From prenatal running to stroller running — Gwangjin-gu leads the nation in family-friendly running culture
Gwangjin-gu, at the center of Seoul's running boom, is now hitting the pavement with families and their young children.
Seoul's Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) — which years ago became the first district in the city to launch an evening running crew along the Han River for office workers and residents — will host a "Stroller Running Program" at Ttukseom Han River Park on Saturday for families with infants and toddlers.
The district's running crew has grown popular among young professionals and has since been adopted as a model by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The event follows the "Prenatal Slow Running" program, which Gwangjin-gu ran from April through May as the first program of its kind among local districts nationwide, recording a 94 percent participant satisfaction rate. The stroller run extends that initiative — moving from prenatal health management into the child-rearing stage — with the aim of spreading a healthy lifestyle culture through every phase of parenthood.
Amid the nationwide running craze, Gwangjin-gu has been rolling out a range of health programs that make use of Children's Grand Park and the Han River waterfront, earning recognition for developing "running crew culture" into a district-specific health policy.
Ten families — 30 participants in total — with infants and toddlers will take part in the stroller run. After a warm-up and stretching session, participants will walk and jog a flat 2.3-kilometer course through Ttukseom Han River Park while pushing their strollers. The nearly grade-free route was designed so that even beginners can join without difficulty.
A range of health services for families with young children will also be available at the venue. Alongside maternal and child health programs and information on childhood vaccination schedules, participants can take a depression screening through a contactless QR-based "mental health counseling booth." The event serves as a one-stop service delivering health information covering pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing all in one place.
The district expects the stroller run to strengthen bonds among families raising young children, much as the earlier prenatal slow running program grew into a space for expectant parents to connect and share experiences beyond simple exercise.
The initiative is drawing attention for presenting a life-cycle health management model — building on the nationally first-of-its-kind prenatal running program and extending it to stroller running for families with infants and toddlers.
"If the prenatal slow running was the first step toward a healthy birth, this stroller running is a new starting point for parents and children to build a healthy everyday life together," District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said. "We will continue to expand tailored health programs that residents can feel across the full journey — from pregnancy and childbirth to child-rearing — to make Gwangjin-gu a great place to raise children."
Gwangjin-gu plans to continue developing and operating a variety of community-based programs aimed at improving residents' health and creating a family-friendly environment.
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