Seoul Marathon – Here we come

A race that has been on my mind for a while has been the Seoul Marathon. My wife is Korean which means we travel to Korea from Australia most years, next trip I’ve convinced my non running wife that travelling there just in time for the Seoul Marathon is a good idea.Usually that time of year is not a good idea, it’s cold and in a months time the autumn is with you and Seoul is beautiful.

Seoul Marathon 2017 is March 19th. It’s a flat, fast marathon that takes in all the great sights the Korean capital has to offer and finishes inside the 1988 Olympic stadium. A dream come true for a sports lover like myself. It has a capacity field of 20000 people. Seoul in March is cold, the marathon will be held in average conditions between 2-13 degree celsius, much colder than I will have just experienced in an Australian summer.

With all my running currently being done in my Gladsoles sandals I am going to continue to train in the sandals through my marathon program. With 19 weeks till this race I will aim for a 14 week specific preparation in the sandals. If I believe I can run my best in a fast road marathon in the sandals I will race in the sandals. Most likely in toe socks for the cold conditions. If I don’t believe I can run a fast time in the sandals I will switch to a flat racing shoe for the race and some of my key long runs. The sandals will be a major part of my preparation though.

I look forward to this preparation and testing myself over the marathon distance. This will be the biggest marathon field I have run in and my first marathon out of Australia.