Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Pyongyang Marathon

Annual race held in Pyongyang, North Korea

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.
Pyongyang Marathon
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl만경대상국제마라손경기대회
Hancha萬景臺賞國際마라손競技大會
Revised RomanizationMan-gyeongdaesang-gukje-marason-gyeonggidaehoe
McCune-ReischauerMan'gyŏngdaesang-gukche-marason-gyŏnggidaehoe

Pyongyang International Marathon, previously known as Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, is an annual marathon race contested each April in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.

The marathon was held for the first time in 1981 for men, and the women's event was initiated in 1984. The 2009 race was the 22nd event. The competition was opened for international runners again in 2000. The race starts and finishes at the Rungrado May Day Stadium or Kim Il Sung Stadium and runs along the Taedong River. At the 2010 edition of the race, Ukrainian Ivan Babaryka became the first European runner to win in Pyongyang in 24 years. The race in 2012 was held as part of celebrations for the 100 years since Kim Il Sung's birth and featured one of the race's closest ever finishes: Oleksandr Matviychuk and Pak Song-chol were given identical times (2:12:54 hours), with the Ukrainian guest taking the title.

The 2015 marathon was initially closed to foreigners because of concerns about Ebola, but this decision has since been reversed after the reopening of the North Korean border in March 2015. The marathon was held in 2016, but did not meet IAAF specifications for an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race that it had on previous years. In 2020, it was announced that the marathon would be cancelled for that year due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China. The 2021 edition was also cancelled due to the same reason as well as the 2022 edition.

The marathon resumed in 2025.

The 2026 edition of the Pyongyang Marathon was cancelled without a specifed reason behind the decision.

01Course records

  • Men: 2:10:50, Kim Jung-won, 1996
  • Women: 2:25:48, Jon Su-gyong, 2025

02List of winners

Key:   Course record

Edition Year Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner Time (h:m:s)
37th 2025  Pak Kum-dang (PRK) 2:12:08  Jon Su-gyong (PRK) 2:25:48
, 2020-2024 Marathons not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
36th 2019  Ri Kang-bom (PRK) 2:11:19  Ri Kwang-ok (PRK) 2:26:58
35th 2018  Ri Kang-bom (PRK) 2:12:53  Kim Hye-song (PRK) 2:27:31
34th 2017  Pak Chol (PRK) 2:14:56  Jo Un-ok (PRK) 2:29:22
33rd 2016  Pak Chol-gwang (PRK) 2:14:10  Kim Ji-hyang (PRK) 2:28:06
32nd 2015  Lee Yong-ho (PRK) 2:16:04  Kim Hye-song (PRK) 2:29:12
31st 2014  Pak Chol (PRK) 2:12:26  Kim Hye-gyong (PRK) 2:27:05
30th 2013  Ketema Bekele (ETH) 2:13:04  Kim Mi-gyong (PRK) 2:26:32
29th 2012  Oleksandr Matviychuk (UKR) 2:12:54  Kim Mi-gyong (PRK) 2:30:41
28th 2011  Oleg Marusin (RUS) 2:13:58  Ro Un-ok (PRK) 2:32:06
27th 2010  Ivan Babaryka (UKR) 2:13:56  Kim Kum-ok (PRK) 2:27:34
26th 2009  Wang Zemin (CHN) 2:14:21  Phyo Un-suk (PRK) 2:28:34
25th 2008  Pak Song-chol (PRK) 2:14:22  Phyo Un-suk (PRK) 2:28:39
24th 2007  Pak Song-chol (PRK) 2:12:41  Jong Yong-ok (PRK) 2:26:02
23rd 2006  Ri Kyong-chol (PRK) 2:13:15  Jo Bun-hui (PRK) 2:27:22
22nd 2005  Ri Kyong-chol (PRK) 2:11:36  Ham Bong-sil (PRK) 2:31:46
21st 2004  Morris Mwangi (KEN) 2:16:41  O Song-suk (PRK) 2:36:10
20th 2003  Jong Myong-chol (PRK) 2:15:05  Ham Bong-sil (PRK) 2:27:48
19th 2002  Zacharia Mpolokeng (RSA) 2:15:05  Ham Bong-sil (PRK) 2:26:23
18th 2001  Kim Jung-won (PRK) 2:11:48  Jong Yong-ok (PRK) 2:28:32
17th 2000  Nelson Ndereva (KEN) 2:11:05  Hong Myong-hui (PRK) 2:31:28
16th 1999 Unknown
15th 1998 Unknown
14th 1997 Unknown
13th 1996  Kim Jung-won (PRK) 2:10:50  Kim Chang-ok (PRK) 2:27:02
12th 1995 Unknown  Mun Gyong-ae (PRK) 2:30:37
11th 1994 Unknown
10th 1993 Unknown
9th 1992 Unknown  Mun Gyong-ae (PRK) 2:38:44
, 1990-1991 Marathon not held
8th 1989  Choe Chol-ho (PRK) 2:15:27  Mun Gyong-ae (PRK) 2:33:48
7th 1988  Cho Hui-bok (PRK) 2:14:33  Madina Biktagirova (URS) 2:38:00
, 1987 Marathon not held
6th 1986  Sergey Krestyaninov (URS) 2:14:19  Elena Murgoci (ROM) 2:37:11
5th 1985  Choe Il-sop (PRK) 2:13:25  Tatyana Bultot (URS) 2:35:36
4th 1984  Dmitriy Feostikov (URS) 2:14:36  Nadezhda Tishkova (URS) 2:40:34
3rd 1983 Unknown  Yu Song-hui (PRK) 2:37:14
2nd 1982  Lee Jong-hyong (PRK) 2:15:17 Women's marathon not held
1st 1981 Unknown 2:17:18
Watch videos about Pyongyang MarathonExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Pyongyang Marathon, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.