Athlete of the Week
Ken Wong from Alberta
April 29th, 2020
Ken reached 1000 KM in less than 4 months. See how he did it!
I am so glad I found this group or maybe it found me. I’ve always walked but now I have a purpose and goal each day when I get out of bed, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic! I have a positive goal every day. Special thanks to the creators and moderators of the group.
Did you walk, jog or run this challenge?
I am sorry to say for those who are runners that I really dislike running. If a bear was chasing me, I probably could run, but otherwise, I walk like a tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race for me.
How often do you walk?
I walk every day. I am lucky enough to have a treadmill in the basement for a start to each day. If it’s not too bitter outside, I head out for another hour once the sun comes up. When I was over 500 km, I thought I would run a bit to increase my distances per day, but my knees didn’t like it. Did I mention earlier? I really don’t like running. I love to walk.
What was your greatest obstacle while aiming to reach 100KMs?
My biggest obstacles were two-fold. I have a bit of arthritis in both knees. (Braces allow me to keep going) That, plus some really bitter cold weather made it tough to force me outside some days. I guess older people like myself have some circulation problems, and my fingers would get a bit numb at -25.
How do you stay motivated and find the time to walk and run?
I am really fortunate to be retired so I can walk just about any time of the day. The 1000 km goal is a motivator. I know it is a personal goal, but I wanted to show myself and others that someone over the age of 70 can do this too, not just the young super athletic marathoners. That personal and public goal had me treadmilling sometimes around midnight, so I could do my total for the day.
My biggest motivator is that I want to be around for my kids and grand-kids for a long time. I know that getting my walks in will help me with that.
What advice would you give someone to stay focused on reaching 1000 KM in 2020?
My advice to participants who are less mobile or older is just trying each day to rack up a few KMs. I’m a tortoise, slow and steady. Especially steady. Also, listen to your body. If your knees are saying take it a little slower today, listen. It will make tomorrow’s walk or run more enjoyable.
Thanks, for sharing your story, Ken!! I enjoy your posts on the Facebook page, as well!! It’s great, especially for me, to see other ‘walkers’ on this journey/competition!!