Autumn breeze, golden sunset…8000 people ‘Healing Marathon’
More than 8,000 runners enjoyed the early fall marathon festival while feeling the breath of 700-year-old Baekje.
The 2023 Gongju Baekje Marathon, the ‘Messenger of Autumn Marathon’, was held at 9 a.m. on the 17th in the Baekje Big Road area of Gongju City, Chungnam Province. The day before the race, it rained in Gongju City, hastening the arrival of fall. However, on the day of the race, the rain stopped as if it was just around the corner, and the weather was typical of early fall, perfect for enjoying the marathon.
The best weather of the race…and a great photo opportunity
Participants gathered at Gongju Civic Stadium, the starting point, to warm up and take photos to prepare for the race, especially young runners in the 2030s who were dressed in colorful fashions.
At 9 a.m., the temperature was 22.7 degrees, a perfect fall day. It was a far cry from last year’s hot and humid conditions with 30-degree temperatures and 75% humidity.
Participants enjoyed the race in five categories: full course, 32.195km course, half course, 10km shortened marathon, and 5km health run. The 32.195km course, which was newly introduced this year, attracted more than 800 participants, more than 10% of the total 8,000 participants.
Full Course Lee Jong-hyun and Kim Hana won the men’s and women’s titles
In the full-course men’s race, 2019 winner Lee Jong-hyun, 31, repeated his victory with a time of 2 hours, 43 minutes and 10 seconds. Lee finished fifth at the Masters with a time of 2:28:59 at this year’s Seoul Marathon and Dong-A Marathon. “I’m getting married next month, and I ran hard to show my wife that I won,” Lee said after the race.
The full course women’s race was won by Hana Kim, 37. Kim crossed the finish line in 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 8 seconds to take first place at the Seoul Marathon after finishing fifth in the Masters. “This is my sixth full marathon,” said Kim, who won her first full marathon in sub-3 at last year’s Gyeongju Marathon. I want to win the race with a sub-3 time,” said Kim.
Mr. Park Yoon-soo (27-2h16m00s), the winner of the men’s 32.195km category, which was newly introduced this year, said, “I ran my first full course at the Dong-A Marathon in March. I participated in the race to prepare for the ‘Sub-3’ (sub-3 hour full course), but I didn’t expect to win,” he said. “We train for the ‘LSD’ (Long Slow Distance-30km or more) in the crew, but I think my time was better because of the unique atmosphere of the race.”
“I heard that the Gongju Marathon is hot and the course is difficult, but today it was windy and there was a tree shade in the middle, so I felt ‘blessed’,” said Kim Jum-ok (50-2 hours, 24 minutes, 47 seconds), winner of the women’s 32.195km category.
Visually Impaired and Guided Runners Complete 10K
There were also a number of high-profile participants. More than 1,000 preschoolers and elementary school students took advantage of the cooler weather to participate in the 5K health run with their families. Kim Chae-yul, 10, a fourth grader, said she was “very tired,” but was proud of the commemorative medal around her neck.
“I came as a substitute for my dad,” said Kim Hyuk, 43, who ran with his nieces and nephews in place of their father, who was visiting his grave ahead of Chuseok. It’s been 21 years since I was in the army,” said Kim Hyuk (43), who ran with his nephews.
Ji Sang-jin, 32, who is visually impaired, completed the 10 kilometers with high school classmate Bang Hyun-tae, 32, who connected them with a string. “It was not easy for me to experience running outside after my eyesight deteriorated, but thanks to my friend, I was able to run in the fresh air for the first time,” Ji said. Mr. Bang, who had never run a marathon or been a guided runner before, laughed, saying, “My friend ran better, so instead of me guiding him, he ran at my pace.”토토사이트
On the day, Gongju Mayor Choi Won-cheol, Gongju City Council Chairman Yoon Koo-byung, Gongju Police Chief Park Jong-min, and Dong-A Ilbo Editorial Director Chun Kwang-am were on hand to encourage the participants. Mayor Choi and Chairman Yoon ran 5 kilometers, while Gongju University President Lim Kyung-ho ran the 10-kilometer course.