Wando-gun Successfully Hosts the Nation's First Beach Nordic Walking Competition

Over 299 Participants from Across the Country

[Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, held the nation's first beach Nordic walking competition on the 7th at Sinji Myeongsashipri Beach.

According to the county on the 10th, a total of 299 participants from all over the country, including enthusiasts and general public interested in Nordic walking from Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gyeongnam, Busan, Jeju, and other regions, participated, with ages ranging from teenagers to people in their 70s.

The competition was divided into ‘Marine Healing Trail Walking,’ which includes the Sea Healing Trail and Forest Healing Trail near Sinji Myeongsashipri Beach, and the ‘Alpha Movement Competition,’ which focuses on the core movements of Nordic walking.

The Alpha (ALFA) movement requires holding poles in both hands, keeping the upper body straight, extending both arms straight forward and backward, maintaining a 45-degree angle between the front and back feet and the ground, and keeping a consistent stride length.

General participants who completed the 4.5km marine healing trail course and Nordic walking enthusiasts who completed the 8.6km course were awarded commemorative medals and small gifts, while the winner of the Alpha movement competition received a trophy and a prize.

The oldest participant, Mr. Ko Hwang-yoon, aged 78, said, “The natural scenery of the healing trail was very beautiful, and walking while listening to the waves of Myeongsashipri seemed to heal my mind and body tired from COVID-19,” adding, “I plan to visit again soon with acquaintances to walk.”

An Hwan-ok, the marine healing officer, said, “The beach Nordic walking competition, organized to widely promote the marine healing industry, was successfully held,” and added, “We will develop various programs to revitalize Wando’s marine healing industry, which utilizes a clean environment without chimney industries and diverse marine resources.”

Meanwhile, since 2018, the county has been operating various marine healing pilot programs, including Nordic walking, to establish the marine healing industry early, and plans to operate marine healing programs such as beach meditation in May and beach exercise in June.

Wando=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.