Are You Ready for a Fun Run?

Gyeongju will host the 2007 International Marathon Championships tomorrow. The championship is sponsored by this newspaper, North Gyeongsang Province, the Gyeongju municipal government, and the Korea Athletics Federation. Athletes will start their race at eight o’clock at Gyeongju Citizens’ Stadium and run around the city (on full, half, and 10km courses). This year, the competition features many athletes participating from different countries, such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. The total number of registered runners is 10,793, including around 100 elite marathoners.

Among the participants, Charles Kibiwott (33) from Kenya has the best record, with a time of two hours, six minutes, and 52 seconds. After checking the marathon course, he said, “It is flat, so I like it. If the weather conditions are good, then breaking my personal record will be possible. I am confident I can finish the race within two hours and eight minutes.” Korea’s top female marathoner Yoon Seon-sook (35, Gangwon Provincial Office) said, “I expect to make a good record due to the expected cool weather. I will break my personal record of two hours 32 minutes and nine seconds.” Her male counterpart Shin Jeong-hoon (25, Gumi City Hall) said, “I have been rigorously training for this championship and I will break my personal record of two hours 19 minutes and 13 seconds.”

Huge Temperature Difference-

The lowest and highest degrees Celsius for tomorrow will be 7 and 19, for a temperature difference of 12. Half-course marathoners will be running with temperatures of around 10 degrees from the beginning to the end; however, full-course athletes will need to wear proper clothing in order to keep their bodies at an optimum temperature.

The purpose of a marathon is safe pleasure. Completing the course is desirable, but if you feel that something is not right, you should quit immediately to prevent an accident from happening. The walk-break method, where runners walk when it is too difficult to run, can be helpful, too. When running a full-course, nine minutes of running and one minute of walking is recommended.

yjongk@donga.com