Pyongyang Marathon
Annual race held in Pyongyang, North Korea

| Pyongyang Marathon | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 만경대상국제마라손경기대회 |
| Hancha | 萬景臺賞國際마라손競技大會 |
| Revised Romanization | Man-gyeongdaesang-gukje-marason-gyeonggidaehoe |
| McCune-Reischauer | Man'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 | ||
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:
- Participants in the 2012 Pyongyang Marathon running past the Arch of Triumph.jpg by Uri Tours, CC BY-SA 2.0
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