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The Korean middle-aged marathoners club whose members go further and faster together

Erika Na catches up with her dad’s long-distance running club mates in Korea. The oldest aged 81, they train and run marathons together

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Bundang Marathon Club president Kim Sujin (right) at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. In South Korea, she and  other club members meet on Sundays for long-distance runs. Photo: courtesy of Kim Sujin

I will never forget the moment I crossed the finish line in my first marathon.

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It was a frigid March day in Seoul. For the first time, I ran non-stop for three hours and 57 minutes along the familiar streets of my home country’s capital.

As I stepped over the finish line, tears welled up in my eyes and my heart raced, even as my body came to a standstill. Grimacing in pain, I glanced at my 67-year-old dad, who had run alongside me the entire race.

It would have hardly looked like we ran the same race. Unlike me, my dad was smiling broadly. In fact, he seemed delighted to witness my struggle – the final scene from my first marathon that he got to watch from start to finish.
Running a marathon can be a very emotional experience. Sixty-year-old Kang Ho, known as one of the fastest amateur marathoners in Korea, believes running alongside others is crucial to enhancing one’s performance. Photo: courtesy of Kang Ho
Running a marathon can be a very emotional experience. Sixty-year-old Kang Ho, known as one of the fastest amateur marathoners in Korea, believes running alongside others is crucial to enhancing one’s performance. Photo: courtesy of Kang Ho

As you may guess from this anecdote, my father has been a runner for decades. He was part of the early wave of marathoners in Korea during the 2000s, before the sport became as popular as it is today.

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My dad is hardly unique in his running community, the Bundang Marathon Club, which is filled with passionate middle-aged runners. My dad has been a member since 2008.

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