A PRACTICING pediatrician currently based in Earlimart, California, Dr. Ryan Roger Chio, son of the late Dr. Roger Chio, former Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture XI and XII, and Dra. Aurora Chio was hestitant to relate his story as a marathon runner in the international scene.
His recent trip home to Davao City was one of his saddest visits, but it was a chance for us to persuade him to tell his story. He tells us that the New York Marathon is the biggest marathon in the world, having more than fifty thousand participants annually. It is an iconic route, running the five boroughs – Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx and Brooklyn, which has made the New York Marathon popular and a dream for every runner and marathoner in the world. He was inspired whenever he watched his friends running the New York Marathon and told himself “I am going to run this New York Marathon once in my lifetime. So in 2016, I decided to join a charity to run for the New York Marathon. From zero running to one mile per day run, then I started following the training marathon calendar. Running daily became my relaxation, it is the time for me to think, pray and appreciate the environment and life while running especially during a long run training on the weekends.”
Ryan was excited to relate: “It was a great achievement for me, finishing my first marathon especially in New York City. It changed my life physically, emotionally and spiritually. “Then I learned about the Abbott World Marathon Majors. The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series consisting of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world. The races take place in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. It is like a grand slam for tennis (US Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon and French Open). So I decided to do it all, wanting to represent the Philippines. Only twenty-five Filipinos made it, calling it a six-star finisher.”
Dr. Ryan Chio was born in Cotabato City, moved to Davao City and studied Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology in San Pedro College and took a Doctor of Medicine degree at the Davao Medical School Foundation in Davao City. He took up a Post Graduate Internship at the Makati Medical Center for a year before moving to the United States where he did his four-year Pediatric Residency Training and became Chief Resident in Elmhurst Hospital, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He then moved to Earlimart, California. Photo credits: Ryan Chio
