I'll revisit a post I did last January 1st and put up a few links to websites listing marathons, half-maratons, 5Ks, and other runs, just in case one of your New Year's Resolutions is to get back into running. Marathon Online, Run1080.com, and E-Marathon are Korean-language directories; thanks to commenter Chris for supplying the last two.
Of local interest this year is the Yeosu Expo International Marathon (여수엑스포국제마라톤) on January 10th, the Ddangkkeut Marathon (해남땅끝마라톤) in Haenam county on February 7th, Honam International Marathon (호남국제마라톤) in Gwangju on April 11th, the Hampyeong Butterfly Marathon (함평나비마라톤) on April 18th, the Jangseong Hong-il Dong Marathon (장성홍길동마라톤) on May 2nd, and the Gangjin Celadon Ultra Marathon (강진청자 울트라마라톤) on October 2nd. There are more available on the websites, and make sure to pay attention to sign-up dates.
17 comments:
Are you a runner?
Korea is both one of the worst places for running that I've ever seen, but one of the best for racing. There are so many races every weekend and they're cheap and well-organized at that.
Not that it needs any more advertising, but I'll be running the Seoul International Marathon in March.
thanks brian for the info. there is also a foreign running group in seoul, the seoul flyers (www.seoulflyers.com) that organizes runs, race sign ups etc, its a good group up here.
i'm also thinking of doing the seoul int marathon but havent been running long in the past couple of weeks due to the cold.
I did a half-marathon a few years ago and nearly vomitted due to all the spiting and loogies flying. nasty.
I disagree that Korea is a bad place to run. The coutry is 70% mountains. Go off road, my friend.
There are some absolutely fantastic places to run in Korea, I imagine, but I should have specified that the Seoul area is atrocious for running. There is the Han River and, like you mentioned, mountains everywhere. However, for general running, the sort where you head out the door for an hour, There's too much concrete, even the parks are concrete, the traffic is atrocious and the stop lights are insane.
There are many large parks, which reminds me of London, but they're all concrete. For a city of this density this is par for the course, admittedly, and the mountains and river are a nice blessing.
Adeel,
Are you a runnner? Where in Seoul do you live?
I am, yeah. I'm in Ilsan right now, Seoul-bound as of late February.
Save your feet, Brian. Get a treadmill...concrete is evil.
Oh, and pray for the Steelers
Adeel,
No, I'm not a runner. I used to jog a few miles every night in high school, but shin splints put an end to that. I think I also may have broken my foot while running in college, but because I planned to take a vacation to the beach a few days later, and had to go back to work when I came back, I didnt' have it looked at. I had an xray several months later and the doctor said there was no break, though even today, nearly 10 years later, it still hurts if I walk a lot or run.
But, I've considered getting back into running. My head teacher in 2006 made me do a 5K run in Gangjin. 5K used to be nothing for me in high school, but by 2006 I was a pack-a-day smoker and had problems with my feet and legs, but still finished pretty easily.
I think I could ease myself into a 5K or 10K, if I found a way to deal with my shins. Some of the runs look very scenic, and look like a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Thanks for those links, Adeel and chuck, and thanks for the comments.
I think virtually anyone can run, though not everyone can do it well. Most people tend to run too fast on daily runs, even if they're convinced that they aren't, which turns runs into something stressful instead of something leisurely.
It's a fantastic sport, I hope you can get back into it. Twenty minutes at the absolute slowest pace you can manage, walking if you want and letting red lights interrupt you, is a good place to start.
Races do tend to go through beautiful areas, but they're never a good way to spend an afternoon. You can travel an hour to a race, run it, stretch, get dressed, have brunch and be home by 11.
I run an hour a day five to six days a week. At 200 pounds, I avoid concrete at all costs. I have had shin spints before (and the more painful plantar facitis) and they hurt like a bastard. It is an overuse injury and one that can be avoided rather easily. Find out a time length that could be run without getting shin spints. Run that distance 4 or 5 times a week, then jump up 5 minutes. Go up another 5 minutes the week after and if your feet and shins are ok, tweak the time up a little bit more.
DO NOT run on concrete. I keep that to less than 5 minutes a run. Find a track that is cushioned or dirt (most universities have one of the former and high schools sometimes have the latter). Run a mountain that is less travelled by the masses. 70% of the country is mountainous.
Running hurts. I dont like it as much as I do it for health and to make my body look good (think tight thighs and buttocks, something that tends not to look so good as we age). The feeling after a good run cannot be beaten. I challenge you, Brian, to get back into running. I hope to read a blog entry on your efforts soon.
brian if you get back into it, i'll come down and run your first race with you, gives me an excuse to get out town
now to get off my ass and get ready for the seoul int. where are you adeel? I need somebody to push me a bit
Brian, I second 1994's challenge.
Chuck, I'm in Ilsan, but I've been meaning for a very long time (like a year) to go run in Seoul on a Sunday morning. This group meets at 8 in the winter at Noksapyeong station. I'm going to do one more 24k (2 hours for me) next week before jumping up to 30k/2.5 hours the week after.
2 hour runs? How many times a week? Regular 2 hour runs are all kinds of awesome. Running in sub zero weather is also all kinds of awesome.
Oh, it's just once a week. I run about 60-90 minutes regularly during the week, but except for a few runs at the peak of marathon training, I don't run more than 90 minutes except once a week, usually on the weekend.
You can also get all of the runs listed for the entire country all in ENGLISH at 10magazine.asia - just check out the monthly calendars. Just look under the Sports and Fitness section of each area Calendar!
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