Coast to Coast in South Korea

Daily miles: 25.04 | Total miles: 10,457.43

I got up at 6:20am — coffee, packing, checking in for my flight, and on the road by 8am. The forecast promised slightly warmer temperatures but less sunshine, and that’s exactly how it felt. The morning navigation sent me into a little puzzle — trying to find the correct bike path through construction detours — but I eventually found my way down to the river running beneath the train tracks.

The path today was full of life and movement: cyclists, pedestrians, and so many outdoor workout stations — truly well used. Sports culture here seems beautifully alive: parkgolf, volleyball, basketball, tennis courts, climbing walls, and more. People play in mixed ages, mixed levels, and with a casual happiness that is refreshing.

I spent a stretch running through long, dark underpasses, but they didn’t carry that uneasy feeling that such spaces often do elsewhere. They’re clean, well-used, monitored by movement and belonging. Korea — even with its colossal architecture and towering density — manages to feel friendly, present, and somehow human. The mass of buildings and highrises doesn’t feel soulless — and yet, I always find myself focusing more on people than concrete.

South Korea kept a consistent theme — today, too, almost the entire run followed rivers until I eventually reached the ocean. Along the way, I met two men who were quite impressed by my journey. And because it’s Saturday, the trail was full of cyclists; many offered gestures of encouragement as they passed.

Just about a mile before the ocean, I heard music floating across a park — loud, warm, inviting. I followed it and found only two people: a man playing saxophone and a woman singing through a speaker system. So of course — I danced. Just me, dancing joyfully in the park near the end of another chapter of this world run. I also have to say — the man’s mask was absolutely fantastic!

Then I ran the final mile with a big smile across my face. When I reached the ocean — arms in the air — a yell of celebration: coast to coast in South Korea!

I then met a man at the seaside — he spoke Korean, I spoke English — yet somehow we understood each other in spirit. Another man joined too — warm greetings, curiosity, joy — and then I had to run on. My hotel was just around the corner.

At first, the person at reception said I couldn’t take the buggy upstairs and that the room was only accessible by stairs. I explained firmly: I booked this place because I needed wheelchair access, airport proximity, and space to dismantle and repack the buggy. And sometimes… I have to be assertive. Eventually I got a room without stairs and the buggy came inside.

Tonight I treated myself — dinner out and then a bath.

Now, I’ve got sorting, drying, packing, and organizing to do — because tomorrow I’ll be boarding my flight to Chennai, India.

I hope you’ll continue to travel along. Andrea