Rich autumn marathon program prepared by Dong-A Ilbo
‘7979 Seoul Running Crew’ running in the city on an autumn night
‘Super Blue Marathon’ where people with and without disabilities run together
The sweltering tropical nights have passed, and a cool breeze is blowing in the evenings. The coming season is called ‘heavenly paralysis’, meaning the sky is high and horses get fat, but it is also the perfect season to get out of the fan and run around Seoul while feeling the wind with your whole body.
This fall, a rich marathon program that will excite runners is coming. The Dong-A Ilbo’s ‘7979 Seoul Running Crew’ and the ‘2024 Super Blue Marathon’ are the two programs. Let’s take a look at the two programs that have returned with even more evolution.
A special run to enjoy with your family
“Watch out for pedestrians on the right!” “Watch out for the ground and bicycles!”
This is the slogan chanted by members of the ‘7979 Seoul Running Crew’, a program run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Dong-A Ilbo to promote a ‘city run culture’, while running through downtown Seoul every Thursday evening.
‘7979’ is a name that means running through downtown Seoul from 7 PM to 9 PM and becoming ‘friends (79)’. Last year, 2,730 citizens participated for about 30 weeks, and the 7979 Seoul Running Crew received a hot response. This year, it has expanded to three areas: Gwanghwamun Square, Banpo Hangang Park, and Yeouido Park. In particular, the newly built Runner’s Station near Yeouido Park, which was added this year as a running gathering place in the Yeouido area, is attracting many participants. Participants learn basic running posture and supplementary exercises that help with running under the guidance of professional coaches and run around various areas of Seoul for two hours.
There are also events that the whole family can participate in on a weekend morning every month. In May, there is the ‘Toddler Car Run’ where parents and children can walk around Yeouido Park together, in June, there is the ‘Water Gun Run’ to beat the hot weather of early summer, and in July, there is the ‘Treasure Hunt Run’ where children can return to their childhood and run hard while receiving gifts.
In addition, one weekday, except for Thursday, once a month, various lectures related to running were held. In May, Coach Jang Ho-jun, the main coach of 7979 Seoul Running Crew, gave a lecture on etiquette and safety during the city run, and in July, Coach Steve Hong, the head strength coach of the professional baseball team SSG Landers, introduced exercises that are good to do together to improve running skills. The organizers plan to invite various celebrities in the future.
The 7979 Seoul Running Crew, which will continue until mid-October, can be applied for through the official Instagram or Dongma Club website, and applications can also be made on-site at the running venue.
Shall we hold hands and run together?
On Sunday, October 6, the ‘2024 Super Blue Marathon’ will be held at the Peace Plaza in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and the ‘Sunshine Running Class’ will be held ahead of the event.
The 2024 Super Blue Marathon, hosted by the Dong-A Ilbo and organized by Special Olympics Korea and Lotte, is a marathon in which people with disabilities and people without disabilities run together as part of the ‘Super Blue Campaign’, a campaign to improve awareness of people with disabilities. Ahead of the event, the Sunshine Running Class, where people with disabilities and people without disabilities train together, will be held five times in total, every other Tuesday, starting on the 29th of last month. A total of 11 teams, consisting of one person with a developmental disability and 2-3 people without disabilities, will participate in the Sunshine Running Class, and the number of people recruited from people with disabilities was so popular that more than three times the number of vacancies applied.
At the orientation and training held at Gangmyeong Middle School (Gangdong-gu, Seoul) on the 29th of last month, the following took place: △Team meetings, △Training guidance by Park Myeong-hyeon, director of the running class company Runcop, △Education on improving awareness of disabilities and various training sessions by Kim Dong-hyeon, instructor of the Songpa-gu Disabled Sports Association.
On this day in particular, singer Sean, the public relations ambassador for the Super Blue Marathon, and artist Shin Dong-min, who drew the key visual for the event, also attended. Artist Shin, who is developmentally disabled, decided to complete the Super Blue course (5km course) after participating in each class.
The 2024 Super Blue Marathon will be divided into the following categories this year: △Super Blue Walking (1.6km course), △Super Blue Course (5km), △5km, and △10km. Applications can be submitted through the official website until 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 19. The entry fee is 30,000 won, but it is free for the disabled, their families, and elementary, middle, and high school students. You can also find information about the competition events on the official Instagram.
Reporter Kim Jae-seong [email protected]
2024-08-20 10:39:00