Ann completes first 100K ultra marathon

Run Saipan stalwart Ann Bang made her first—and probably last—100K ultra marathon after surviving the 3rd Annual Seopyeong Ultramarathon 100K last Saturday in her native South Korea.

“The race was very tough for beginners who tried to run 100K the first time! The weather was especially terrible and cruel! The temperature was 97 degrees Fahrenheit and and the wind chill was over 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It was super humid and burning hot without wind, so it was not easy to breathe.”

Bang, who finished with a time of 16:44:23—barely making it to the cutoff time of 17 hours—said the hardest part of the 100K race was the severe weather conditions.

“So many participants gave up during the race and were eliminated due to the cut-off time. Before the 80-kilometer mark, I talked with my running buddies and enjoyed listening to music while running. But after 80 kilometer I only thought that I wanted to finish this race as soon as possible because of my energy exhaustion. The easiest and most memorable part was running and walking with many other runners all night without sleeping. It was a unique and fun experience [I will never forget] in my entire life!”

Bang was part of the 178 finishers out of the 282 entrants to the Seopyeong Ultramarathon 100K—a completion rate of 63%.

With the slogan “From Seoul to Pyongyang,” the 3rd Annual Seopyeong Ultramarathon 100K was held in Imjingak, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do Province. It is located approximately 56 kilometers from Seoul and 7 kilometers from the DMZ. Bang said Imjingak is an important part of Korean history because Korea is the only divided nation in the world.

Now that she’s completed the longest run in her, Bang was a bit nostalgic about her running journey.

“When I started running, I never thought that I would be a marathoner. But as I enjoy running, I want to run more distance because I prefer long-distance running to sprinting. I love long-distance running while absorbing in meditation. I would like to share my accomplishments with my family and friends!”

After enduring severe blisters all over her feet and toes and pain from the friction from her shoes by running nearly 17 hours straight, Bang said the 3rd Annual Seopyeong Ultramarathon may just be her first and last 100K.

“Right now, I need to take a rest and take care of my wounds rather than celebrate. While I was running, I realized that a full-course marathon and 50K running are proper for me without damage to my body. I really want to enjoy running, but I think I can’t enjoy running 100K,” she said.