My First Half Marathon

 Hangang Half Marathon - Seoul, Korea

The first time I met this particular student, he spoke very impressively about his passion for running marathons. The second time I met with him, he asked me if I wanted to join him in a half marathon three days later. I’d been running on my own to get ready for the Reebok Spartan Race rather than training for a half marathon, but he told me it’d be fine so I decided to try.

GOOD DECISION (as spontaneous decisions usually are, in my opinion). It was so much fun! First of all, just like Erin had told me, the energy at the race was amazing. Before, during and after, racers and observers alike were in such high spirits. Everyone was cheering for everyone else even though no one knew each other. There were also performers all along the streets…something I really didn’t expect. There were people dressed in traditional Korean clothes playing traditional music, there was a group of young girls dancing hip hop on a stage set up by the road, and there were countless people holding signs and giving all of the strangers racing by high-fives. Even the runners were all encouraging each other. It was beautiful to see everyone so happy and working together.

I didn’t take pictures during the race because I was trying to focus and not waste energy but the course was absolutely beautiful. We ran along parts of the Han River, we ran part of it through a field, and some of it in the streets. The beautiful scenery mixed with all the enthusiastic observers made it a blast to be running through the middle of everything.

My student (who runs the half in 1:50 and completes multiple full marathons every year) and I decided before that race that we’d call each other afterwards since he’d obviously be finishing before me. However, we started together and, even after we got going, he stuck by me. We stayed together throughout the race, passing people together and talking here and there (it felt just like my high school track days with my two-mile buddy, Lindsey). We had a blast and, even when I started to die and had to walk the last two kilometers, he stuck by me (though I tried to fight him on it). He was more concerned about making sure the race was fun for me and that I was taken care of than he was about getting his best time. We came in for a 2:13 finish but he said he didn’t care and we were both happy anyway!

It was so sweet of him to invite me and take such good care of me. I’m grateful for having met yet another wonderful, passionate person who came waltzing into my life to teach me something new and provide me with a new challenge. It was a beautiful moment shared between two people of different cultures and such a fun experience.