DR. POTENCIANO “Yong” Larrazabal III’s original target for his running career was one too lofty for ordinary runners--to run 33 marathons in his lifetime. But now, that 33-marathon standard that was and is impossible for ordinary mortals is so below Yong’s yardstick that he needs an elevator to get from where he is now to level 33.
Last year, the running doctor ran the Antartic Ice Marathon, his 60th, to join that rare club of having been able to compete in seven marathons in seven continents. He completed that seven-continent feat in 12 years since completing his first New York Marathon in 2007. From 2007 to 2019 he ran in all sorts of marathons and I enjoyed reading about it when he shared his experiences in a few articles. us. There were a lot of unique ones and I remember too that there were a few times the odds went his way, getting the bus, ticket or slot just at the right time. Maybe in another lifetime Doc Yong was the son of Atalanta and Tyche, the Greek goddess of running and the goddess of luck.
But it was when I learned about how he prepared for the Antartic Ice Marathon that my jaw dropped to the floor. How do you train for a marathon on ice in a tropical climate? Simple, put a treadmill inside an industrial freezer.
I wrote about that and the running doctor thanked me and said he had fun reading about it. I jokingly told him that the next time he runs inside a freezer, I’d be there to watch it.
That was a month ago, when I naively thought that surely after running the Antartic Ice Marathon to become a member of the Seven Continents Club, there’s no more challenge left for Doc Yong? He did say that since he ran in the Antartic, which is in the South Pole, his next target was Polar Circle Marathon in the Arctic, which is in the the North Pole.
But then again Doc Yong is Doc Yong. A mere 52 days after taking 4,452 days (give or take a day or two for time zone differences) to run in all seven continents—from New York 2007 to Antartic 2019—he ran seven marathons in seven days in seven continents from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, 2020.
Jesus Christ just reading the sentence “Seven marathons in seven days in seven continents” makes me run of out breath.
Jaw. Meets. Floor.
I can’t even begin to imagine how to do that or to put it in terms we can relate to. At least running inside a darn freezer is something we can imagine. But seven marathons in seven days in seven continents?
I hope Doc Yong writes a book so we can all dissect his brain or learn from him. It’s not just about the running and the strength and stamina to do it. It’s about the will and also that passion to find the time. Heck, he’s not even a full-time runner. Aside from having a hospital to run, he’s got family.
A kababayan, his former patient, once told me she had to schedule her eye operations three months in advance since that’s how packed Doc Yong’s schedule is and that was over 10 years ago. A decade or so ago too, Doc Yong told me that he trained at midnight, after his doctor, hubby and daddy duties.
To keep that passion for running all these years? Man, I want to know the secret.
How to be Yong?