Heading back into Seoul for the weekend, we had two missions. Three, if you count each of our two Seoul Trail courses separately. We were going to run the south side of Seoul – and we were going to do it fast!
It was late February, and we were training for Dalat: a 70k race that promised to be quick and competitive. So as important as our ongoing Seoul Trail quest was, it was even more important to make our run count as a workout.
That turned out to be easy, because the trail was tough! We’d been promised the best trail in Seocho-gu by a super speedy friend of ours who lives and trains in the area. Seoul Trail section 4 was up next – and just perfect for our need for speed.
The course was tough on paper, thanks to rolling but distinctly runnable terrain. It was even tougher in person, thanks to spring trail conditions! A few days of warm sun had melted some of the snow on the mountains, and thawed some creek crossings. This made for tricky conditions, as we were about to discover!
After a short warm-up, we started a high-intensity interval. Just a few hundred meters later, the hillside trail become wildly muddy. A few footsteps would be sticky, and I’d worry about losing a shoe to the sucking mud – but moments later I’d be sliding around in the muck, worried about falling down in it!
Interval complete, we slowed down to a conversational pace. We stopped for a couple of selfies and to admire the views. We’d decided to run in reverse for convenience (we’d parked our stuff in a motel at the midpoint of our two weekend trails), so we were headed back towards familiar territory.
And it did not take long to get there! On the other side of Umyeonsan, we ran straight down into Yangjae Citizens’ Forest! In the days before we were trail runners, we were avid hikers – and it was here where we would end long treks over Cheonggyesan. The park itself is pleasant, and there is a lovely market for flowers and other house plants nearby.
Seoul Trail section 4 winds through the park and crosses the Yangjae stream before linking up with the ridges of Guryongsan and Daemosan. We found ourselves with improving air quality, and some vistas of south Seoul.
Suseo subway station is just below Daemosan. That’s where Seoul Trail section 4 starts – or ends – for most. But not for us: it was also the perfect opportunity to run the remainder of Seoul Trail section 3.
On our previous outing, time and distance constraints had us stopping short of finishing Seoul Trail section 3. It took a month, but now we were back to finish the trail!
However, things did not go exactly as planned. Maybe I was too excited to revisit our old stomping grounds on the Tancheon stream, or perhaps we just weren’t paying attention, but we somehow completely missed the stamp booth near Suseo. And, we didn’t realize it until we were many kilometers down the riverside path.
Chatting away about our 2014-2015 runs on the Tancheon, we got carried away. It wasn’t until we’d turned off our familiar river onto a new one that we recognized our mistake. Stopping to consult our Seoul Trail map, we confirmed that we’d definitely missed our stamps.
I initially was for continuing to Olympic Park and then turning around, thereby closing the gap in our Seoul Trail exploration. But, when the riverside trail ended and we were directed up into the city, we both lost interest. Our stopping point from our previous outing was probably only a few city blocks further on when we turned around.
So, full disclosure, we did not complete Seoul Trail section 3 in the end, despite our best intentions! We missed out on a kilometer or so of urbanity, but at least we got to re-experience the Tancheon (to my delight, and my delight alone). Our run was plenty long at this point, so we simply headed back to Suseo – this time much more mindful of where we were.
We spotted our little red box at the top of the ramp leading to the Tancheon and collected our stamps, concluding our day out with 25 kilometers in around three and a half hours.
Next, it was time for treats – but first, a very cold post-workout subway ride!
Know and Go! Seoul Trail Section 4
To travel Seoul Trail section 4 in the clockwise (intended) direction, begin at Suseo station (orange line 3/Bundang line – exit 5) in southern Seoul and finish at Sadang station (green line 2 and light blue line 4 – exit 4). Or run in reverse, as we did!
This section of the Seoul Trail is 17.9 kilometers long. It’s described as normal, thanks to a good mix of mountains (three!) and riverside paths.
There are three stamps in this section: (from east to west) Suseo subway station, Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall (Yangjae Citizens’ Forest) and Sadang station.
Continue the Seoul Trail adventure on section 5 – or head back to the main Seoul Trail page.