(Chuncheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Young-seo = Runners with their own special stories stood at the starting line of the 2026 Chuncheon Union Marathon held in Gangchon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do on the 3rd.
Participants with various stories ran vigorously along the Bukhan River, from a couple who ran their first marathon to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, to the oldest participant at 82 who started running for health, and a family with three generations running together.
The school community, including students, parents, and faculty, took powerful steps forward and held a special race that went beyond records and shared challenges and memories.
Although their ages and reasons for running were different, the joy of finishing was the same.
◇ 40th wedding anniversary, finishing the race side by side at the place of first date memories
Min Seong-suk (62) and Seong Il-kyung (63), who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, completed their first marathon together in Gangchon, where they had their first date in college.
The two, whose romance blossomed in Gangchon in 1982 when they were freshmen in college, tied the knot on October 3, 1986.
On this day, exactly 40 years since their marriage, the couple visited Gangchon again and took on the 5km course together, crossing the finish line in about 30 minutes.
Ms. Min recalled the moment she stood at the starting line, “I felt as excited as when I was wearing a wedding dress and waiting for a wedding,” and compared it to her wedding day 40 years ago.
For a couple who usually ran about 3km, 5km was a new challenge, but when they got tired, they held each other's hands and walked, then ran again, and stayed together until the end.
Mr. Min laughed, saying, “When we got a little out of breath, we walked hand in hand and ran again, so I didn’t even know it was hard. Running through Gangchon also brought back memories of our first date.”
The promise that the two people who completed the race reaffirmed was to ‘run healthily together’.
The two said, "We talked about continuing to heal together, take care of our health, and have fun," and added, "We will practice more and challenge the 10km in the next competition."
◇ Started running due to back pain… Oldest runner, 82 years old, completes 10km
The oldest participant in this competition, Jeon Ja (82, female), showed off her skills by completing the 10 km course in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The reason Mr. Jeon started running unexpectedly was the back pain that had been bothering him for a long time.
After being diagnosed with spinal stenosis 7-8 years ago, he started walking on a trail near his home in Daeseong-ri, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, with the idea of exercising instead of undergoing surgery.
After feeling severe pain while walking and running a few steps, I started running little by little. Afterwards, as I continued to exercise, the pain greatly reduced.
For Mr. Jeon, who still runs 4-6 km every two days and swims regularly, this Chuncheon Union Marathon was the third marathon in his life.
Mr. Jeon crossed the finish line after running along the Bukhangang River, as he promised, "I will not be greedy and run at my usual pace because I am older."
Immediately after completing the race, he smiled brightly and said, “I feel so good and refreshed,” and “I will try again next year.”
Her husband, Lee Jong-man (85), who was watching his wife's challenge from the side, also held her hand tightly, saying, "I am grateful that she continues to run like this."
Mr. Jeon said, “There are many people suffering from spinal stenosis, so I hope they have the courage like me and try exercising,” and added, “I want to keep running until I can run.”
◇ From grandfather to grandson… First race together for 3 generations of a family of 5
This day's race was also special for the family of Shin Hak-gyun (73) from Cheongsong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Five family members spanning three generations, including Mr. Shin, his two sons, and his two grandsons, participated in one competition for the first time and ran a course suited to their individual physical strength.
Although Shin usually enjoys running marathons, this was the first time the family ran together.
For Mr. Shin, who worked in the transportation industry and traveled to the Gangchon area countless times, today's race was also a time to reminisce about old memories.
Mr. Shin said, "I have driven countless times on dangerous, frozen roads in the winter, but when I came back after a long time and ran for the first time, I felt a new emotion."
My son Shin Hyeon-gil (41) also said, “Seeing my father happy gave me the motivation to play harder.”
Grandson Shin Ju-won (11) made people laugh with his honest thoughts, saying, "At first, I felt like I was going to die from the cold, but as I ran, I felt like I was going to die from the heat, and then I felt like I was going to die from the exhaustion. But now, I feel like I'm going to die from hunger."
He said, “It was nice to run with my family. My dad said he would buy me some delicious dakgalbi, so I want to eat it right away.”
◇ Students, parents, and faculty who ran together before class ‘rewarding completion’
About 70 students, parents, and faculty from Geumbyeong Elementary School in Chuncheon participated in the 5km course that day and experienced the joy of finishing.
Their challenge began last March.
Geumbyeong Elementary School Parents' Association took advantage of the Gangwon Provincial Office of Education's parent club support project to form a morning physical education club and prepare for their first marathon by running consistently with the students before classes started.
Those who developed their physical strength by participating in the challenge of running every day for 50 days looked forward to this day by touring the course in person ahead of the competition.
Students who participated from lower to upper grades divided into groups according to their own running speeds and started off.
Ha So-min (49, female), who led the club, said, "I was worried that the children would get tired if they ran too fast in the beginning, but they all ran well. I am proud that everyone completed the race safely without any child struggling."
He continued, "I think the efforts we've put in practicing together and touring the course have paid off," and added, "I hope the children will gain a sense of accomplishment from having achieved their goal and use this as an opportunity to continue taking on new challenges."
Kim Tae-seo (12), who was in charge of the running crew, also smiled after crossing the finish line with her friends, saying, “I’m proud that we all finished the race together.”
They said they were also impressed by the support from the residents they met while running the course.
Mr. Ha said, “It was great to see so many residents cheering me on while I was running. I hope Gangchon will come back to life and become a vibrant place like before.”
