Desire
When you start marathon running, it’s impossible not to develop a sense of ambition.
The pride I felt the first time I ran 5km without stopping soon turned into, “Maybe I should try 10km next?”
After completing 10km, another thought comes: “When should I try 20km?”
Then you attempt 20km, get injured, slow down for a while…
But still, somewhere inside, you keep thinking, “Someday, definitely…”
That was me, too.
Two weeks ago, I attempted the Cheonan Heungtaryeong 100km Ultra Marathon. Despite some injuries, I finished it.
Those in my running club who had run 100km before were worried about my reckless challenge,
and those with no experience encouraged me while still doubting a bit.
Even I kept asking myself, “Is this really possible?” while preparing—and even on race day as I started running.
“When is the right time to attempt an Ultra 100km?”
I think some people might be curious, so I want to share my experience.
If you compare it with your level, it might help you judge whether it’s possible or not.
Before Joining the Marathon Club
I had been running on and off for about 10 years, and by year 9, I barely managed to finish 10km in under an hour.
I once attempted 20km but developed knee pain and couldn’t run for a while.
After that, I ran 10km two or three times a week during spring or fall, and hardly ran in the cold winter or hot summer.
Then something emotionally difficult happened, so I ran 10km almost every day for a month…
And for the first time, I finished 10km within 50 minutes.
That was October 2023.
After Joining the Marathon Club (Nov 2023)
Right after joining, I ran 20km in the very first training session, and afterward, every Saturday club run was between 20–25km.
Three months after joining, I completed the Goguryeo 32km Marathon in 2 hours and 50 minutes.
I then ran two more half marathons, averaging around a 5:10 pace.
First Full Marathon & Injury – Gongju Marathon (Sept 2024)
I consistently attended two weekly club training sessions, and when there was no meeting, I ran 5km or 10km alone.
Following the club leader’s schedule, I did hill training, intervals, and LSD sessions. I had no injuries and felt great.
Since I had run 32km that March, adding just 10km more seemed manageable, so I attempted my first full marathon at the 2024 Gongju Marathon.
But… at the 32km mark, I injured my right IT band, and limped through the final 10km, finishing in 4 hours and 50 minutes.
After the race, despite the IT band injury,
I grew impatient—running again whenever it felt a bit better, then stopping when pain returned, repeating this cycle over and over.
Because of that, the IT band injury lasted more than six months without fully healing.
I struggled with the injury for six months, and in the 2025 Goguryeo Marathon (March) and Happiness Store Marathon (April), I ran only the half course.
After recovering, I prepared for the 2025 Goguryeo Full Marathon scheduled for September, but registration closed the day after I applied, so I couldn’t sign up.
After Registering for the Ultra 100km
After limping to the finish in my first full marathon and not being able to do any LSD above 30km for six months due to injury,
I recklessly registered for the 100km Cheonan Heungtaryeong Ultra Marathon—with only three months left until race day!
Realizing my usual flat river path training wouldn’t be enough, I started hill training at Samaksa Temple.
The elevation to Samaksa was about 300 meters, and I ran there twice a week.
Two weeks later, I went even higher—to the iron tower at 476 meters.
Believing this would strengthen both my lower body and cardiovascular endurance, I focused my training on the Samaksa and iron tower routes.
See the Samaksa hill course below:
26 days before the race, to test whether I could really run 100km, I did a final 50km LSD.
The route had hills, the temperature was 29°C with high humidity—but luckily, I completed it without injury.
See the 50km LSD below:
50km LSD
And Finally, the Ultra 100km Race
I ran injury-free up to 40km, and at the 42km mark, feeling good, I made the mistake of pushing too hard on an uphill.
That was my first moment of carelessness.
Running downhill, I felt pain in my right foot, so I shifted more weight to my left foot.
I continued well until 77km, felt good again, and made another mistake—running an excited, fast 1km burst.
After that, my left IT band got injured.
That was my second moment of carelessness.
From 80km onward, I couldn’t run anymore and walked the remaining distance to reach 100km.
Two moments of carelessness.
I should have been cautious knowing my legs could give out anytime…
But that brief moment of feeling “great” made me lose control—and everything collapsed at once.
See the full 100km journey below:
100km Completion Story
According to Experienced Runners
Those who have run over 100 full marathons and many ultras say:
You should attempt a 100km ultra only after completing at least 5–10 full marathons.
For someone like me—who had run only one full marathon and had insufficient training due to injury—the challenge was reckless.
But what allowed me to barely finish within the time limit, limping but still moving,
was probably the Samaksa and iron tower hill training I forced myself through during the hot summer.
It strengthened both my lower body and cardiovascular endurance enough to keep me running until 80km.
Compared to running a full marathon fast, running slowly for a long time felt easier—so I signed up for the 100km.
Both are difficult, of course, but running for more than 16 hours straight gave me a deep sense of pride and accomplishment.
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