Pre-race: Seoul Marathon 2015

13 Mar 2015 
Arrived at Incheon Airport around 615 pm. Cleared by the custom with no hassle. Spent plenty of time walking in the airport from one end to the other looking for food. It's South Korea so I have no problem looking for meal that come with rice. After dinner, with the help at translation counter I got the gate to board the bus to the city.

It was nervous when arriving alone at a place that language is not familiar with. Before the trip, I had spent some time to familiar with some simple vocabulary, also got familiar with the logistic issue I will encounter of. Upon arrival at hostel it was about 930. Checked-in, took a shower (chilly) and get to sleep.

Hangul: Korean alphabet

Weather reported to be around 0 degree. Weather forecast for the next few days showed a cold Saturday and turn warm on Sunday. It'll still be around 0 degree on Saturday, but it'll be 1 degree on 0800 Sunday and gradually increase to above 10 by 11pm - 12 pm. With the experience at Macau and Rotorua, I'm more prepared for the weather this time and not too worry about it as the temperature was almost the same.

The first impression of South Korea is that everything is in the fast lane. Everyone seems to know what to do. Proper, tidy, systematic, few words. One will be easily identified as a foreigner there.

14 Mar 2015
I set the alarm to wake up 4 am just to get the body used to the time. However, half way I was having "breakfast" in the kitchen, I realized that it was only 3 something in the morning. That's 2 am in Malaysia. Was I too nervous for the event or not able to rest at the foreign land? 

The kitchen then become a place I fond of for the rest of the stay. The reasons being the kitchen is the place I feel "lively". There's free rice, water dispenser is in there, breakfast, dinner was spent there while watching South Korean channel. The place where interaction happened - talked with the aunty staff who know mandarin, and also meet a few friends.

Free drinks in the kitchen- not seen at all on after few days

The earlier plan was to have recovery run in the morning along Cheonggyecheon stream. However, given the leg condition I opted another day of rest. It's better to err on the safe side. 

Part of 10.9km Cheonggyecheon stream - a good place for easy run before the race. 

The main event of the day is to collect race pack at Dong-A Daily News Office. With much of preparation on how to take the subway and direction provided in picture, my friends and I had no problem getting there. It was a surprised that the whole place was quiet and calm, just a table in the middle of corridor and a few men helping - it did not seems like an event of 20000 participant. By reading the translation in the event book, I later guess that the bib collection for the locals might done at other location.

Travel advice that I find very true to commute by subway in Seoul is - know your destination and the gate of subway station to exit, and get an mobile app that help you to choose shortest way if it involve transfer between subway lines. Unless one is able to communicate in Korean or have plenty of time looking for place, it's better to get it right at the first try. This is especially true on the day before a race. 

Item in the race pack
(From the top)
1) grey plastic bag for baggage keeping, already labeled with name 2) golden brown card of Asics discount voucher
3) Free gift Sensodyne toothpaste 4) Event book 5) Race bib 6) long sleeve shirt

  
For the issue that I have been worrying of all the way while flying to Seoul - my "unmade payment" and "random starting group" -  it turn out to be alright. I went to the counter, I showed my passport, the staff went into the office took out a name list (should be the list of problematic registration), I made the payment in cash (50000 won), I signed on the paper and I got the package - with Group A starting zone. Except the label of baggage was hand written, there's no much different from the registration. No "random" grouping - the race is on!

The pre-label plastic for baggage storage. It was manually written because my payment not cleared. I guess the Korean words wrote: bag drop at coutner 78 before 7:30 a.m.

Went to Gogung Insaong for bibimbap as lunch after the race pack collection. Everything was set. Went back to the room rest and get the gear ready.

Race day attire: all of this plus compression pants

The whole evening was relax. Spending time taking nap, visualize the race and reading event book to get familiar with race day routine - toilet, baggage location, cut-off point, etc. Also featured in the event book is world elite runners that compete the course, including Japanese famous Yuki Kawauchi.

Get to know the venue map both starting and finishing with the help of hostel staff, then consider done for the day.