Marathon Course Tour and Party

On the third day we left our host family to tour the Marathon course and check-in to our hotel. The course is for the most part a straight line with two short out-and-backs. The only real hills are the two bridges that you must cross twice. After touring the course we went to the IEON shopping mall. The mall looks very much like any mall you would go to in the United States. We ate lunch at a restaurant where you choose the meat and vegetables that you want and then you boil them at the table. Our guides said that this was very traditional. I really enjoyed it but my chopstick technique was not refined enough to remove the food from the pots so I was given Snoopy spoons and forks.

After lunch we checked into the marathon hotel near the finish of the race. There was a runners meeting where the invited runners were given instructions on the start area guidelines, racecourse procedures, and the finish line area. After the runners’ meeting, we attended a formal marathon eve party where we met city officials, members of the military and other sister city runners. When this party was over, it was off to bed to get a good rest before the race.