8th Early Morning Riverside Marathon 제8회 새벽강변마라톤대회

South Korea is a very runner-friendly destination. It hosts major international marathons, two in Seoul, on top of an almost-weekly assortment of minor 42K races held around the country. This medal was for one in the latter category- the 8th Early Morning Riverside Marathon.

The full marathon course was to run along the famed Hangang River that cuts across the capital city of Seoul. It was a to- and fro- race route, described to be flat, fast, and simple. After running it, I couldn’t agree more.

I had registered for the race through friends living in Seoul. Truth to tell, it can be tough registering for a local race if you don’t know the language. Even online payments have to be done only via credit cards issued by a Korean bank. And I didn't have one!

I arrived in Seoul the afternoon before the race- my 5^th trip to the country but only the first time to run a race in any Korean city. The sky was cloudy and I was informed there was a 60% chance of heavy rains occurring on race day. Indeed on D-day, it rained like crazy!

As runners trickled in, they immediately sought refuge under the tents of their respective running clubs, of which there were many. I sought cover in the Seoulflyers tent whose welcoming members mostly were English-speaking expats.

The opening ceremonies started promptly at 6:30 AM, rainy conditions notwithstanding.  The officers of the race organizer- The Korea Marathon Association- led the opening program that was highlighted by a colourful fireworks display.

Formalities having been dispensed with, runners began to stretch and warm-up their cold bodies. There were four race categories- a 42K, 21K, 10K, and 5K. Over 4000 runners had registered to race that day, more than 600 in the 42K category.

A group of fitness instructors on stage led the runners, mostly males, through routine dance exercises. The backdrop was the 66,806-seat Seoul World Cup Stadium, site of  key soccer matches played during the city’s hosting of this global FIFA event in 2002.

 

Then it was time to assemble at the nearby starting area in a plaza a few hundred meters away. The 42K runners were to dash-off at 7 AM, some 15 minutes ahead of the 21K runners. Most looked like seasoned marathoners, but there were only very few foreigners.

But before the gun was fired, there was another round of colourful fireworks extravaganza. The rain had subsided at this point but many runners wore raincoats over their running singlets just the same, obviously anticipating a long rainy morning.

I was one of the last ones to dash off after the starting gun was fired. We ran mostly on paved trails in the first few Ks. I paced initially with a senior runner who I had met earlier during the warm-up exercises. He looked 70 years young and stronger than me!

Then we hit the Hangang River and ran along its banks. As we ran on trails, there was no vehicle traffic to worry about. Being a rainy early Sunday morning, bikers and walkers were also nowhere to be found. The trails were all ours for the running.

I immediately noticed the bridges that crisscrossed the river, each one constructed and painted differently from the other. This one looks similar to the one engraved in the race medal. There must have been seven or so bridges that we ran underneath in, totally..

Because it had rained heavily in Seoul just after midnight, puddles of water had formed on some portions of the route. In fact, after just a few Ks, my shoes were all wet and soggy already. I decided to throw caution to the wind and ran on water.

I don’t recall any cheering groups along the way. Maybe because it was rainy, or a Sunday, or just the way it was meant to be. So the presence of this solitary man banging a small gong endlessly was a memory-grabbing sight for me.

Unlike most races I have attended thus far, the number of runner perks was a bit limited for this 42K. But just the same, all the essentials were there, including an ambulance crew in case of unwanted emergencies.

Hydration stops with water and isotonic drinks dotted the race route. Aside from energy gels, there was no need to carry one's own running supplies. One stop offered cut and ready-to-eat bananas, served cheerfully by race volunteers. 

These race matters well taken care of, runners were kept busy running an assortment of wet surfaces- from asphalted trails to rubberized green-colored tracks- and sometimes into very foggy and misty portions with 50% or so visibility. 

There was also a prolonged run underneath the city’s freeway- a welcome respite from the rains that poured on and off that morning so much so that all runners were wet all over. That it was summer and not cold was a blessing.

I was to notice that these freeway underbellies were frequented by exercise-hungry locals. I passed by at least two portions that could very well have been fitness gyms- with elderly folk deep into their work out routines using the different equipment.

Then after running for about 21K, we finally hit the U-turn point where a race timing machine was set up. We then began to head back to the starting area using exactly the same riverbank route for most of the way.

But Mother Nature had other ideas. By this time, approximately around 10AM, the same route was much more flooded because of relentless rains and water flowing into the river. One simply had to walk some flooded portions.

Glancing at the river itself, one could feel that flooding was imminent. I was to learn later that the 21K runners had to waddle in knee-deep water to reach the finish line. A riverbank run indeed!

At the 36K mark, race officials were waiting to divert us runners from the original route- they told us the river had overflowed at certain points beyond making portions of the original route impassable already.

Runners were then requested to assemble on an embankment in the freeway up above where police escorts were waiting. But not before climbing the steep staircase, a challenge in itself after just having breached the marathon wall!

There I met another Marathon Maniac based in Korea (MM#2103) who also hails from the same province and speaks the same dialect as yours truly (small running world if you ask me!). The rest was history!

I reached the finish line with an official time of 4:37:51. There I got mock-interviewed in Korean by the race emcee. I told him I was already looking forward to changing into dry clothes after my first all-wet marathon experience that soggy Sunday. 

My 14^th marathon in 14 months in a dozen countries suddenly over, it was time to chill out with local recovery food and drinks and once more partake of my favorite side dish- the kimchi 김치.


Kamsahamnida 감사합니다.!