Mannam runs marathon, plans island event

Expats and Koreans have joined to run a marathon to support children battling cancer.

More than 40 members of the MANNAM International Running Club, or MIRC took part in the Marathon for Child Cancer on May 6, with all proceeds collected from the event being donated to assist children at Seoul Samsung Hospital and Severance Hospital.

The event started in Jamwon in Seoul and was hosted by Seoul Citizen Marathon Competition to Help Cancer Children.

The run to support child cancer patients was the first charity marathon to be held in Korea when it first started in 2002. It has now been held five times, raising a total of 149 million won (nearly $130,000) for the cause.

Leader of MIRC, Mark Benton, said: “I was truly privileged just to be able to run this race.”

The MIRC helps runners from beginners to veterans to improve their individual running techniques.

The next Mannam volunteering event will be held on Ganghwa Island on May 20. Participants will help out on a farm on the island near Incheon during the activity to run from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The group of around 100 expats will help an elderly couple plant sweet potatoes on their farm in Doraemi Village. The small village is home to about 492 families, most of them elderly. Volunteers will meet at Sinchon Subway Station’s Exit 4 at 9:30 a.m. before taking a bus together to the island, which is connected by a bridge to the mainland.

Participants can choose to join a group BBQ for 8,000 won and may take some time for sightseeing after the work is done at 4 p.m.

To learn more about Mannam go to: www.mannamintl.org.