What It’s Like To Be Fat in Thailand
I had just finished a 10 K race.
I hate 10 K’s. You want me to pay $40 so I can run 6.2 miles and hate my life at the same time? I can do that for free.
However, my Thai professor had basically forced me to run. I protested a lot when he signed me up, but he said it was “good for my health” and bought my ticket anyways. He said he would “sponsor” my ticket so I didn’t have to pay the 600 Baht entrance fee and he would have one of his former students escort me to the race. In the end I really had no choice.
The race ended up being really cool. I ran over the highways of Bangkok, through the historic part of the city, and past The Grand Palace all before daylight broke. It was really beautiful and a once in a lifetime experience. I ended up getting a pretty good time for it too, 1 hour and 8 minutes, beating all of my professor’s grad students.
My time shocked everyone. My professor pulled me aside after the race and told me I “must have a very good body”. He explained how I was fatter than all of his students, but I still ran the fastest. My body must be very well built to do that.
My time didn’t surprise me, personally. I liked to work out but I also liked to eat. I knew I could run well even if I didn’t look like it. Actually, I had told everyone I could run long distances, but…
