The Bitgoeul Ultramarathon gathers at 5:00 p.m. at the outdoor plaza of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall (111 Naebang-ro, Seo-gu),
starts in the evening, runs through the night, and finishes the following morning.
Based on recent editions, the time limit has been 17 hours for 100 km and 8 hours for 50 km.
In the 100 km event, an 8-hour time limit has been applied at the 50 km mark.
By simple calculation, finishing 100 km within 17 hours requires an average pace of about 10 minutes per km pace,
but your actual running pace needs to be faster once aid-station and rest time are taken into account.
We recommend writing down your target split times for each section by working back from the time limit.
Gwangju in mid-June is hot and humid during the day.
The evening section just after the start can still feel hot, so avoid an early over pace.
Temperatures can feel much lower before dawn, so bring a light windbreaker or a lightweight insulating layer such as arm sleeves for safety.
The latter part of the course becomes hot again after sunrise, so prepare a hat and sunscreen as well.
Because this is an overnight race, a headlamp, rear light, and reflective gear are essential.
Be sure to check the mandatory-equipment rules and aid-station contents on the official website.
Based on recent editions,
eligibility has been limited to runners aged 19 or older who have completed a marathon full marathon or an ultramarathon of at least 50 km time limit.
Since check-in is in the late afternoon, travelling on race day is possible,
but getting plenty of sleep during the day before the start is crucial to making it through the night.
Prepare personal race food (energy gel, electrolytes, salt capsules, and so on), blister-prevention tape, and spare socks.
Plan your fueling around familiar foods that you can tolerate through the early-morning hours, when your stomach is likely to feel tired.
