By John Redmond
With the exciting ambition of raising more than 1 million won for the Korean Multiple Sclerosis Society (KMSS) Joseph Riley, the creator of the 4IN4 mission will run a distance of 170 kilometers in four Korean cities over four days.
The English teacher from the United Kingdom based in Daejeon is an active member of the city's vibrant running scene, and has put together a fund and awareness raising initiative.
The 4IN4 (four marathons in four cities in four days) will begin on Sept. 10 in Seoul and will end with a bang on Riley's home turf in Daejeon on Sept. 13. The mission aims to reach out to the communities of Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Seoul to donate to the KMSS for research into this debilitating disease.
The starting event in Seoul kicks off at 7 a.m. at Olympic Park and will involve a distance of 42.195 kilometers.
Riley states that his inspiration to run for charity came from British comedian Eddie Izard.
“I was really inspired by Eddie Izard when he did that run across England. I felt I could do the same for Korea here,” he told The Korea Times by phone.
On July 27, 2009, with only five weeks of training and no significant prior history of running, Eddie Izzard began seven weeks of back-to-back marathons (with Sundays off) across the U.K. to raise money for Sport Relief.
Riley is calling out to runners from the four cities to join him for segments of the four marathon routes as well as to wait at the finish line for a daily post-race celebration. Cyclists are also invited to participate.
The Seoul route will follow the south bank of the Han River heading east before crossing the river at Dangsan, then will head west to Jamsil. The course will then cross back to the south bank, finishing in Songpa.
Details and route maps will be updated frequently on www.joerunskorea.wordpress.com. Contact 4in4marathon@gmail.com for more information.
Sponsorship information is also available at the above website and people can donate on the day.