May 19, 2020

When stay-at-home orders halted everything from school to sports to travel, Garmin athletes around the world have found inventive ways to keep moving. Peter Cooper caught our attention for knocking out an indoor marathon in a tight spot. Just goes to prove big dreams don’t need big spaces to come true.

Peter, we applaud your perseverance — 5,250 laps inside a tiny Hong Kong flat to complete a marathon is hard to imagine. What inspired you to pull off this feat?

In 2017 and 2018, I really struggled with my mental wellness after losing my Mum. What I knew helped me, was talking about things. When COVID-19 struck, I knew people would struggle with the isolation, and I wanted to inspire people to show that anything is possible while also promoting the importance of talking. I was already marathon fit as I was planning to run the Hong Kong and Tokyo Marathons in February and March, but both were cancelled due to COVID-19, so this was a good opportunity to use my fitness while trying to help inspire people who may be struggling.

Can you share why the two charities you fundraised for, Mind and Cardiomyopathy UK, are important to you personally?

Cardiomyopathy UK: I do all my challenges now in memory of my mother, Marilyn, who sadly died of a heart attack in 2016, shortly after running a half marathon. It was likely she had arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, or ARVC, which is a type of cardiomyopathy that affects how blood is pumped around the heart and causes abnormal heart rhythms. I’ve undergone tests for ARVC myself. And when I was declared fit to run, I was determined to raise awareness of this heart condition. Since November 2018, I have undertaken other endurance events including the New York, London and Chicago marathons – as well as an Ironman – and now the indoor marathon in my 8 meter-long flat. I also hope to complete the Tokyo Marathon next year, which will be the last of the majors in memory of my Mum.

I have struggled over the last two years, since the passing of my mother Marilyn. She was a keen runner and triathlete, who was hoping to complete all six major marathons, before sadly passing away unexpectedly. I wanted to do something positive in her memory by helping Cardiomyopathy UK to keep supporting those living with the disease and raising awareness of symptoms. I want to help other people and their families going through a similar situation.

Mind: I have struggled with my mental health over the last two years, since the passing of my mother Marilyn. These running challenges have helped me deal with a tough time in my life and I wanted to raise awareness of how exercise can help your mental health, particularly when globally we’re all inside and could be finding it hard to keep darker thoughts at bay. I wanted to do something positive to help amazing charities, like Mind, keep going and be able to help others.

We think anyone who runs for a good cause has a big heart, and for you, that’s also true in a physical sense. Do you have to follow any special precautions due to your enlarged right ventricle?

Yes, for 18 months in total, I was not allowed to run or do any exercise. This honestly made me feel so down and it all ties in with the depression I experienced. Now when I run, I constantly have to wear a heart rate monitor and watch my HR. Garmin is so great for this because I can look down constantly at my watch to see my heart rate or set alerts for this. In January, while training for the Tokyo Marathon, I aimed to do 20 miles at race pace. After just 12 miles, I had to stop as my heart rate was far too high. Although I have been signed off now from the condition, I still need to be sensible and stop when I feel things get too much for me. This hurts, especially because I am trying to do a sub 3-hour marathon so I can qualify for Boston!

Do you have to keep your heart rate in a certain range for your runs?

Yes, I try to remain in zone 2 for most of my runs and will go into zone 3 occasionally. For speed work, I sometimes have to hold back due to this. It can be a challenge when you are competitive 😉.

Which Forerunner watch did you use for your marathon in quarantine?

I used the Forerunner 735XT. It is my go-to watch as the battery life is great, and it also works for swimming and triathlons, which I do often. It’s also nice and light, which is important when running in the Hong Kong heat!

Outside a blister or two, what was the biggest challenge?

Running for 4 hours 39 minutes and 1 second staring at the same wall and turning every 8 seconds or so….it’s safe to say I was very dizzy, something I never thought I would struggle from while running.

Did your wife set up an aid station and finish line for you? What about a medal?

As it was a bit of a last-minute decision to run the marathon, we didn’t have an aid station set up, just a water bottle with two Kinetica energy gels, luckily I could grab these easily as the room is only…