People walking down the street fiddling with their phones, people eating at restaurants, and moreover, people resting at home with their families—all of them were watching screens and cheering for the Korean athletes.
[Right now, the South Korean athletes are positioned in the second group. How do you see it?]
[They've just passed the 5-kilometer mark. The pace is very good. If they maintain this, don't you think we could even look at winning?]
[Ah, then what about the lead group?]
[Yes, the lead group is currently over-pacing. I think they'll likely fall back after passing the 15-kilometer mark.]
[Ah, I see. Then could you briefly tell us about each athlete while we look at the screen?]
At the caster's words, the commentator nodded.
[Understood. First, there are two athletes most likely to win. Kenya's Paul Tergat and Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie.]
[There are no athletes from our country?]
[Yes. Unfortunately, not a single expert named our country's athletes as candidates for victory.]
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[It's unfortunate. But surely there is a possibility, isn't there?]
[Of course. While looking at each athlete's detailed information, I discovered something interesting.]
[Something interesting? What is it?]
The commentator, who had been briefly shuffling through papers, wore a strange smile, his eyes sparkling.
[First, there is an essential metric required to run fast over long distances. That is VO2 max and lactate threshold.]
[Ah, I've heard of it. They say if your VO2 max is high, you don't tire easily.]
[That's right. Paul Tergat's VO2 max is 87ml. His lactate threshold is 94 percent.]
[That's amazing. Wasn't our Hwang Yeong-jo's VO2 max 83ml?]
[That's correct.]
[Then what level are our country's athletes at?]
[First, in the case of athlete Yeon Un-jae, the VO2 max is 77ml. The lactate threshold is 82 percent.]
[It's not as high as I thought.]
[No. For an average person, VO2 max is around 45ml and lactate threshold is between 40-50 percent, so it's very high.]
[Aah, is that so?]
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[That's right. It's first-class. Of course, taking Paul Tergat as an example, he is already at a world-class level.]
[If the gap is that large, won't it be difficult?]
[It is difficult. The difference in mental anguish will be indescribably great. However, in Yi Bong-ju's case, his VO2 max was about 78ml. His lactate threshold was merely 70 percent.]
[Ah...]
[Even so, Yi Bong-ju defeated formidable Kenyan athletes and won at age 37. The moment he used 70 percent of his 78ml VO2 max capacity, Yi Bong-ju must have felt rapidly encroaching fatigue. Even so, he ran, and he defeated athletes with far superior abilities to take the win. That is precisely why he is respected by junior marathon runners. A true warrior who achieved victory fighting with nothing but mental strength, so to speak.]
[That's amazing. I didn't know that either, but hearing it now makes me choke up.]
[It's an old story, but he is still talked about by many. Now, returning to the original topic, the ace of South Korea, An On-ho, has a VO2 max of 82ml. His lactate threshold is 83 percent.]
[Mm. Then... if he exceeds about 68ml in oxygen intake, he'll tire quickly.]
[That's right. Compared to Paul Tergat it's a large gap, but I hope he endures with the mental strength of South Korea.]
[Now, there is one last athlete remaining?]
[Yes. I looked into it and apparently he suffered a major injury five years ago. From then on, he spent about four years
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or more focused on rehabilitation. He's only participated in training for barely over a year. What's unfortunate is that before the injury, he was a highly anticipated athlete.]
[Ah, if not for the injury, he might have been selected as the ace.]
[Yes. That might have been the case, but...]
The caster suddenly trailed off and made a strange expression.
[He is now a strong candidate who can win.]
[Excuse me? What does that mean?]
At the sudden remark, the citizens watching TV also tilted their heads.
"They said our country has a candidate for winning."
"Dummy, that's not what it means."
"It's the same thing, whatever."
People stirred slightly, and the caster, as if having anticipated their stirring, continued after a brief pause.
[Yi Han's VO2 max is a staggering 92ml.]
At the caster's words, the commentator also made a surprised expression.
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[That's amazing. To think he's better than Paul Tergat...]
[Right. But the more surprising fact is that his lactate threshold is a staggering 94 percent.]
[Th-then...]
[Yes. Athlete Yi Han possesses the stamina to run faster than Paul Tergat without tiring. The faster you run, the more breath you need. It means that even while inhaling a staggering 83.7ml, lactic acid does not accumulate in him. Paul Tergat was at 81.7ml, so it's 2.0ml higher than that.]
[Ooh, amazing.]
[He is truly South Korea's real ace. It seems the coach presented An On-ho as the ace to induce the other countries' athletes to let their guard down.]
[Then all the experts' predictions must have been useless.]
[That's right. If you look at Yi Han's form, you'll see he is very relaxed compared to the other athletes. He looks so light, as if his body might fly away.]
[Amazing. Ah, the moment I speak, they've passed the 10-kilometer mark. Looking now, the lead group's speed is dropping little by little.]
[Yes. Because they ran at a serious over-pace, I believe they'll be caught by the second group before long. Ah, the second group that South Korea belongs to has entered the Hill of Death.]
[Yes. The Hill of Death... just hearing the name is frightening.]
[This could be called the first crisis of this race.]
[I see. Especially since I heard this race course is very rough. Could you explain?]
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[Of course. The word 'death' appears three times in this race. The first, the Hill of Death, is over 5 kilometers of nothing but uphill. Naturally, the speed drops far more than usual, and yet it requires more strength, making it a difficult place to control pace.]
[But isn't that the same for the other athletes?]
[Of course. The problem is the few athletes who are confident in their own skills.]
[Why are they a problem?]
[They will scatter the pace to exhaust the other athletes' stamina. At that time, you must not falter so that you can stick with the second group.]
[Ah, South Korean athletes, please don't fall behind the second group and get through it well.]
[Yes. For now, let's watch their performance.]
Yi Han assessed An On-ho and Yeon Un-jae, who were following behind him.
"Huff, huff...."
They were in a state where they couldn't even maintain their breathing properly.
"Breathe properly. If you don't, you'll fall behind."
At Yi Han's cold words, fire sparked in An On-ho's eyes.
"Hwoop, hwoo."
His pride wounded, he began to breathe properly, and fortunately, Yeon Un-jae beside him also listened to Yi Han's words.
"It will get harder."
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This was the first crisis now. They had been running uphill for 1 kilometer now. Around this time, Paul Tergat, who was maintaining the lead, was at the point where he would increase his pace.
Pwabat.
As expected, Paul Tergat increased his speed. If they couldn't chase him here, Paul Tergat would move into a solo lead, and if that happened, there would be no one to check him, making it difficult to catch up.
"Let's go!"
Yi Han led Yeon Un-jae and An On-ho, who were following behind, and chased Paul Tergat.
"Hwup, hwoo."
An On-ho and Yeon Un-jae gritted their teeth and followed Yi Han. They too knew that they must not fall behind now. Likewise, the remaining 11 athletes also increased their speed to avoid falling behind Paul Tergat. It was a perfect over-pace.
Sweuk.
Then, Paul Tergat slowed his speed.
"Huff, huff."
In the moment he was trying to regulate his briefly roughened breathing, Paul Tergat kicked the ground powerfully again.
Pwabat.
His expression as he glanced back was strange. As if to say 'follow me if you can,' he was looking down on the athletes behind him.
"Keuk!"
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At that moment, An On-ho and Yeon Un-jae, unable to handle Paul Tergat's speed, began to fall back.
Damn it...
A trace of worry flashed through Yi Han's pupils as he looked at them. Was it because of a brief moment of hesitation? The distance between Yi Han and Paul Tergat grew considerably.
Shit!
An On-ho didn't even concern him. The problem was Yeon Un-jae. They weren't that close, but since they were colleagues who had trained together, he couldn't help but be concerned.
"S-senior..."
Yeon Un-jae opened his mouth with difficulty.
"Huff, huff. I'll follow behind. You go first..."
Yi Han nodded. And he turned his gaze forward.
"Sorry. I'll go first."
Paul Tergat's back was visible in the distance. If he chased quickly even now, he would be able to catch up. Although he had entered the race as a pacemaker, once the race began, he didn't even think of such things. He wanted to win unconditionally. And he wanted to run unconditionally.
Pwabat.
Yi Han increased his speed.
At the same time.
The expressions of the caster and commentator hardened.
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[The situation doesn't look good.]
[That's right. For some reason, all three South Korean athletes have fallen behind the second group. They need to chase right now.]
[Ah, athlete Yi Han is looking back and saying something now.]
[Yes. Judging by the shape of his mouth... sorry?]
[That's right. He said sorry. What does it mean?]
[Ah, after saying that, he is now running fast. It seems he wasn't comfortable leaving the two behind.]
[Yes. He has increased his speed now. It is athlete Yi Han, rapidly chasing the second group!]
The two voices became lively again. That appropriate commentary and situation was conveyed to the citizens watching the TV screen.
"Wow, he's fast."
"I hope he wins."
"This Olympics was totally crap, you know."
"Right. What kind of sick Olympics is that, sick Olympics. It was a mess, I tell you. Fencing, judo, swimming... it was really chaos."
"Are the judges' eyes on the back of their heads?"
"Still, getting 13 is something. I hope they get one more in this marathon to make it 14!"
When approximately 30 minutes had passed since the marathon broadcast began, the people's expectations rose even higher.
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