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The 29th Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon – also known as the Pyongyang Marathon – was run on Sunday April 8th, 2018.

In chilly conditions that saw snow falling at one point, 1,170 participants from all over the world including 429 amateurs headed to Pyongyang to hit the streets for one the most unique marathons in the world.

With a time of 2:12:53, the DPRK’s very own Ri Kang Bom came in first place for the men, and current Asian Marathon Champion Kim Hye Gyong came in first for women with a 2:27:30 just edging out her twin sister Kim Hye Song who finished second with a 2:27:31.

This year’s event also saw disabled athletes participate for the first time ever with William Tan from Singapore becoming the first person to complete the race in a wheelchair with a time of 2:49:59, and Kim Chol Ung from the DPRK becoming the first visually impaired runner to complete the event with a time of 3:28:20.

You can view the full results in full here

The DPR Korea Amateur Athletics Association have been working very hard with their partners behind the scenes and are happy to confirm the following important updates for the 29th edition of the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, or also known as the 2018 Pyongyang Marathon;

Extended Finishing Time – the official marathon bulletin confirms 4.5 hours as the upper time-limit, but we are pleased to confirm this is being extended to 5.5 hours making the full marathon possible for more people. After 4.5 hours the stadium door will close so that the closing ceremony events can start to take place, but an official finishing line will be placed outside the stadium so that the complete course can still be finished, an official time logged and a finishers medal be earned. 

5km Race Distance Option – the exact route is still to be determined, but this added option means that even those for whom 10km is too far can now join in. 

Disabled Runners – previously the race was not officially open to those taking part while using wheelchairs, visually-disabled runners and so on. We are pleased to announce that this will now change and we have made it possible to accept runners from a wider range starting in 2018. If you have any special requirements, then please get in contact with our official race partner Koryo Tours who can assist with getting you to Pyongyang and entering you into the race.

These are all very exciting firsts for us to announce to everybody, and we look forward to seeing you all on the starting line in Pyongyang in 2018!

The official race bulletin for the 29th edition of the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon – the 2018 Pyongyang Marathon – has been released by the DPR Korea Amateur Athletics Association.

This official bulletin confirms important information for all amateur athletes participating in the 2018 race. This includes that the route for the marathon will again follow the same return route introduced for the 2017 event including the very popular race start and finish inside Kim Il Sung Stadium in front of 50,000 people, and that the official full marathon race time limit has been extended to 5.5 hours – now you have more time to finish your race and achieve your personal best!

The bulletin also confirms that the organising committee continue to work with Koryo Tours as the exclusive rights holder for all amateur athletes, with the exception of athletes from some south east Asian countries. This means that by traveling with Koryo Tours to get to the Pyongyang Marathon you are automatically guaranteed entry into the marathon.

You can read the bulletin in full by clicking on it below.

We are very pleased to be able to announce an exciting update to the race route around Pyongyang city on 9 April 2017.

The marathon’s organising committee has confirmed that the route next year has changed significantly from the previous 10km loop around the city centre. For 2017’s race, the race is now a return course — rather than a loop — with the route being run through the city centre. Runners will go past many of the iconic buildings, monuments, and streets of Pyongyang, before heading out into the countryside, just outside the urban centre, before running back again.

This new route — which is IAAF certified — gives runners the chance to see more of the capital than in previous years, and also allows more interaction with people along the course, as it takes in more parts of the city than ever before.

Other exciting news about the course is that all three amateur races — the 10km, half marathon, and full marathon — will start and finish inside Kim Il Sung Stadium (including a final lap of the stadium track). This means that everyone participating will get the chance to finish in front of a 50,000-strong capacity crowd of local Koreans who’ll be in attendance at the stadium.

This latest update from the Pyongyang Marathon Committee also reaffirms that they’ve granted Koryo Tours the exclusive rights to enter foreign amateur runners into the 2017 edition of the Mangyongdae Prize Pyongyang Marathon.

If you’re interested in taking part in this unique event then we encourage you to sign up soon. Some of our marathon tours are already full, and once the flights and trains to/from Pyongyang during that period hit capacity, then it won’t be possible to add anyone else to the race.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the starting line in Pyongyang – it’s more than just a race!

[one_half]The course for next year’s race has now been finalized. The route is essentially a 10km-long loop of the city, and takes in many of the sights of Pyongyang, including the Arch of Triumph, the Friendship Tower, the newly renovated May Day Stadium and the Chollima Statue. Those running the 10km do this loop once and finish by Pyongyang’s Arch of Triumph. Those doing the Half Marathon run the loop twice; those doing the Full Marathon run it four times. Both the Half and Full finish inside the Kim Il Sung stadium. See this video courtesy of our international travel partners.[/one_half][one_half_last] [/one_half_last]