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On the Run: Pair of Planoites complete NYC Marathon
BY Tristan Hallman, Special to the Star Courier
NEW YORK -- A decade ago, Melvin Chu was a student at the University of Texas-Dallas who didn't care much about fitness.
"Mostly, I lifted a lot of weights in college," said Chu, 30, a Plano resident. "When I say lift weights, I mean I threw up an occasional weight and ate a lot of fast food."
But one day, he decided to change that.
Following the race, Chu and his girlfriend went out on the town to celebrate.
Chu said the 26.2-mile trek through steep bridges, city streets and the hills of New York City's five boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx) was more about mental toughness than physical endurance.
Chu ran in several marathons the past few years, including the Chicago and Dallas White Rock marathons. Though he kept a pace of 8:22 per mile, Chu said Sunday's race tested him more than he thought it would.
There were more hills and Chu had a lot of negative thoughts running through his head: 'Could he do it? What if he couldn't finish?'
"Then you think about what you're going to eat when you're done," he said, "the beer you're going to have when you're done."
Chu, though 25 to 30 pounds lighter than he was before he started training and running, still loves pizza and beer. Chu said he always has beer and pizza the day before a race because he thinks he runs faster with a slight hangover. He even started a personal blog called Runners Drink Beer. Chu later turned it into a social group, which now boasts 1,351 "likes" on Facebook.
He regularly hosts group runs and social gatherings that draw dozens of Metroplex runners.
One member of the group, 36-year-old Planoite Robby Montemayor, finished the New York City Marathon this year in five hours. Montemayor said he contacted Chu out a few months ago after finding him on Facebook and began taking part in a few Runners Drink Beer training sessions.
Montemayor, who also drinks beer and eats pizza the day before a race, had never run a full marathon before. He credited Chu with helping him train for the event, and for getting him in touch with a chiropractor who helped him through injuries before the race.
Runners Drink Beer also led Chu to meet his girlfriend, Stacey London, two years ago.
"[Runners Drink Beer] is helpful for bringing out the social aspect of running and meeting people like her," Chu said. "It definitely has its pluses."
London joined Chu in New York to cheer him on during the marathon Sunday, but noted that she only saw him for a few seconds at different points during the race.
"He came over and gave me a kiss and was off again," she said. "I was really proud. It's a really great experience and I was happy that I got to share it with him."
Chu took London to Bar Americain, the restaurant of television personality and chef Bobby Flay, after the race. Then they had drinks at Heartland Brewery in Times Square. Chu said London deserved a nice dinner after she tolerated six months of his training. After all, he said, she had to put up with his moodiness, his running schedule, 8:30 p.m. bedtimes and 3 a.m. wake-up alarms.
"It's one of those things where you have to ask yourself if it's worth it," Chu said.
London smiled and said, "It is."
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