Guide2026 DYNAFIT Taebaek Trail 50K Race Review

This race was never in my original plans. I entered the 2026 DYNAFIT Taebaek Trail 50K as a training run for TransJeju 100K in October. Cramps on Taebaeksan meant letting my friend go ahead, and after descending Hambaeksan, I alternated between walking and running. Still, crossing the finish line made the training feel worthwhile.

I covered race preparation in my earlier DYNAFIT Taebaek Trail guide. This is my account of the race itself, from sleeping in the car the night before to the post-race meal.

My race at a glance

Item	Details
Race	2026 DYNAFIT Taebaek Trail 50K
Race date	September 5, 2026
Start and finish	Taebaek Sowonji Auto Camping Ground
Start time	06:00
Route	CP1 → CP2 → Munsubong → Taebaeksan summit → CP3 → Manhangjae → CP4 → Hambaeksan → Jijirigol Birch Forest → Finish
Watch time	9 hours 43 minutes
Official SmartChip time	09:43:14
Rankings	483rd overall · 400th male · 81st in my age group
Reason for entering	Training for TransJeju 100K in October

Split timetable

My watch started recording as I crossed the line at 06:01. The times below are calculated from its 1 km cumulative splits and include time spent refueling and resting at each checkpoint.

Point	Official distance	Time of day	Split time	Elapsed time	What happened
Start	0km	06:01	Start	0:00:00	Started from around the middle of the field
CP1 Saberigol forest road	11km	07:21:38	1:20:38	1:20:38	Cola and bananas
CP2 Geumcheon parking lot	20km	08:41:32	1:19:54	2:40:32	Rice cake and water refill
CP3 Eopyeongjae rest area	30km	11:35:57	2:54:25	5:34:57	Dried-radish-leaf soybean paste soup and water refill
CP4 Hambaeksan trail entrance	36km	13:14:18	1:38:21	7:13:18	Left with an ice cream
Jijirigol WP	45km	15:00:01	1:45:43	8:59:01	Passed through the birch forest
Finish	50.52km	15:44:29	0:44:28	9:43:29	Watch distance: 51.72km

My official time was 09:43:14, 15 seconds shorter than the watch recording. The official course measured 50.52km, while my watch recorded 51.72km, creating a gap of about 1km later in the race. I therefore matched CP3 at official kilometer 30 to roughly kilometer 31 on the watch, and Jijirigol WP at official kilometer 45 to roughly kilometer 46 on the watch. The times of day above are also based on the 06:01 watch start, so they differ from the official start and finish times by about one minute.

September 4: Half a day off and a drive to Taebaek

On Friday, September 4, I took half a day off work and headed to Taebaek Sowonji Auto Camping Ground with a friend. We stopped for dinner at a highway rest area and arrived around 11 p.m.

We drove over to Parking Lot 1 and found we could enter, so we parked there. We set up the car for sleeping and went straight to bed. The pre-race guide said venue parking would open after midnight, but that night I was able to get in around 11 p.m.

Up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready

I woke at 3:30 a.m. and ate the stuffed tofu pockets and gimbap we had bought the day before. After breakfast and a toilet stop, we looked around the race booths and filled up with water as we got ready.

The toilets I used that day were in two buildings. Each had two men's toilets and two women's toilets: eight in total, four for men and four for women. I would get the toilet stop out of the way early. They were seated toilets, but no water came out.

SHINee's Choi Minho was also taking part. He came onstage and gave everyone a cheer. We lined up somewhere in the middle of the field. The countdown ended, and at 06:00, we were off.

Start to CP1: Warming up without overdoing it

The opening flat stretch got me warmed up. A steep climb followed, then the route settled into forest roads with gentle ups and downs.

The forecast had called for rain, but the sun began to come out. There was still a long way to go. I kept the effort easy, and before I knew it, I was at CP1.

Three sips of cola, two bananas, a water refill, and I was off again. I usually spend more than 10 minutes at each checkpoint, but today I got out quickly.

CP1 to CP2: A long descent, then an uphill road

A long downhill began as soon as I left CP1. Worried about trashing my legs, I shortened my stride and took it slowly.

When the descent finally ended, a long road climb took its place. The stretch from CP1 to CP2 really was V-shaped, just like the elevation profile. CP2 only appeared once that tedious road climb was over.

I planned to eat plenty here. Taebaeksan was next. Again, I had three sips of cola and two bananas, plus one rice cake I had brought along. After refilling my water, I also added water to my PASICO Trail Pack and took it with me.

Climbing Taebaeksan: No energy left for photos

We followed the road before turning into the woods. The gradient was gentle at first. I took one photo there; after that, taking pictures was the last thing on my mind.

The climb to Madeungnyeong on Seoraksan, the trail from Huiungak Shelter to Socheong Shelter, and the climb from Jungsan-ri to Jangteomok Shelter on Jirisan—all those tough climbs faded from my mind. This one felt harder than any of them.

Stairs would have been easier, but it was all steep dirt slopes. My calves and shins tightened up, then cramped. I let my friend go ahead.

I had one Crampton with me, but saved it for Hambaeksan. I rested for about 5 minutes, waiting for the cramps to ease, then started climbing again. People around me were shouting encouragement, but I did not even have the energy to join in.

A little farther up, the slope eased. Only then did I have the PASICO Trail Pack I had mixed with water. Forget photos—I just kept climbing until I reached Munsubong.

I spent about 1 minute in the breeze, loosening my tight muscles, then moved on. Following the ridge brought me to the Taebaeksan summit. It was pea-soup fog up there, with nothing to see. I kept going.

An extremely steep descent followed. I came down quickly but carefully, trying to spare my legs.

CP3: Reunited with my friend over a bowl of soup

I met up with my friend again at CP3 and sat down to eat. The dried radish greens and soybean paste soup was delicious. At the Snow Trail two years earlier, we had fish cake soup and kimchi; the food was much better this time.

After enjoying the meal, I picked up some salt-and-glucose tablets, worried about cramping again. This time I filled both flasks with water. I knew another huge climb to Manhangjae lay ahead, so I left with a full stomach too.

Through Manhangjae to CP4, then up Hambaeksan with ice cream

We crossed the road and headed toward Manhangjae. Perhaps it helped that I had done this climb before, or perhaps my fitness had improved, but I arrived much sooner than expected.

I kept climbing in line behind the person ahead. The person at the front—our little group's "bus driver"—seemed to be setting a good pace. It was hard, but it was over quickly.

On the climb from Manhangjae to the Hambaeksan trail entrance, I cramped again. I thought I should try wearing calf sleeves next time.

At CP4, I picked up an ice cream and started climbing Hambaeksan. I did not remember wooden steps being there before, but there they were this time. They reminded me of the steps on Gogeunsan, the final climb at TransJeju.

I let my friend go ahead while I finished the ice cream. When I had visited in winter, tourists and hikers caused bottlenecks. Picking our own way up where there was no trail had made it slow and difficult. This time, at least, the climb went quickly.

At the top, the sun was out and a cool breeze was blowing. It felt wonderful.

Down from Hambaeksan: Running and walking through cramps

I rested for about 2 minutes, taking in the view, then started down. A long downhill on forest roads followed.

As I ran downhill, I started cramping above my knees. I alternated between walking and running. The road felt tedious. I kept going without even looking at the scenery, until I found myself back in the woods.

A little farther on, I recognized the birch forest I had visited for a Black Yak Untangodo check-in. Everyone was walking here. Who could resist a view like that?

The final 4 km: The Hyperbolic Time Chamber

From there, I knew the route. I ran slowly but kept moving, only a little faster than a walk.

Those final 4 km refused to get any shorter. It was so tedious that I started wondering why I was running at all. I felt as if I had entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Eventually, I went back to alternating between walking and running.

Then I reached the stretch we had passed at the start. I squeezed out what energy I had left and began to run. The finish line came into view. I checked the gaps to the runners ahead and behind, then posed for the shot. Finish-line photos matter.

My watch showed 9 hours 43 minutes.

A finisher jacket, a bath, and a meal

After collecting my finisher jacket, I used the sauna voucher to wash up at Taebaek Hotel's bathhouse. I used the meal voucher for food and the cocktail voucher for a nonalcoholic cocktail. The food queue was quite long.

I checked SmartChip too. Official time: 09:43:14. Overall: 483rd. Male: 400th. Age group: 81st.

My results had improved. I still had a long way to go compared with other runners, but I had made it into the top half. The training was paying off.

One month until TransJeju 100K

After eating, we headed home. When I finished TransJeju last year, I said I would never do it again. This time, finishing left me feeling proud of the effort.

After my Jangsu Trail race review, I now had a Taebaek finish to write about too. Next up is TransJeju 100K in October. With one month left, I want to recover well, eat well, and keep training hard.