The 'maknae line' of MBN's marathon entertainment show 'Running Man', consisting of Ahn Seong-hoon, Yulhee, and Lee Jang-jun, revealed their determination to challenge themselves in the marathon.
The special project commemorating MBN's 30th anniversary, 'Running Man', which will premiere on the 19th at 8:20 PM, is a sports reality show that captures stars from different backgrounds overcoming their limits through marathon challenges.
Sean, known as the 'marathon donation angel', and Lee Young-pyo will serve as the team leader and deputy leader, while Bae Seung-jae and Yang Se-hyung will join as the marathon commentators. The 16 'beginner runners' include 'basketball president' Heo Jae, actress Bang Eun-hee, former baseball player Yang Jun-hyuk, lawyer Yang So-young, hair loss doctor Han Sang-bo, chef Jeong Ho-young, choreographer Bae Yoon-jung, brain scientist Jang Dong-seon, former MBC announcer and broadcaster Son Jeong-eun, 'Physical 100' fitness creator Jo Jin-hyung, former baseball player Choi Jun-seok, singer Sleepy, comedian Kim Seung-jin, trot singer Ahn Seong-hoon, and Yulhee from the group Laboum, and Lee Jang-jun from the group Golden Child.
In the meantime, the 'maknae line' Ahn Seong-hoon, Yulhee, and Lee Jang-jun expressed their unique determination, saying, “Finishing the marathon is our goal!” This raises expectations for the show. Ahn Seong-hoon first stated, “My goal this year is to release a new song and complete a full marathon,” and added, “I want to break away from the weak image. In fact, I’m not as weak as everyone worries, but someone has to take on the weak image in entertainment, so I naturally ended up with it,” he humorously explained. He continued, “I don’t think of myself as weak,” and expressed, “Honestly, I think my spirit of challenge is better than my physical strength. I have a competitive spirit as well. Above all, since this year is the 'Year of the Snake', which is my zodiac sign, my spirit of challenge is exceptional. I won’t shy away from any challenge!”
In particular, he is also known as the 'icon of perseverance and sincerity' who won after challenging himself in both seasons of 'Mr. Trot'. He said, “Actually, people around me opposed my re-challenge for the trot audition ('Mr. Trot'), but I thought that if I missed the opportunity to challenge myself, I would miss the timing forever, so I took on the challenge with the mindset that it was my last chance. I see this 'Running Man' as a precious opportunity to challenge myself in sports and plan to run with the goal of completing the full marathon,” he conveyed.
Yulhee, a former member of the girl group Laboum, also threw down a bold declaration. Yulhee stated, “I currently weigh 48 kg at 166 cm, which is about 10 kg less than when I was at my healthiest. I originally have 'orthostatic hypotension', but I have perseverance and determination, so I am approaching this with the mindset of completing the full marathon within two months. I am confident that I will grow quickly,” she emphasized.
She added, “In 2024, I was mentally and professionally very exhausted. This year, I set a goal to overcome my limits and to become a healthy person both physically and mentally.” As a mother of three children, Yulhee expressed, “I want to show that divorce is not a failure in life. Also, I want to offer hope to those in similar situations that they can rise again even when faced with great challenges, which is why I decided to run.”
Lee Jang-jun, a member of Golden Child, is receiving attention as a promising candidate due to his background as a former athlete and his history of winning a gold medal. He mentioned, “I did athletics until the 3rd year of middle school. At that time, I won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal,” but humbly added, “I haven’t done athletics since my activities with Golden Child, so it’s been 15 years, and my memories are a bit hazy.” He shared that due to intense choreography during his idol activities, he suffered from chronic knee inflammation and even underwent surgery on his ankle bone, but he said, “I don’t feel pain when I exercise,” and revealed, “I felt emotionally drained as the members of Golden Child, who I have been with for many years, left the company, which left me feeling empty.”
Lee Jang-jun shared, “As I started to think a lot, I began to drink often, and I became mentally exhausted, so I started running again. I have been running hard since last August. However, there are many hidden masters at Jungnangcheon, which has been a great motivation for me,” he expressed with enthusiasm. He aims to be a 'hexagonal entertainer' and joked, “I might be able to beat team leader Sean and deputy leader Lee Young-pyo in short-distance running?” and added, “I will definitely complete the full marathon, so please keep an eye on me.”
The marathon challenge of the 'maknae line' Ahn Seong-hoon, Yulhee, and Lee Jang-jun, who are united by sincerity and diligence, can be seen in MBN's 'Running Man', which premieres on the 19th at 8:20 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
