The Austin Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5k played host to a world record attempt by former DBU Cross Country and Track athlete Ben Duong.  His task: Complete the Half Marathon in the fastest time possible, but do it while dribbling a basketball the entire way.   
 

Sponsored and supported by the San Antonio Spurs, Duong took off from 2nd and Congress on his 13.1 mile trek through the streets of Texas' capital.  Through the 5k mark, he had already established the pace to beat the previous mark of 1:25, but it was not effortless from there.  In an interview with the Austin American-Statesman after the race, Duong is quoted saying, "On the last uphill going into the last mile, my whole body wanted to quit. But I was like, I made it this far. I cannot stop. No."    

  

As he summited the final climb and descended to the finish line, Duong continued to stride forward with consistent cadence, crossing the finish line in an astonishing 1:21:39 to set the new world record.  Wearing bib number 10019, Duong was greeted by his family and close friends in celebratory fashion. His 6:14 mile pace is impressive enough if he were just racing, but incorporating dribbling basketball into the mix while also placing 12th overall takes the accomplishment to another level.    

  

"It doesn't feel real. I'm honestly in disbelief. I'm shaking," said Duong.  "We're here. We made it here. I couldn't have done it without all my family, all my friends. Everyone who's supported me."  

  

Duong's World Record performance has been in the making for a long time, even reaching back to his days running for the Mavericks at McNeil High School in Austin.  Developing a love for running at an early age, he committed to race for the Patriots after graduating in 2017.  While dawning the red and blue for four years, Duong was selected to nine separate Conference Commissioner Honor Rolls and was nominated for the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award on three occasions. When reminiscing about his time at DBU, Duong was openly grateful and appreciative of his teammates and his experiences with the team. 

 

"In my time at DBU I made great, long-lasting friendships that came through in my time of preparation and need. Whether it was the constant belief from TK [Trenton Kelly], John Carrera, Noah Metzger, and Ben Foddrill or the hype and encouragement from Giselle Luera, Jeb Williamson, and Megan Smith, I knew I had teammates who had my back. Like basketball 101 from Austin Shumake or the calming presence of Angel Luera and Jacob Campbell, all of them were there for me. I may have run the race and dribbled the ball, but they did this just as much as I did. For me to get on the starting line, I needed them." 

 

In his final race as a Patriot, he set his personal-best mark in the 10k at 34:17.9, scoring for DBU at the 2021 South Central Regional Championships. But, as graduation loomed, Duong was not sure running would be part of his future after his time in Dallas. When asked about his thoughts during this pivotal time in his life, Duong made clear his community at DBU inspired him to continue training and improving. 

 

"After that race, we were in the van driving back to campus from Lubbock. We were all singing along and having a great time. I looked around at everyone there: Angel, Jeb, Megan, John, Matthew Hahn, Abril Escamilla, Yale Jay, Coach Phillips, and Trainer Jacob. At that moment, I thought 'What better way to ride off into the sunset, after a personal best and these memories.' I didn't think I would ever competitively run again. That's the way it was until January 2023. When Angel joined back with DBU to get his master's degree, I thought to myself 'I should get off my lazy behind.' Conveniently, the Austin half marathon was next month. I was not at all ready for it, but I went out there and ran 1:22:38. While it was horrific, it made me realize how much I missed racing, so I decided to get back to it." 

 

Since then, Duong has run three big races in his hometown of Austin. In November of 2023, Duong finished third in The Run for the Water 10-mile race. He followed that performance with a fifth-place showing at The Thundercloud Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. In January, Duong finished in the top percentile of the field at the 3M Half Marathon, placing 7th out of over 4,000 runners.  

 

"That 3M half marathon was what really got our run group thinking I was our best shot at breaking the basketball dribbling record. I ran 1:09:50 and the record was 1:25, so I knew the fitness was there. It would just be a matter of being coordinated enough to run while dribbling a basketball." 

 

Duong was certainly coordinated in his attempt, improving the new world record by over three minutes. His grit, determination, attitude, and patience came into full bloom on Sunday morning, ending with a triumphal moment at the finish line in the arms of The Coyote, the Spurs mascot.  
 

Outside of world record attempts, Duong is studying to earn a Master of Finance at UTSA to work in investment banking or as a financial advisor. All the while, he's training to run the Alamo half marathon in San Antonio in March and the Statesman Capital 10K in Austin in April. In the long term, his running ambitions are lofty, yet achievable. His goal is to complete the half marathon (basketball-less) at under 5:00 mile pace and the full marathon in under 2:24.