D’day (Three): 100km Marathon in Jeju

Cole is my hero. I don’t know what I would have done without her and her enormous size bag of various granola bars including CLIF, TLC, Nutrigrain and Odwalla (which I later stashed a peanut butter flavored CLIF in my sports bra). She also brought a extra large pill bottle of Motrin. I took one before going to bed last night, during and after the run. (Never took so many pills in my life!) It was that and my unreluctant obedience of their order to take an ice bath afterwards that saved me from much worse pain/soreness.

Shutting off the hotel wake-up call at 3:30, a second alarm at 3:45 and the ‘emergency’ alarm again at 4:00…it was definitely a difficult task waking up. Our breakfast was ‘ehhh’ at best – a limited variety of Korean and American style such as dried seaweed (김), rice porridge, salad, bananas, broiled eggs, french fries(?!) and grilled fish(??!!). Yes, very interesting indeed.

You can imagine why I skipped out on some of the above food options.

Anyway, let’s start from the beginning.

Instead, I stayed true to eating a pack of chestnuts (which I’ve done for the past year and half), bowl of porridge, egg without the yoke, sips of coffee and water. Noticing some of the cute foreign contestants looking our way and the energetic vibe from the packed tables, I became somewhat more awake. It wasn’t until we started walking towards the starting point (about 5 mins in cold/windy conditions) however, that it started to hit me…

I am about to run 100 kilometers.

Heat pads – check. Gloves – check. Hair tied and out of the way (an absolutely must) – check. Sunblock - check. Chapstick, extra Motrin, 5-Hour Energy (decaf, citrus flavor), and CLIF bar securely in-between my boobs – check. No doubt, I was ready for anything…

All except for the 2 times I had to take a no. 2 and 2 more times to take a no. 1. Let’s just say I was unsuccessful in going beforehand. Once I started running though, oh what a hassle!

I had to go after the first 10km, then at 20km, at 40km and again after the 50km! I avoided the choco-pies, soda and Pocari Sweat (at every 5km rest stop) at all costs – only taking a tiny sip of water every other booth, 2 orange slices and 3 bite-size chocolate bars along the way. Not wanting to stress out over time, I purposefully took off my watch and so although we began at 6:00 I would guess the sun dawned around 7:30. At roughly 35km, it was warm enough to take off my long-sleeve (although I didn’t see anyone else doing the same). With my tank top on, I stretched my hands towards the clear blue sky and watched the waves crash into the picturesque shoreline. So far, the run was pleasant and easy. Along the way I passed popular landmarks such as Hallim Beach, Dragon Head Coast, a buddhist temple and was even able to see the famous women diving for seashells.

To my surprise, I finished the first 50km in 5 hours, 25 mins. And did I mention that I had injured my right foot 6 days before?! While running along the Han River, Monday, heavy snow began to fall an hour into my 4 hour run. I prayed for the pain to go away and towards 60km (around the same time I took another Motrin with the energy drink), figured out the perfect pace to run without putting too much pressure on either leg. Thank you, Jesus! Not soon after, I managed to continue running and nibble away at the CLIF bar. Cole, if you’re reading this…you are truly an angel! Thank you, too!!

Deviations on the surface of the roads caused sharp aching but other than that, the last 50km weren’t too much trouble. When the trail went uphill I made sure to walk 30 secs to a minute. And being used to training without stopping for 2 to 5 hours at a time, I seriously believe my 25% walking/75% running method made finishing the run possible. Except for during the sprint towards the finish-line, I also breathed through my nose the whole run.

Personally, I just hoped to get under the 15 hour cut-off point. But by the act of God, old and new friends and consistent training, I was safely able to cross the finish-line in 12 hours and 25 minutes!!! In fact, if it wasn’t for me stopping to go to the restroom so many times, I could’ve probably came in at least 10 mins faster.

I crossed the finish line at 18:25, received my medal, went straight to the food booth and chugged down 3 bottles of water. Then it was only after the 50 min bumpy ride back to the hotel while squeezed inside a small van, that my legs began to give in. I thank my friends for forcing me tea, another Motrin and ice bath otherwise I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to walk, let along go to Mr. Pizza for mega carb loading.

Lights out at midnight – I was looking forward to tomorrow’s group tour and hopefully an improved breakfast menu.

Thank you IAU (International Association of Ultrarunners, 국제울트라러너스협회) and KUMF (사대한울트라마라톤연맹) for organizing this wonderful opportunity!

More info on the 10th Jeju International Ultra Marathon Race (제10회 제주국제울트라마라톤대회) is available here.