Koreans in a Hurry

In auto-short Korea, nearly everybody walks unless he is in a hurry; in that case he runs. In Boston last week three wiry young Koreans were in a hurry for 26 miles, 385 yds. By running the distance in a shade over 2 1/2 hours, they finished 1-2-3 in the 53rd Boston marathon. In so doing, they outclassed an international field of 131, including last year's winner, Karl Goesta Leandersson of Sweden.

Distance running in Korea got a big boost back in 1936 when Kitei Son, listed as a Japanese, set an Olympic marathon record. After the war and Korea's liberation, he adopted the Korean version of his name, Kee Chung Sohn, and became a national hero. Since then, with Kee doing much of the coaching, South Korea has turned out some remarkably durable runners. In 1947, with passage money partly contributed by U.S. servicemen stationed there, Korea sent young Yun Bok Suh to the Boston marathon. He set a course record.

This year Coach Kee took three new finds to Boston: National Champion Yun Chil Choi, 21, who is a freshman at Korea Christian College, and two high-school students, Kil Yoon Song, 21, and Kee Yong Ham, 19. Their 7,000-mile plane trip was financed by the Korean government and popular national subscription. Their 26-mile trip over the marathon route was fueled by Korean kimchi, a mixture of garlic and onions, hot peppers and chopped cabbage.

Baby-faced Kee Yong Ham came in first (2 hr. 32 min. 39 sec.). With true Korean courtesy, he announced that he was disappointed because Korean Champion Yun, who placed third, was not able to win. Yun, suffering from leg cramps and a pre-race injury, had barely caught John Lafferty of Jersey City with a closing 100-yd. sprint to make the Korean sweep complete.

Coach Kee insists that his pupils follow a rigorous training routine which includes running seven miles a day, racing frequently and climbing mountains to develop wind. He thought he knew why his boys had beaten the best marathoners in the U.S. Said Coach Kee: "The automobile is the biggest handicap for American runners."

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