Meet The Sporty Surgeons

If you want something youve never had, you must be willing to do something youve never done. - Thomas Jefferson

- Hannah May-Lee Wong

Doctors may talk the talk, but how many of them walk the walk (or run the run, for that matter)? When we first encountered Dr Lau Choon Ping for an article on scoliosis, admittedly, we noticed that he is super fit! Scrolling through his Facebook, we saw an array of action shots taken from the various marathons he participated in. When we said we wanted to interview him about his sporting activities, the orthopaedic surgeon immediately told us (and with great enthusiasm) that he exercises with a close-knit group of friends, all of whom are doctors as well. Upon hearing this, we just had to meet this group for ourselves.

The friendly doctors were more than happy to talk to us about their journey towards fitness. The cheery group of friends consists of Dr Siva Kumar Ariaretnam, Dr Chooi Yue Seng, Dr Badrulhisham Bahadzor, Dr Robert Penafort and Dr Lau Choon Ping.

With mutual support and encouragement, they have all progressed far and achieved much in the realm of fitness and endurance sports. Just last year, Dr Lau reached the pinnacle of triathlons – he completed the notoriously difficult Ironman Triathlon. The others in the group have also racked up a long list of successfully completed endurance events such as full marathons, aquathlons (swim and run), duathlons (run, cycle, run) and triathlons (swim, cycle, run).

And here’s the catch: all of them started this journey only around three years ago.

Their collective message is clear and simple: exercise is good for you, everybody should do it and it’s never too late to start.

In this HealthToday exclusive, the doctors share with us about their respective fitness experiences, training routines, motivations and plans for the future.

Dr Lau Choon Ping Consultant Spine Surgeon Sports Profile: Triathlete (Running, swimming, cycling) Age: 48

HOW DID THE GROUP MEET?