Ben Duong's half marathon time of 1:21:38 on Sunday was impressive, but far from his best time at the Austin Marathon. In the end, she finished 12th in the half marathon, falling outside the top 10 of elite runners.
But he did something that no one else in the race can claim. More specifically, the world. Duong became the fastest person to complete a half marathon while dribbling a ball, breaking the previous record of 1 hour 25 minutes and earning his name in the Guinness Book of World Records.
“It doesn't seem real. I honestly can't believe it. I'm shaking,” Duong told the American Statesman after the race. “We're here. We got here. I couldn't have done this without all my family, all my friends, everyone who supported me.”
Cheered on by family and friends, the former McNeil High School runner raced and dribbled with friends Kobe Yeves and Elijah McWilliams, who have trained with Duong since their high school track days.
Duong, 24, was sponsored by the San Antonio Spurs and had to jog and dribble at a fast but steady pace. He runs up and down hills, dodging other runners and obstacles, and is tempted to pick up bouncing balls rather than slamming them into the pavement over and over again. Although a difficult feat, McWilliams was confident in his friend's ability to succeed.
“This isn't the first time I've seen Ben challenge himself,” McWilliams said. “And Ben, he's the type of guy who does things like this. His passion for running is on another level…and he loves every minute of it.”
Come on, “basketball boy”!
His family also believed in Duong's running ability, but were worried about the dribbling aspect of the world record. Despite her concerns as a loving parent, his mother made sure that her son constantly practiced skills to prepare him for his challenge in history.
“Remember when we were kids, your mom would say, 'Hey, did you do your homework today?'” She would modestly say, “Ben, did you dribble the basketball today?” ''' Duong said.
Duong's favorite part of the race was crossing the First Street bridge. Hundreds of people lined up to watch the runners, and when the crowd realized what Duong was going to do, he murmured and cheered.
“Definitely, I will remember it forever,” Duong said.
“There were so many people and I just remember yelling, ‘We’ve set a world record!’” And then everyone went crazy and said, “Basketball boy! 'I was like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm like, 'I'm going to do that,''' McWilliams said. “I've never felt so much energy from a run in my life. It was amazing.”
Last mile of the Austin Half Marathon
Not everything was smooth sailing. He says he'll always remember the best moments, but what sticks in his head even longer is the premonition he felt as he approached the final hill.
Not only was his body exhausted from the usual effort of running 13.1 miles, but one wrong move could send his ball rolling downhill and ruin his record attempt. Although his body was on the verge of ending his life, Duong overcame his limitations with the strength of his mind.
“On the final climb to the last mile, my whole body wanted to quit, but I was like, I've come this far. I can't stop. I don't want to,” Duong said.
Only one name will be engraved in the book after Sunday's series ends. But the world record holder says there must be more, as he knows he couldn't have accomplished this on his own.
“Everyone's name should be next to me. I couldn't do it without them,” Duong said.
