Finding Community in Gwangju Through Running

By Grace Chun

The idea of voluntarily lacing up running shoes and heading out the door would have never crossed my mind two years ago. But a lot can change in two years. In those two years, I moved to Hawaii to start a graduate program, paused my studies to prioritize my mental health, and moved to Gwangju for the first time. In the midst of all these changes, I discovered running.

Still in the midst of a pandemic at the start of 2022, I ended up doing a lot of running on my own around my countryside neighborhood, jogging through every nook and cranny. My style of running is slow and steady, trying to maintain a pace where you can hold a conversation. My cousin introduced me to the app Somoim (소모임), where people can create clubs or groups locally. She encouraged me to look for a running club to join in Gwangju.

I came across a group called Running Running (러닝러닝) in Suwan (수완) that ran every Tuesday and Thursday night. With hopeful anticipation, I arrived early. Slowly the club members started arriving and welcomed me warmly. They all ran at varying paces, but we started and finished together. The leader invited me to consider running in the upcoming 11th Gwangju Peace and Unification Marathon (제11회 광주평화통일마라톤대회), announcing that they all signed up for the 10-km  race. I signed up that night.

While moving to Gwangju was the right decision for me at the time, it was also a great loss of community that I had built in graduate school. I only knew my family here. Finding a group of people to run with helped me start building a community here in Gwangju. The running group became a positive feedback loop for my running motivations. I consistently showed up, and they showed up for me. While we run at different paces, we cheer each other on when we pass each other on our weekly running course. As my first 10-km race, my goal was to run at a steady pace for the whole course. Others had more ambitious goals of finishing within or under an hour.

My race packet arrived one week before the October 3 race. It included my bib number, an information booklet, and a few other goodies. I got a kick out of looking up my and my group members’ names in the booklet. They printed out the names of all the participants! I appreciated that I could study the route and also know where to park, get water, use the restroom, and more. I decided to wear shorts, T-shirt, hat, and sunglasses in anticipation of lots of sun. While October cools down in Gwangju, I did not want the sun to obliterate me.

The 11th Gwangju Peace and Unification Marathon’s course began at Gwangju Airport. On race day, instead of carpooling with my running group, I decided to take the subway, since I lived on the other side of town. One perk for race participants was that the subway ride was free! I did have an awkward encounter, however, with the subway employee asking if I was a minor. Nevertheless, I rode for free. As soon as I got off the subway and onto the street, a group asked me to take their picture. I happily obliged. They encouraged me with a “fighting!” (화이팅!) on my run and parted ways. I already felt the buzzing energy of the runners, and I loved it.

Once I met up with my running group, we left our things in the very efficient storage facility (보관소) run by volunteers. I do not mind running with a fanny pack, so I kept my things with me. The race booklet suggested arriving early, and I was glad we did because parking became a bit stressful as we approached the start time. The MC led a race-wide stretch session, which was a fun sight. I was surprised to see so many people of all ages present. The MC announced that over 4,000 people were participating this year. Stretching all in the same motion gave me a joyful sense of unity and connection to the fellow runners in Gwangju that day.

While the race itself is called a marathon, participants can sign up to run 5-km, 10-km, a half marathon, or a full marathon usually. The route this year was an out-and-back course. I enjoyed the course because I could cheer on my fellow running group members as they passed me. As I expected, I was in the back of the pack. However, I achieved my goal of running at a steady pace the whole time. I probably could have run harder, but my goal was not a personal best time for this race. My goal was to run steady, and I did.

After crossing the finish line, I received my snack and medal. I was the last one to finish in our running group, and they kindly waited for me to finish. We headed our separate ways to freshen up before reconvening in Suwan for a celebratory lunch of all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ.

As a newcomer to Gwangju, one of my favorite experiences here has been joining the running group and participating in the 11th Gwangju Peace and Unification Marathon 2022. It was the first time I felt like I was really part of the Gwangju community doing something I have come to love.

Gwangju is hosting the 2nd National Mudeungsan Mudeung-gil Road Competition (제2회 전국무등산무돌길완주대회) on May 20, 2023. You can register until April 1. For more information, check out their website: http://mudolgil518.or.kr/

The Author

Grace Chun (Chun Yu-ri) has lived in Gwangju for a little over a year. She is a Korean American graduate student studying migration and borders. She enjoys farming with her dad, taking film photos, dabbling in coding, and running, of course. Instagram:@gycphoto

Featured Image: Unsplash Steven Lelham