Overcoming hills considered key in Gyeongju Marathon

Runners can anticipate victory if they effectively run up hill sections in the Dong-A Ilbo 2011 Gyeongju International Marathon Sunday.

Competitors in the full course category of the race feel intimidated over the new course with up hills, in which they depart from Gyeongju Citizens Stadium and run through downtown and Bomun Tourism Complex to return to the starting place.

To start 8 a.m. Sunday, the marathon will be co-hosted by North Gyeongsang Province, the Gyeongju City Hall, the Korea Association of Athletic Federations, Sports Dong-A and Dong-A.

Changing the conventional course that required runners to run through downtown three times until last year, the organizing committee designed the new course to include two hills at a 5-kilometer section from 27.5 to 32.5 kilometers.

The section between the points of 27.5 and 30 kilometer is challenging, entailing an altitude gap of more than 100 meters and reminiscent of Heartbreak Hill in Boston.

Upon completing a tour of the course Friday, professional runners held a news conference at Hyundai Hotel. Paul Kirui of Kenya, who is ranking first among the competitors with a time of 2:06:44, said, "To be frank with you, the hill is too steep. It`s very important to control energy consumption in the uphill section, and to not over-pace when going downhill."

Sylvester Teimet of Kenya, who set the Korean marathon record with a time of 2:06:49, said, "It`s a touch course. But if there is an up hill, there is a down hill. If I set up a good racing strategy, I could achieve good records."

Lee Myeong-gi of Sangmu, a Korean military athletic unit, said, "I ran the course myself, and it`s more difficult than any other course I`ve ever run. It`s very important to save stamina to the last moment."

Teimet and Kirui, who faced off in the Seoul International Marathon last year, engaged in a verbal dispute by vowing to win. Kirui, who finished third last year, said, "I was in a bad condition at that time, but I feel confident this time, because I thoroughly prepared for it. I`ll cross the finish line first."

Teimet said, "I`m proud to hold another race with a good friend. After failing to win the Seoul International Marathon this year, I`ve prepared for more than five months, and the goddess of victory will smile on me. I will win this competition before winning next year`s Seoul International Marathon."

More than 9,000 marathoners will compete in the Gyeongju race, including more than 2,000 in the full course, 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer health runs. The pollution-free course preserves the splendid cultural heritage of Gyeongju, the 1,000-year capital of the ancient Shilla Kingdom.

Temperatures will hit a morning low of 12 degrees Celsius and a daytime high of 19 degrees Sunday to present ideal weather conditions for the marathon. Traffic will be controlled in certain sections of the city for about five hours from 7 a.m. that day.

yjongk@donga.com