Beth ran a 5K this weekend in a small town outside of Gwangju. She did great, and without any training! It's impressive to me how anyone could even run that distance, much less without training. She wasn't even that sore the next day.
It was interesting to see the differences in running events here as opposed to in the States. I think the best part is the massage train. Just before the runners take off they all line up and give the person in front of them a shoulder massage. Then they rotate 180ยบ and return the favor.
The running events that I went to in the States (as a spectator, not a participant) were always full of supporters cheering on the runners and lots of sponsors. Not so much here. There really weren't many fans around. There were a few vending booths, and one table that was giving away bowls of fish stew over rice, with a side of kimchi. For the few fans that were there, the MC was giving out bottles of Soju (an alcoholic fermented rice drink) to the loudest participant. This is a picture of the MC with one of our friends.
Our friends in Gwangju are part of a running club, and I caught them crossing the finish line. For a few of them it was their first half-marathon, and they were really excited with their achievement.
After the race we sat down to eat a meal of pork, rice, kimbap and kimchi. The people that prepared the meal put about 2 dozen bowls on the ground and everyone helped themselves with chopsticks.
Great pics, Jess!! Seriously.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you guys were in town for the event. What a fun day!
--Lindsay
I love the color in the photos! Group backrubs...maybe we should try this on election day at the polling places...whoever is in line has to do this w/fellow citizens prior to voting.
ReplyDeleteOr it would be neat to see this happen on the field at the NFL prior to Superbowl on on the basketball court before or after each game.