A Suncheon-style wellness event combining trail running and local cuisine
More than 600 runners from across the country converged on the Millennium Buddhist Heart Trail on Jogyesan Mountain for the Suncheon Healing Gastronomy Trail Run, which wrapped up successfully over the weekend.
According to Suncheon city, the event was designed not as a competitive race but as a "Suncheon-style healing program" — a chance for people worn down by busy modern life to breathe in nature and restore themselves.
Participants ran 7-kilometer and 14-kilometer courses along the Millennium Buddhist Heart Trail, a path long celebrated for contemplation and spiritual practice. They made their way along dirt tracks shaded by dense trees, taking in the vitality of the forest.
In keeping with the event's central theme of "emptying and replenishing," finishers were treated to a wholesome spread prepared with Suncheon's signature care. The post-race "healing meal" drew on the culinary traditions of the Seonamsa temple food district, offering participants a warm moment of comfort and renewal alongside a taste of the region's distinctive cuisine.
Runners were generous in their praise. Participants said the naengmyeon served along the course and the mountain-vegetable bibimbap and pajeon waiting at the finish line "were healing itself."
At the starting point near Seonamsa Temple, a tea-tasting session hosted by master tea artisan Shin Gwang-su and promotional booths for local specialty products turned the event into a full sensory celebration of Suncheon's culture, going well beyond a simple run.
"This event focused less on finishing order and more on finding your own rhythm in nature and replenishing your energy with Suncheon's wholesome food," a city tourism official said. "We hope the comfort and happiness participants found on the Jogyesan forest trail will stay with them long after they return to their daily lives."
The Millennium Buddhist Heart Trail is a storied forest path linking Seonamsa and Songgwangsa temples. Long cherished by practitioners as a space for reflection and healing, it stands as one of Suncheon's most representative ecological and tourism assets.
parkds@heraldcorp.com
