The Nov. 14 event starts at 8 a.m. at Marronnier Park and covers a roughly 4-kilometer round-trip course along the Hanyang City Wall; participants can enjoy stamp missions, on-site photo prints, prize draws and a rock-paper-scissors showdown with costumed guards.
Jongno-gu will host the 83rd Jongno Health Walking Competition on Nov. 14, with participants setting off from Marronnier Park at 8 a.m. and walking the Naksan section of the Hanyang City Wall.
The event is designed to promote residents' health and boost pedestrian tourism along the Naksan fortress trail, while also giving neighbors and families a chance to walk side by side and catch up. Organized by the district and run by the Jongno-gu Sports Council, the event is expected to draw about 400 participants.
Registration is open to anyone regardless of age or place of residence. Up to 250 spots are available online on a first-come, first-served basis, with an additional 150 spots available on-site on the day of the event.
After an opening ceremony, participants will walk past Naksan Park's central plaza and Heunginjimun Park before returning to the starting point. The roughly 4-kilometer course takes about 100 minutes and winds through streets that retain the atmosphere of the old city wall, offering a chance to take in the late-autumn scenery.
Jongno-gu will set up stamp zones at three points along the course. Participants who complete all three stamp missions will receive a framed photo printed on-site as a commemorative gift. A prize draw will also be held exclusively for finishers.
A range of side activities will round out the day — archery games, hoop toss, bowling and a baseball strike challenge. The highlight is "Defend the Fortress," a rock-paper-scissors game in which participants must beat a costumed patrol guard stationed at the entrance to the Naksan Park central plaza walkway in order to pass.
Jongno-gu District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong said he hoped the event would give all residents "a day to look after their health and share a warm greeting with neighbors, on a path where history and nature come together."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
