“I hate it when people tell me I can’t do things,” Lauren Lim said frankly. You might think such as person saying such a statement is just another stubborn twenty-something, but her refusal to accept that her capacity is limited to what other people think has gotten her really far, quite literally.
At 24, Lauren is considered a wunderkind in the running and triathlon community. She has already stepped on the podium several times.
She placed third in her age group (20-24) at the Regent 5i50 Triathlon last June, her team Sante Barley TriTeam took the second spot at the TRI United 2017 Exceed Long Distance in Subic held in July, and she finished second in her category at the Cobra Ironman 70.3 with an impressive overall time of 06:05:23 covering a total distance of 113km (1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and 21.1km run)
With such accomplishments, it’s hard to believe that Lauren only started running two years ago, when a friend “forced” her to join a 5km fun run which took her an hour to finish. She shared after that event she swore off running, but she did again, this time a “real” run.
“I finished [the 5km distance] in 30 minutes,” Lim cheerfully related. She said that something “just clicked” when she crossed the finish line. “[I thought] if I can do it in 30 and I wasn’t tired when I crossed the finish line, maybe I can join another one and push myself even more,” she recounted.
When her run time for short distance has improved she then decided to tackle a 42-kilometer track, which drove skeptics to question her capacity. “Someone pointed out that marathon would be extremely hard and extremely painful; they told me I might not be able to finish it,” shared Lauren.
The “warning” did not shake Lauren’s resolve though, as she signed up for the Bull Run, a marathon event for first-timers, and went home with a first place (women’s division) trophy.
Her thirst for challenge led her to sign up for her first triathlon event; she joined without prior experience in biking and swimming. “I just signed up for it—I had no background, I had no coach, I had no team, I had nothing.” But since she already bought a bike, her first triathlon coach, Andy Leuterio reluctantly guided her.
Her discipline (she trains every morning before going to work and after) and sheer determination helped her cross the finish line.
Lauren stressed, “Everyone’s potential is limitless, people can do so many things. When someone tells me that accomplishing something is impossible, I take it as a challenge.”
The young athlete will be taking on another challenge on Oct. 8 as she’s about to run at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon wearing the latest Skechers Performance GORun Ride 6. The latest model features a lightweight and enhanced 5GEN cushioning for additional impact protection and response, and Skechers Go knit fabric upper with 3D printed overlays.
Lauren, Skechers Performance’s newest brand ambassador, emphasizes the importance of wearing the right pair of shoes especially when running long distance. “A good pair of shoes can get you really far.”
“Before Skechers, I always get injured. When I switched to Skechers, I stopped getting injuries and my PR was really big after that. I continue to get faster with Skechers because they’re really light,” she shared.
Skechers Performance’s mid-foot strike technology also helps Lauren run faster as her ground contact is reduced. For her first world major marathon, she said she’ll be bringing her GoRun Ride 6 and GORun 4s.
After Chicago Marathon, the sports prodigy plans to join another Ironman, marathon, and ultramarathon (for the first time).
Despite her packed schedule, that includes training and working, Lauren makes sure she still has time to relax. “I actually just came from Bora with friends,” she shared, “But I still trained. My friends would wake up at 8 a.m. And I would wake up quarter to 4 to run or swim.”
