We in the Evanston Running Club (ERC) have been privileged to watch one of our own, Paolo Tiongson, grow form a grade school boy running at our Wednesday night track workouts, to an accomplished runner, college graduate and fine young man. Those of us who saw him running on the track, or with his mom, Luni, or father Ron, in those early years knew he would be special when we saw his smooth, fluid stride, even as a young boy, running around the track at Evanston High School, and he did not disappoint us.
Paolo’s first race was the Race Against Hate 5k in 2005 when he was 9-years old., and he ran/walked with his mom. As she says, “He was entertained by the presence of water stations on the course. Little did we know that this race was a pivotal moment, as this paved the way for hundreds more. He ran about 42 minutes, but then in his second 5k, a few months later he finished under 39 minutes, a three-minute improvement. But more was to come when he ran the Winnetka 5k a month later in 34:10, and as they say, “the rest is history,” and Paolo was on his way.
We were delighted when he came back to the track workouts this summer after graduating from Marquette University in Milwaukee where he ran track and cross country. His stride was effortless as he ran repeat miles, actually 1,600 meters, in five minutes, or less, even speeding to a 4:38 time on one of those four lappers as we watched in awe. Sometimes he would come around after one or two laps and wonder aloud why he was running so fast, and if he should slow down, but he didn’t.
I recently published my second and last book, and thought I had run out of things to write about, but then at our annual Evanston Running Club end of season party Paolo said he was gunning for my ERC marathon record of 2:32, which I have done twice, once at Boston in 1973 and once in Chicago in 1977. That peaked my interest and suggested I should write an article about one of our own. Plus I would be more than happy to bequeath my throne to Paolo, and I am more than certain he will do it.
Paulo ran track and cross country for Loyola Academy in Wilmette and for Marquette University in Milwaukee and was an excellent runner at both. He recently graduated from Marquette, and I met up with Paolo for coffee to ask a few questions about his running for this article, and below are some of his answers, which I have summarized as best I can.
When did you start running?
I started running when I was about 6 or 7-years old. I didn’t enjoy it at first, going on runs with my parents, and wanting to walk every mile or so. My dad encouraged me to run at a pace that felt good, and to see if I could run without stopping. I remember feeling good after a 5k when I shaved my time from 38 to 34 minutes, and enjoying the accomplishment of not stopping, and improving my time.
Have you had what you would consider a breakthrough race? What was the race and what made it a breakthrough for you?
In high school during my sophomore year I ran 9:29:04 to qualify for the state meet in the 3,200 at the Loyola Sectional meet. Before that I had been running in the high 9:30s. It also gave me confidence going into the next year knowing I would be a top runner for our team and a leader.
In college I ran my first 10k at the Drake Relays as a sophomore also. I locked into running 75 second laps, in a very competitive race, and was able knock 45 seconds of my previous best 10k time,
More recently I ran the Hot Chocolate 15k in Chicago with the expectation of running a 5:15 to 5:20 pace, but instead me and my buddy ran 5:01 for the first mile, and I thought to myself, “What are we doing, am I going to die?,” but I was able to finish he race in which gives me confidence for the half marathon, which I am thinking about running soon. Note: Paolo finished second in the race in 48:16 (5:11 pace)
What are some of your running PRs?
High School-Loyola Academy
IHSA Cross Country Championships 2016-14th in 14:38
Quite a feat knowing how competitive Illinois HS cross country is.
Here is link to an article written after the race from the Daily North Shore
College-Marquette University
1500m-4:00
1 mile-4:21
3k-8:38
5k-15:00
10k-31:11
How many miles do you run in a week?
I generally run in he upper 60s, but have done 70 miles a week a few times.
What’s the farthest you’ve run?
20 miles. I did three of them while I was at Marquette during the summer.
What do you most enjoy about running?
I enjoyed being the camaraderie of being on a team during high school and college, and have made many lasting friendships with my running companions. When I am on an easy run with friends it makes the run easy and we get to talk and have conversations. Individually running has given me self confidence. I enjoy competing with other people and having a fun time doing it.
What do you least enjoy about running?
Going into a race and having high expectations and then not meeting them, and having a bad race instead.
How has your transition been now that you are no longer in school?
It has been hard mentally being on my own and not having races to train for, or give me focus. Plus I miss having teammates to run with.
What has running given you?
Running has given me friendships, confidence and a positive outlook on life. It helps me to be determined, and it also has humbled me when I have had tough days, and not met my own expectations of what I wanted to achieve.
What are your running goals for 2021?
Slowly improve my times in the 5 and 10k. I am planning to run a half marathon, and am hoping to run 71 minutes, or maybe break 70. I want to also qualify for the American Development Group in Chicago, which helps runners prepare for the Chicago Marathon
What are some of your longer range running goals?
I want to break 2:30 in the marathon in the near future, and ultimately break 2:20. I want to run all of the marathon major races, which are all run in interesting cities to visit—Boston, New York, London, Berlin, and Tokyo, not to mention Chicago.
Any other thoughts?
Watching the Chicago Marathon this year has really inspired me and made me want to run a marathon in the future.
Paolo, we look forward to watching you continue to achieve your goals and develop as a standout runner, and as a person,
runforeverblog 