Cheongnamdae 100km Ultra Marathon — Part 2 'I Feel So Good!!'
Cheongnamdae 100km Ultra Marathon — Part 2
'I Feel So Good!!'
I. Stuck in Traffic
I don't really remember what we talked about in the car.
But the traffic was way worse than expected.
The original plan was to find a restaurant nearby, eat a proper meal, and change into our gear with plenty of time to spare.
Instead, we grabbed a quick lunch at a rest stop and headed straight to the venue.
The closer we got, the more the cars refused to move.
In the end, we parked 1km before the entrance and changed right there.
🏃 This time, I really wanted to finish without injury.
For the first time ever, I taped up my knees, ankles, and the soles of my feet.
Applied Vaseline on every spot that might chafe while running.
Packed extra power gels, a water bottle.
Even threw in a spray pain reliever.
Walking past cherry blossoms lining the street and a river stretching out beside us, we arrived at the Cheongnamdae main gate.
A little further down, we found the bib pickup area.
I sat on the ground, pinned my bib to the front of my shirt and the back of my pack, and clipped on a light stick.
II. The Starting Line, Finally
I think we walked another 500 meters to reach the venue.
And there it was — the starting line.
Our club president said,
"Come on, we have to take at least one photo at the starting line."
Was I smiling because I was happy? Or just because someone pointed a camera at me?
My head was spinning — I need to finish, I should warm up, I have to stretch —
Too many thoughts all at once.
We all took a group photo. Let me introduce the crew, from left to right:
Jeong (me) — Barely finished my last ultra at 77km with an injury. This is my second ultra. Goal: "Finish without getting hurt."
Jjong — Has been running full marathons hard lately. Clocked 3:18 at the recent Donga Marathon. First ultra ever. Aiming for around 12 hours.
Bravo — Over 30 pace patrol shifts (safety/support crew who run alongside participants) at various marathons in the past year. Goal: "Finish without getting hurt."
Durumi — Ultra marathon enthusiast. Will probably just... run well.
Club President — Over 100 full marathons under his belt. This is his second Cheongnamdae. Came specifically as my pacer. He promised last year that he'd pace me to a healthy finish — and he signed up to keep that promise.
A 12:00 balloon!! A 12-hour pacer. I'd never seen one before. That was something.
III. "Let's Go!"
Standing at the starting line, it finally hit me — this is real. A 100km ultra marathon.
'This is it. We're about to go!!'
It's always like this before a race. Right before the start, something just lifts your mood.
Riding that feeling, we all shouted "Fighting!" together.
And we were off.
IV. 'I Feel So Good!!'
Not long after we started,
Cherry blossoms in full bloom.
A spring breeze brushing against my skin — not too hot, not too cold.
A beautiful river stretching out beside us.
And hundreds of fellow runners, silent but together.
Without even realizing it, I felt happy.
In that moment,
the weight of being a father who has to provide,
the pressure from work,
the anxiety that creeps in when you least expect it,
none of it mattered.
For just a brief moment — is this what heaven feels like?
Is this what enlightenment feels like — finally finding the answer?
As a Buddhist monk once said,
"No matter how much I try to explain, it's hard to put into words.
There comes a moment when you feel — 'Ah, none of it ever mattered.'
You can only know it by experiencing it yourself."
In that moment, I think I felt exactly that.
If life could always feel this way — how happy would we be!!!
I tried to capture that feeling.
▶ 2026 Cheongnamdae Ultra Marathon
The start was filled with excitement and joy.
But then,,,
To be continued.
