The Gyeongju International Marathon is an annual

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

event over the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

distance (42.195 km) which takes place in mid-October in

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. It gained

IAAF Silver Label Road Race World Athletics Label Road Races are races that World Athletics (until 2019: ''IAAF'') designates as the "leading road races around the world." The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of the IAAF R ...

status in 2010. First held in 1993, the event began as an amateur competition for the city's residents and club-level runners. By 1999, over 10,000 runners took part in the day's event on an annual basis. After an initial incorporation of an international race in the mid-1990s, the race again reverted to being a national Korean competition due to financial constraints. The race was moved to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in 2000 but the Gyeongju marathon re-emerged in 2006 and elite foreign runners returned to the city the following year. The competition now features an international elite-level marathon race for both men and women, as well as amateur

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors prov ...

events over the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

, 10K and 5K distances.Dong-A Ilbo 2010 Gyeongju International Marathon Information
Gyeongju International Marathon. Retrieved on 2010-10-17. The event is one of a series of races in the country (alongside the

Baekje Marathon Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

and

Seoul International Marathon The Seoul International Marathon (), also known as The Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon or Seoul Marathon, is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is hosted by the newspaper ''The Dong-A Ilbo''. It is one of two annual ra ...

) which are sponsored by '' The Dong-a Ilbo'', a Korean daily

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...

. The competition is one of two annual road running festivals in the city, the other being the Gyeongjyu Cherry Blossom Marathon which is held in April when the trees come into blossom.Gyeongjyu Cherry Blossom Marathon Race
. GCB Marathon. Retrieved on 2010-10-17. The course of the marathon begins in Hwangseong Park and ends on the

running track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...

of the Gyeongju Public Stadium within the park. The men's course record for the marathon is 2:08:52, which was set by

Yemane Tsegay Yemane Adhane Tsegay (born 8 April 1985) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He won the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best time of 2:04:48 hours. He has also won marathons in Eindhoven, Gyeongju, Ma ...

in 2008, while the women's record is held by national runner

Yun Sun-suk Yun may refer to: *Yǔn, Chinese name of Xionites, a nomadic tribe of Central Asia *Yun (Chinese name) (云/雲), a Chinese family name *Yun (ancient surname), an ancient Chinese surname *Yeon, or Yun, Korean (or Dutch given name) family name *Yun ...

, whose mark of 2:31:21 was set in 2007.

Past winners

Key:

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Athletics in South Korea Marathons in South Korea Sport in North Gyeongsang Province Gyeongju Recurring sporting events established in 1993 Autumn in South Korea 1993 establishments in South Korea