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Sim Bok-seok

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Sim Bok-seok
Personal information
NationalitySouth Korean
Born(1928-10-16)October 16, 1928
DiedAugust 13, 1998(1998-08-13) (aged 69)
Sport
SportLong-distance running
Event5000 metres

Sim Bok-seok (Korean: 심복석; 16 October 1928 – 13 August 1998), also written as Shim Pong-Sik or Bok Suk Shim, was a South Korean long-distance runner.[1] He competed in the men's 5000 metres at the 1948 Summer Olympics.[2]

Career

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Sim attended Korea University. He set a record in July 1948 and his debut at the London Olympics was anticipated by the Korean public.[3] A farewell party was held for him before he left.[4]

Sim was part of the "Joseon Olympic team" (Korean: 조선 올림픽 대표단).[5] He was seeded in the first heat of the 5000 metres at the 1948 Olympics.[6] He finished in 10th place and did not advance to the finals.[7][8]

He was described in Korean as being close to the world record in 1948.[9]

At the 1949 Korean National Sports Festival, Sim was selected to open the games by taking an oath representing the athletes.[10]

He won the 1952 South Korean Athletics Championships over 5000 m, running a time of 15:36 minutes.[11] Also in 1952, Sim set a South Korean marathon record that still stood as of 1958.[12] He was recruited to Brigham Young University beginning in 1952.[13]

Representing the BYU Cougars track and field team, Sim won the school's intramural mile in 1954.[14]

Sim was called a "mystery man" following his entry into the 1955 Boston Marathon.[15] At the race, Sim led the race at the 19-mile mark. He was later passed and dropped out of the race at Heartbreak Hill.[16][12] He was said to have run out of energy because he had no support to feed him.[17]

Sim set a dual meet record in the mile for BYU in 1956, running 4:20.8 minutes.[18] He went on to finish 6th in the 5000 metres at the 1956 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking the lead on the 9th lap.[19] He was selected for a European tour in July of that year.[20]

He also competed in cross country running for BYU, winning the 1956 Intermountain Amateur Athletic Union cross country championships and leading his team to victory there as well.[21]

He was one of two runners chosen to represent 'Man' in a Man vs. Horse ultra-marathon race in 1957.[22] However, he was replaced in November 1957.[23] It was rumored that he withdrew because he was afraid he would lose his amateur standing, as the horses were not Amateur Athletic Union members.[24]

Sim trained running 10 to 20 miles daily in preparation for the 1958 Boston Marathon. He ran 8 miles in 44 minutes and 46 seconds in training, and reportedly would try a new type of running shoe for the race.[25][12] To maximize his red blood cell production, Sim purposefully did not fly from high-altitude Utah to Boston until just before the race day. To maintain energy, he would be fed water and sweet bread during the competition.[17] He was accompanied en route by his coach and Morton Hack, the creator of the new rippled shoes Sim wore.[26] At the race he finished in 35th place, running a time of 3:18:46 hours.[27] He said that the stitching on the experimental shoes cut his feet and the heat hampered his performance.[28]

Personal life

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Sim was born on 16 October 1928 in Hamgyong Province, Korea. He was one of four children.[13] During the Korean War, Sim was a translator for the South Korean and American military.[13]

Sim attended Korea University and then studied abroad in the United States at Brigham Young University. He was a senior at BYU in April 1958.[3][27][29] He was trained by Dave Geddes, who was also a health instructor at BYU.[30] He was called Dr. Geddes' "personal plodder".[31]

Sim was also the president of the school's Far East club.[32] He helped obtain a student visa for Korean dancer Ae Suk Choe.[33]

After his graduation from BYU, Sim moved to California and became an American citizen.[13] He worked for ARCO until his retirement in 1985. He was a convert to the Mormon church.[34] He married BYU graduate student Doris Yoshiko in August 1960.[35]

Sim later married Jean Chang Sil and had three children plus a son-in-law. He died on 13 August 1998, aged 69.[13]

In 2019, a scrapbook containing Sim's autograph was brought to auction. He was the only male track and field athlete represented in the book.[36]

References

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  1. ^ Sim Bok-seok at Olympedia Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sim Bok-seok Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b "우리選手(선수)들士氣旺盛(사기왕성) 올림픽競技(경기)오늘開塲(개장)" [Our athletes are in high spirits. The Olympic Games open today.]. The Dong-A Ilbo (in Korean). No. 7657. 30 July 1948. p. 2 – via Naver.
  4. ^ "올림픽派遣選手沈福石君歡送會(파견선수침복석군환송회)" [Olympic Athlete Shim Bok-seok's Farewell Party]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). No. 7701. 19 June 1948. p. 2 – via Naver.
  5. ^ "한국 육상경기와 올림픽대회" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Athletics Federation. 24 May 2013. p. 297. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2025.
  6. ^ Sim Bok-seok at Tilastopaja (subscription required)
  7. ^ Tchir, Paul (8 July 2024). "1948 Korean Olympic Mysteries, Part 1". OlympStats. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024.
  8. ^ Sim Bok-seok at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
  9. ^ "마라손勇將뿐" [Only Marathon warriors]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). No. 7558. 1 January 1948. p. 4 – via Naver.
  10. ^ "學徒護國團全國體育大會開幕(학도호국단전국체육대회개막)!" [The Opening of the Student National Sports Festival (Student Defenders National Sports Festival)!]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). No. 960. 11 October 1949. p. 2 – via Naver.
  11. ^ "陸上各競技(육상각경기)엔成績不振(성적부진) 33回體育典(회체육전)의中間報告(중간보고)" [Interim report of the 33rd Athletics Championships (athletics competitions)]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). No. 1948. 21 October 1952. p. 2 – via Naver.
  12. ^ a b c Perry, Leo (1 April 1958). "Shim Enters Boston Marathon". Deseret News. Vol. 349, no. 78. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 48. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  13. ^ a b c d e "SHIM, Bok Suk, a wonderful husband and father, and a 1948 Korean Olympian, passed away on August 13". The Los Angeles Times. 19 August 1998. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Lamb Voted Top BYU All-Around Intramural Star". The Daily Herald. No. 2. Provo, Utah. 2 June 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  15. ^ "Mystery Men In Boston Race". The Hamilton Spectator. Vol. 110, no. 87. Boston, Massachusetts. International News Service. 14 April 1955. p. 36. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  16. ^ "Cougar Runner In Boston Race". The Salt Lake Tribune. 2 April 1958. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  17. ^ a b "BYU Distance Runner Primes For Marathon". The Daily Herald. No. 229. Provo, Utah. 11 April 1958. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  18. ^ "Ten Meet Records Shattered". Arizona Daily Star. Vol. 115, no. 102. Tucson, Arizona. 11 April 1956. p. 29. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  19. ^ "Bill Dellinger Gets Cheers". The Sunday Oregonian. Vol. 75, no. 24. Portland, Oregon. 17 June 1956. p. 61. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  20. ^ "BYU Track-Field Athletes Off On Tour Of Europe". Deseret News. Vol. 346, no. 32. Provo, Utah. 7 July 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  21. ^ "Korean Runner Stole Show In Distance Race". Deseret News. Vol. 346, no. 167. Salt Lake City, Utah. 12 December 1956. p. 44. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  22. ^ "MAN VS. HORSE RACE (Continued From Page 1)". The Uintah Basin Standard. 7 November 1957. p. 12. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Y. Coach Shifts Team For Race With Horse". Deseret News. 12 November 1957. p. 40. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Shim Claims Horses Weren't AAU Members". The Daily Herald. 29 November 1957. p. 8. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  25. ^ "BYU Runner To Test Ripple Soles". The Salt Lake Tribune. 15 April 1958. p. 17. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  26. ^ "LOCAL SHOE MAN". Detroit Free Press. 18 April 1958. p. 48. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  27. ^ a b "特殊暴行(특수폭행) 조선일보 | 1958.04.21 기사(뉴스)". naver.com (in Korean).
  28. ^ "Shoes Hurt His Feet Cougar Runner Finishes 33rd in Boston Marathon". The Sunday Herald. 20 April 1958. p. 16. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  29. ^ "오는十九日(십구일)에 보스톤마라돈 조선일보 | 1955.04.16 기사(뉴스)". naver.com (in Korean).
  30. ^ "Thin Mountain Air May Help Shim At Sea Level". Deseret News. 12 April 1958. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Soldiers, Korean Undergoing Tests". The Boston Globe. 18 April 1958. p. 40. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  32. ^ "Lecture On Far East Scheduled". The Daily Herald. 18 January 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Korean Dancer Visits In Mebane". News and Record. 23 June 1957. p. 13. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  34. ^ "BYU Athletes Score Hit In Meets Abroad Continued from Pages 8-9". Deseret News. 8 September 1956. p. 38. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  35. ^ "Doris Yoshiko Matsuki Sets Date With Bok Suk Shim". Deseret News. 21 July 1960. p. 34. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  36. ^ "1948년 런던올림픽 한국선수단 사인북, 경매에 등장". khan.co.kr (in Korean).
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