Seoul Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Seoul Marathon, officially the Seoul Marathon and Dong-A Marathon, is run on a Sunday in March in the South Korean capital and is organised by the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Association of Athletics Federations. The marathon starts at 07:30 at Gwanghwamun Square, in front of the royal palaces, and crosses the city to finish at the Jamsil Sports Complex, home of the 1988 Olympic Stadium. A 10 km race runs on the same day and starts at Jamsil. Full-marathon runners must be 18 or older and submit a recent marathon result of under 4 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds, and the time limit is five hours. The race traces its roots to 21 March 1931, when the first Dong-A Marathon was run as a 14.5-mile loop from Seoul to Yeongdeungpo with 14 starters; it was suspended from 1940 for 14 years and returned in 1953 as a shortened race, and a full-distance marathon began in 1964. The 2027 race is billed as the 97th Dong-A Marathon. The men's course record is 2:04:22, set by Haftu Teklu on 15 March 2026.