Kim and Conrad — because none of them had a track background but they all wanted to do speed work, so they just figured it out together
• Being a certified run coach (through UESCA) with three athletes, all currently training for spring halfs — intentionally capping at five so he can actually show up for each of them
• Coaching his daughter's 4th–8th grade cross country and track team at her Catholic school, where the main goal is making sure kids still like running when it's over

• The 606 trail in Logan Square, CARA's lakefront hydration tents, and why the Chicago running community makes you feel like you belong
• His family being scattered across the globe — parents back in Malaysia, brother in Hong Kong, sister now in Barcelona — and the very obvious reason to sign up for the Barcelona Marathon
• Meeting his wife at a pub crawl in Wrigleyville and going on a very long first date a month later
• Chasing a 1:40–1:42 at the Indy Mini with his friend and fellow Shokz ambassador Caroline — about 10 minutes faster than his current PR — because she believes he can do it, so now he has to

Previous Guests Mentioned

• Rob Perez - Episode 150
• Hillary Burgess - Episode 138

Sponsor Details

• Amazfit - Use ALLYB for 10% off

Other Links

• Indy Mini Live Podcast Event Tickets
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This is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.