The JTBC Seoul Marathon is one of South Korea’s largest and most prominent road races, bringing tens of thousands of runners onto the streets of Seoul, South Korea, each autumn. Held annually around the beginning of November, the event combines a full 42.195-kilometre marathon with a 10K race and has developed a particularly energetic, contemporary identity within Korea’s booming running scene.
The full marathon offers runners a point-to-point journey across Seoul, starting at Sangam World Cup Park in the western part of the city and finishing at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul. The route is designed as a tour across the Korean capital, connecting different eras and neighbourhoods while incorporating some of Seoul’s best-known urban landmarks and crossing the Han River. The event describes its course as spanning the city from historic areas such as Gwanghwamun and Deoksugung to sites associated with the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 2002 FIFA World Cup.
With approximately 30,000 participants across its events, the JTBC Seoul Marathon delivers the atmosphere of a major international city marathon. The race is supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by JTBC, the Korea Athletics Federation and Runable, bringing together one of South Korea’s major broadcasters, the country’s national athletics governing body and a major Korean running-event platform.
