Nat'l train run chief says Yonhap's trail run event will further boost sport

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The head of the national trail run governing body believes an upcoming international trail run event to be hosted by Yonhap News Agency will further boost the sport.

In a recent interview, Park Gil-soo, president of the Korea Trail Running Association (KTRA), declared the sport is already establishing itself as "an industry."

With Yonhap, South Korea's key wire service, set to co-host the Yonhap News Hanam International Trail Run Festival in December, Park said, "This competition will serve as an engine for major growth of the trail run industry."

The two-day event will take place on Dec. 12 and 13. The festival will be held over four courses: a 5-kilometer road course, a 10km road course, a 15km trail run course and a 28km trail run course.

Trail running is a type of off-road running on mountainous, unpaved surfaces with significant elevation changes.

The road running courses are set up along Misa Regatta Park, an ecological and waterfront landmark in Hanam, just east of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. The park hosted rowing and canoeing races at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

The 15km trail run course will take participants up the nearby Mount Geomdan, one of the city's most popular peaks, and the longer course will reach Namhansanseong, a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrating its 400th anniversary this year.

"Although this is an inaugural event, it has a fairly large scale. The fact that it is held in the Seoul metropolitan area is a huge advantage," Park said. "Getting government support is also what separates this event from others. It may not be as well known as other events with a longer history, but it is still drawing interest and attention."

The festival will be co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, Korea National Sport University and the Hanam city government, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism -- making it the first trail run event backed by the government.

Korea National Sport University and the KTRA are handling event operations.

Park noted that the trail run course will allow runners to fully experience Hanam's natural surroundings, history and culture.

"The 15km course will offer a beautiful view of the Han River, and it is set up perfectly for beginners," Park said. "The 28km course will take the participants up toward Namhansanseong. It is such a pretty route. Some of our KTRA members did test runs there, and they came back with great reviews."

Park, an avid runner himself, started out in marathon before moving into ultramarathon, which runs longer than the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 km. He helped found the Korea Ultramarathon Federation in 2001 and later served as its president. He also represented the Asia-Oceania region at the International Association of Ultrarunners.

Park said he got into trail running after participating in a 100km race in Mongolia in 2004.

Then in 2014, Park first completed his 100-mile run at the prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in France. Hopping to promote trail running in South Korea, Park founded the KTRA in 2015.

"Trail running is taking a foothold as an industry. We are seeing growing participating among young athletes, and we have seen hikers and marathoners take up trail running," Park said. "This upcoming Yonhap event will be a major help in expanding the base of trail running."

Park said running in nature is what makes trail running so fun.

"Don't be afraid of running in the mountains. I hope people will come out ready to enjoy being in nature," Park said. "When you finish the race, you will feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. We will run thorough checks on all essential equipment and have medical staff run with the participants to handle any medical emergencies."

Park said the KTRA will try to use the successful hosting of the Yonhap race as a stepping stone.

"We will look to develop more professional trail runners," Park said. "We will also try to develop referees and other experts in trail running."