RUNNING COMMENTARY
Stories, miles and memories from the PWR community
Member Spotlight: Kevin Ly
From Friday night skates through London to a remarkable 91-mile ultramarathon, for Kevin Ly the biggest rewards don't come from chasing PBs—they come from community, adventure and seeing just how far the body can go.
Member Spotlight: Kevin Ly
From Friday night skates through London to a remarkable 91-mile ultramarathon, for Kevin Ly the biggest rewards don't come from chasing PBs—they come from community, adventure and seeing just how far the body can go.
You skated before you started running. Tell us about that.
I was reading Timeout magazine's “Things to do today", and one of the things that came up was a street skate around London organised by a group called London Friday Night Skate. I decided to learn to skate and joined an easy/beginners group called Easy Saturday Skate in Battersea Park. That's also where I met Wheels and Wheelchairs, who were planning a 6-day skate trip from London to Brussels that year and were looking for skaters to help push wheelchairs, so that's how I got involved with them. You got into running during COVID. How did that happen? I usually skate 2-3 times per week in central London and consider myself fairly active, so when the trains stopped, I decided to start running two miles, 3-4 times a week, as a means of staying active. After a couple of months, I was shocked to see how much my HR improved and how much easier my day-to-day tasks felt. How did you find out about PWR? Back at school when I first decided to take up running, I had a choice between PWR and ORR and chose the latter because the buses were better, but failed to stick with it. Fast forward a few years, I ran my first marathon (the Berlin Double, minus the wheelchair), but I was struggling to get back into running again. Until I chose to join PWR, and it looks like I made the right choice. As strange as it sounds, I don't love running, but I always find myself looking forward to all the PWR runs throughout the week, in particular the Sunday Social runs. The lovely routes we run and great company all the PWR members provide is definitely a big part of why all the PWR runs and races are so enjoyable. |
Congratulations on your incredible performance at the 24 solo. You completed an astonishing 91 miles!
It was a really nice setup: a 1.5-mile loop with a race village serving all the snacks and drinks you want, four hot meals served throughout the 24 hours, and no time obligation. I just ran at a relaxed pace, walked when I wanted to, and stopped when I wanted to. I felt I got most aspects of my race spot on, but one area I massively overlooked was how to rest. By hour 10, stopping (or even walking for too long) started becoming problematic, as whenever I tried to run after a rest/walk, my legs felt so tight it was like I'd dipped my legs in liquid nitrogen and would have to spend the next painful 5+ minutes or so trying to loosen them. I tried to keep running and avoid resting as much as I could, but it became a real battle. By hour 21 of not giving my feet a proper rest I decided I had no more running left in me. I barely managed to walk for two more laps, so I decided to lie down and take a one-hour nap. I should've taken my nap sooner, as I woke up at 23 hours feeling refreshed and managed to squeeze out another 3 laps before the 24 hours were up. I've got to shoutout Emma Stevens, Ellen Ball, Stuart Ball, Viral Tanna, and Lucy Tang, who dropped by to show their support; Prema Reddy, came down twice and helped me get food and Simon Keyes, who returned the first night to give me things I didn't pack for the race. And reading all the messages when I posted my midnight selfie onto the group was a huge boost. Your work with Wheels and Wheelchairs sounds incredibly rewarding. What do you enjoy most about it? Definitely the joy it brings wheelchair users. You can really tell how much our wheelchair users enjoy being out with Wheels and Wheelchairs as they're always bouncing around and clapping whenever we push them. There's also the comradery. We stick together, no matter how tough it gets, even when we're not skating. If our wheelchair users can't get to a place because it's not wheelchair- accessible, then we find an alternative that works for everyone. What’s one piece of running gear that you can’t live without? My hydration vest. I've got a 20L INOV8 RacePac that fits all my essentials, fuel, liquids, and more than enough space for a rain jacket, some extra layers or a change of clothes. It gives me the confidence to do my big runs knowing that I have all the gear I need. Running helps me... Clear my mind. My head definitely feels lighter when I'm running regularly, and I can definitely notice the heaviness in my head when I don't. Kevin runs the Berlin double at the end ofSeptember. You can find out more here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/berlin-marathon-double Please let Presh Howell or Eleanor Pinkerton know if you have a great story to tell, or would like to nominate a fellow member. We’d love to hear from you. |
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