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The New Paper
He threw his maid a challenge: Complete a marathon and you’ll get $2,000. And Mr Tan Kok Sing kept his promise when Ms Leah Martinez, 45, completed the 42km Standard Chartered Marathon three years ago in seven hours. “It wasn’t easy as I had put on a lot of weight at that time,” Miss Martinez said. Having caught the running bug, she has gone on to complete three more marathons without the need for monetary incentives. Her only training for the marathons is the regular exercise she does with the Tiong Bahru Joggers club. The Filipina began working for Mr Tan, whom she calls “uncle”, in 1999 . Mr Tan takes her along when he jogs and plays basketball every morning. She even has both the official blue and white Tiong Bahru Joggers club singlets, which Mr Tan prints for the members. “You can really see the progress she has made in her fitness. She can run so fast now,” said Mr Tan. Mr Tan, who is also the founder of Tiong Bahru Joggers club, is a fitness fanatic who jogs and plays basketball regularly despite his age.
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