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| Runners participate in the Seoul International Marathon in 2018. Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
The Seoul International Marathon will take place on Sunday, both online and offline, for the first time in two years, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Friday.
The offline marathon will be held around Olympic Park and Jamsil Stadium in southern Seoul.
The annual event, co-organized by Seoul City and the Korean Association of Athletics Federation, along with local daily newspaper Dong-a Ilbo, was established in 1931. It is the only event of its kind to have received the Platinum Label by World Athletics in Korea.
The last marathon was held in March 2019, but was suspended since then due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event will take place this year under eased social distancing regulations amid the "Living with COVID-19" policy, but with a limited number of runners for the offline marathon, according to its organizers.
While some 35,000 runners take part usually, the downsized event this year has invited 38 professional marathoners along with 300 amateur runners, who can either sign up for the 42.195-kilometer full course or a 10-kilometer course.
Participants of the offline event must be fully vaccinated or should submit negative PCR test results carried out no more than 48 hours prior to the marathon.
Another 7,000 runners will participate online from Saturday to Sunday. They can run freely on any course for more than 5 kilometers, while recording the run through a GPS app, and submit the record for certification.
The city government noted that traffic will be controlled along the route from 7:50 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Road information details will be available via the 120 Dasan call center.
