Man born without arms & legs completes Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on longboard
Runners at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) on Sunday (7 Dec) were left stunned and inspired after spotting a man with no arms and nos legs pushing himself along the full 42.2km route on a longboard.
Source: @vhicky00000 on TikTok
He was identified as Chris Koch, 46, a Canadian motivational speaker, adaptive athlete, and farmer from Alberta, born without all four limbs.
Besides the full marathon, Chris told MS News that he had competed in the half-marathon race the day before.
‘I was so impressed and proud of him’
One SCSM participant wrote online that he had run past Chris during the race and was deeply moved.
Source: @dr.sheen on TikTok
The participant said he was “so impressed and proud of him”.
“Hopefully, he knows that there are people who get inspired by him.”
Source: TikTok
Another TikTok video posted on Monday (8 Dec) by Marivic Jumaway, a volunteer with the Happy Feet Running Club, showed Koch during the full marathon race.
Source: @vhicky00000 on TikTok
She told MS News that she saw Koch participating in the full marathon race.
“It was a full marathon,” she said. “We saw him from the other side, and when he came past us I was so proud of him using a skateboard for the full marathon.”
Pic courtesy of Marivic Jumaway
She also said that she saw Chris being interviewed by the organisers before the marathon.
Source: @sgmarathon on Instagram
Embodying the ‘If I can’ mindset
Speaking to MS News, Chris said he is a motivational speaker and strives to embody the “If I can” mindset — a phrase that also serves as the tagline for his presentations.
“If a guy without arms and legs can work on the farm, do marathons, and travel the world, we’re all capable of doing some pretty awesome and amazing things,” he told MS News.
Source: @ifican.chriskoch on Instagram
“So, doing marathons has been a great way to live my life as that example of getting out there and making the most of life, regardless of whatever situation you’re in.”
He added that participating in marathons has been a “great excuse to travel”, saying that he has done 23 marathons so far in four different continents.
Source: @ifican.chriskoch on Instagram
Chris told MS News that he took part in the half and full marathons on Saturday (6 Dec) and Sunday (7 Dec), respectively.
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Featured image adapted from @sgmarathon on Instagram, @dr.sheen on TikTok and @ifican.chriskoch on Instagram.
