Hanguk Trail Running

      I ran my first trail race on Namhansan--only my second race ever following the ultra-marathon in Busan. It was a 24.5km race but I ended up getting lost. Whatever the distance ended up being, it had taken me just under six hours to complete it. I was terribly ill-prepared. I had not studied the course, brought only 500mL of water, and did not carry any extra fuel. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what energy gels were at the time. To top it all off, there were no CPs on the course.     Namhansan (498m) is best known for the historic fortress that sits atop its slopes. According to Encyclopedia of Korean Culture ,   Jujanseong was the first fortress ever built on the mountain range. The word "seong" translates to fortress or castle. Excavations and dating efforts in 2005 revealed that it was built during the Silla era (57BC-676).      The name of the mountain--as we know it--came at a later time. "Nam" translates to south in Korean, an...