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He ran his first marathon two years after suffering a heart attack.
 Mr Kor Hong Fatt, 78, is one of Singapore’s oldest marathoners. The retired technical supervisor, who suffered a heart attack at the age of 70, ran his first 42km race, two years later.
Mr Kor's brush with death came as a shock to him and prompted him to re-evaluate his health. He had never thought much about exercise before his heart attack.
“When I was young, I would run only when I was free,” he said in Mandarin.
Explaining why he started running, he said: “I wanted to take care of myself to prevent a second heart attack. I also have to take care of my wife."
Madam Wang Siew Eng, who is also 78, suffered a stroke on the right side of her body 16 years ago and needs help in daily activities like bathing. The couple have two adult sons.
Trained with heart rate monitor
Mr Kor took 18 months to train for his first marathon and did this without telling his doctor.
“My family was also against it but I told them that I would be careful and stop if I felt uncomfortable,” he said.
He used a heart rate monitor to make sure he stayed within 50 to 85 per cent of his maximum heart rate (MHR) and took breaks when he felt any chest discomfort.
The MHR is the greatest number of beats per minute that is safe for the heart. A commonly used MHR formula is 220 minus your age. One should not exceed 85 per cent of the MHR when exercising.
Mr Kor attended running forums and read many books about running to learn how best to pace himself. He paced his training regimen by starting with slow walks on the treadmill, then progressed to brisk walks, slow jogs and finally, a full marathon.
Mr Kor has run in 11 marathons including the Standard Chartered Marathon.
Knee pain has made him run less
But even though his heart is up to it, his knees tell a different story.
Four years ago, he experienced excruciating pain in both knees while running. He had run in four marathons that year.
A sports physician advised him to run less and go for physiotherapy. As a result, he cut his participation to just one marathon a year.
Every four months, he has a follow-up consultation with doctors at a polyclinic because of his previous heart attack. He is on lifelong medication and has a yearly heart scan.
For a man who seldom exercised before, running has become something he cannot do without.
“One is never too old to start exercising,” he said. “I will continue running even beyond the age of 80 as long as I am able to.”
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