The Los Angeles Marathon is scheduled to take place on March 17, and already, a 12-year-old Korean-American girl who completed the Ventura Marathon in under two hours is garnering attention.
The LA Times recently featured a story on Irvine resident Evan Kim, who finished the Ventura Marathon in 2 hours and 58 minutes last month and secured second place among all female participants. Kim maintained an average pace of 7 minutes per mile.
Her trainer and coach is her father, Michael Kim, 49, who is also a marathoner. He ran the Ventura Marathon alongside his daughter, completing it in 2:51, and anticipates that Evan will surpass his time at the California International Marathon in December.
Completing the marathon posed a challenge for Evan Kim. Around the 20-mile mark, she experienced a foot cramp, but she persevered. Kim recounted how she continuously encouraged herself to “suck it up” and kept running until she reached her goal time at the finish line.
It was her father who initially inspired her to pursue a marathon running.
“We started taking walks with our four children, my eldest son (Cole, 17) and eldest daughter (Haven, 16), when the youngest one (Evan) was 4 years old, with the idea of spending time with them before breakfast every day,” explained Kim, a single father, in a telephone interview with the Korea Daily on March 12.
This year, Evan Kim aims to set an age-group marathon record, aiming to become the fastest 12-year-old male and female marathoner by shaving four minutes off her current time.
Her ultimate aspiration is to qualify for the 2028 Olympics. To achieve this, Kim will need to run a marathon in 2:37 to qualify for the U.S. Olympic marathon team in 2024.
According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, only 1% of female marathoners finish under three hours. The fastest 12-year-old marathoner of any gender was German runner Manuela Zipse, who completed it in 2:54 in 1986.
Her father emphasizes that Evan’s accomplishments demonstrate that nothing is impossible. “Evan has set a goal and continues to practice and train,” said her father. “Based on her performance so far, I believe she will be able to compete in the 2028 Olympics.”
“Unfortunately, to prepare for the Olympics, Evan needs to participate in big races, but major international races like the Boston Marathon has age restrictions that prevent her from participating,” Kim explained, expressing hope that the Boston Marathon will relax its rules.
“All I want from my children is honesty, responsibility as a student, and to be the best runner they can be,” said father Kim, who shares videos of his children’s marathon times and training sessions on YouTube. He expressed gratitude for their achievements and affirmed his family’s commitment to helping Evan realize her dream.
BY NICOLE CHANG, HOONSIK WOO [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
