He’s just about 26 miles from his goal.
Dyker Heights resident Peter Fu is on the cusp of completing the Abbot World Marathon Majors, with only the Boston Marathon remaining.
Fu, 46, has run in nearly 10 major marathons, including the TCS New York City Marathon several times, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the BMW-BERLIN MARATHON, the Tokyo Marathon, and the Virgin Money London Marathon. He will also run the Hong Kong Marathon later this month.
He will complete the Abbot World Marathon Majors when he runs in the Boston Marathon for the first time.
The Xaverian alum, who moved from Hong Kong to the states when he was 10, discussed how he got into running these massive marathons.
“I was on the track team at Xaverian for one season and back them I didn’t really like it,” Fu admitted. “About six years ago, my wife started running recreationally and I just didn’t want to be the overweight husband anymore. When I started, I couldn’t even run 10 blocks. I just kept running, and continuing to push myself to see if could run a mile, or a 5K. If I could do that, maybe I can run a 10K, or a half marathon. I kept progressing and used running as a way to challenge myself and stay in shape. But running has not just changed me physically but mentally as well.”
Fu is also a member of Ridge Runners, a group of local runners that’s been in existence for over four years. Through running, he’s found a passion.
“I find it’s a great way to clear your mind and start thinking about your life, work and family,” he told this paper. “It started out really as a way to improve my health and then it turned into getting my family and friends to join for health and mental reasons, to stay active and healthy, and I kept adding on more goals to see how far I can push myself.”
Fu has participated in nine full marathons, with his first being in New York City in 2014. He has run in that one every year since.
For him, though, one of the most significant occasions will be running in his hometown’s marathon in 2019, in memory of his father and brother.
“It will be special,” he said, “going back to my first home, running it in my father and brother’s honor, and then celebrating with family and relatives afterwards. Part of the reason why I wanted to run in Hong Kong is because I was born there. My father raised me there until I came to the states, and my brother passed away in Hong Kong, so running that marathon is for the both of them.”
The runs have also been a way to honor his late father by giving back.
“I thought it would be a great way to honor him,” Fu said, “not just by running and carrying one of his favorite hats, but also by getting more involved with the community. In London, I ran for a local charity and in Boston I’m running for the YMCA of Greater Boston.”
This means helping teens in the area, according to YMCA of Greater Boston President and CEO James Morton.
“When you run for the Y’s Boston Marathon team, you are raising money to help us give a teen in Greater Boston access to summer programming, swim classes and camp,” he said in a statement. “This past summer was our busiest to date with each of our branches creating programming to fit the needs of the youth in their neighborhoods, which would not be possible without funds raised by our runners”
According to Fu, finishing the Boston Marathon this spring will a huge highlight in his life.
“I never dreamt that I would be running even a mile so it’s a dream to run all the majors,” he explained. “But I actually want to push further and see how many more I can do. If you keep working at it, anything is possible.”
To donate to Fu’s chosen charity, visit https://bit.ly/2HJCRkr.
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