Former national athlete and head coach of New Balance Run Club Singapore hopes to redeem himself in the full marathon in Sydney this year after not meeting his target in 2023
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Name: Loh Guo Pei
Instagram: @guopeiloh
Sport: Athletics, Running, Cycling
Favourite 100PLUS Drink: 100PLUS Active
What is your proudest accomplishment in life?
Guo Pei: To be able to have the chance to be an ambassador for different brands. Right now for New Balance for example, and to be able to have the privilege to be the Head Coach for them. Starting off from scratch with weekly turnouts at 30 to 40 members to now having weekly turnouts of over 150 members is one of the proudest moments that I have in my life so far.
What is one last resolution last year that you did not fulfill?
Guo Pei: One resolution last year was to train up for a full marathon and to target to go under 3 hours and 30 minutes for that. But I didn't have the time to train, so I tried to run with whatever timing that I had. That was one thing I didn't get to do last year.
Last year's Sydney Marathon was a pretty last minute thing for you wasn't it?
Guo Pei: For sure, last year's Sydney Marathon was just about 2 weeks of prep when I received the news, and maybe just one or two runs. Not even a long run, maybe just a 5-6km run, that was all the time I could squeeze out.
What is something you would hope for in 2024?
Guo Pei: Well in 2024 one of my goals is to meet my 2023 resolution, to try to go for under 3 hours 30 minutes for a full marathon as well. So it's to fulfill what I didn't fulfill last year.
At what point in your life did you have your biggest breakthrough?
Guo Pei: It would probably be 2013, where I qualified for the SEA Games in Myanmar. I was still studying in university and I was focusing so much on my studies that I didn't really have enough time for training, yet I still managed to qualify for it. So that was a special year for me where I could juggle both things.
One person that you look up to in your life?
Guo Pei: First one would be my coach, coach Elangovan, someone who has been with me since I was 14 years-old. I remembered at that time he was still an active athlete, and I could see how he could balance between competing as an athlete and at the same time coaching us as athletes too. What he did really inspired me to become like him - to have good athletics results and at the same time inspire other athletes.
In the next 3 years, how do you want to grow and what do you want to learn?
Guo Pei: To grow not just from a coach's point of view, but as a person who can manage my own emotions better. I want to be able to manage my emotions better, and fulfill my role in potentially becoming a husband, a family man. To think more about others, my family next time and not just about myself.