RUN THE PYONGYANG MARATHON
RACE DAY | APRIL 6, 2025
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EVENT INFO
Koryo Tours are now accepting applications for the Pyongyang Marathon 2025.
New tours for the Pyongyang Marathon 2025 are now available for booking.
Race Date
April 6, 2025
Race Options
5k | 10k | 21k | Marathon
Race Location
Pyongyang, DPRK
Exclusive Partner
我们力荐的中国大陆跑友报名渠道 www.pingrangmalasong.com ( *仅针对无外籍跑友一同前往的单纯中国籍游客 ) The Basics
The 31st Pyongyang International Marathon (previously Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon) is open to foreign amateur runners. You can run the 5k, 10k, Half or Full Marathon. All four of these races take place at the same time and on the same day — Sunday, 6 April, 2025 – and will be run on course which is fully recognised by both World Athletics and AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races).
Please note that all non-Korean participants are required to enter the country as part of an organised tour group. This year, the race’s official travel partner is Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based, British-run company, which has been operating tours in the DPRK (North Korea) since 1993.
The RouteThe route is a return course run through central Pyongyang, taking in many of the iconic buildings, monuments and streets before heading out into the countryside just outside of the urban centre, before turning and running back again.
The race starts and finishes inside Kim Il Sung Stadium.
Each race distance will have a designated turning point at the race half-distance point where runners are required to turn and head back towards Kim Il Sung stadium.
The time limit for each race is as follows:
5 km & 10 km < 2 hoursHalf Marathon < 2.5 hours
Full Marathon < 4.5 hours
All runners are invited to participate in the race’s opening ceremony, which involves a lap of Kim Il Sung Stadium before heading out onto the streets of Pyongyang. All runners then have the chance to finish their race inside Kim Il Sung stadium in front of a capacity crowd of 50,000 people.
After the race has finished, the top three in the 10 km, half and full marathon amateur categories (men’s full; men’s half; men’s 10km; women’s full; women’s half; women’s 10km) take their place on the stadium’s podium for the award ceremony.
How To Take PartIt is not possible to enter the Pyongyang Marathon without being part of an organised tour group. The race’s official travel partner, Koryo Tours, has a range of tours available to join to get you to Pyongyang for the marathon.
The Pyongyang Marathon has, since 2014, partnered with Koryo Tours to help facilitate the sign-up process for international tourists and runners wanting to take part. Registration for 2025 — via Koryo Tours — is now open.
The Pyongyang International Marathon is officially open to runners with disabilities such as those using wheelchairs or visually impaired runners. If you have any special requirements, then please contact Koryo Tours who can arrange to get you to Pyongyang and entered the race.
Elite Athlete EntryElite Athlete Information will be updated soon.
The 2025 Pyongyang International Marathon Official Bulletin for Elite Athletes will be released at a later date.
MARATHON TOURS
Once again, Koryo Tours is excited to offer the chance for amateur runners to take part in the Pyongyang Marathon 2025! This race can be run either as a full marathon or as a half marathon. There is also a 10km race and a 5km race.
As Pyongyang remains closed to most foreign tourists, this trip will be strictly limited to marathon participants – it is NOT a general reopening, it is for participants in the Pyongyang International Marathon, invited by the marathon committee.
Koryo have two tours available departing from Beijing.
Important Note -Koryo Tours has resumed travel to Rason, a Special Economic Zone near the Chinese and Russian borders. Pyongyang remains closed to regular tourism; however, an exception has been made for runners participating in the 2025 Pyongyang Marathon.
2025 Pyongyang Marathon Tours
Beijing Departure
Pyongyang Marathon Tour Amateur Runners A
Tour Dates: April 3 – 8, 2025From 2,195 EUR per person FULL TOUR DETAILS
Pyongyang Marathon Tour Amateur Runners B
Tour Dates: April 5 – 10, 2025From 2,195 EUR per person FULL TOUR DETAILS
PYONGYANG MARATHON RACE ROUTE
The Route
For 2025 the race is a return course 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 route — which is both IAAF bronze label and AIMS 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.
All four amateur races — the 5km, 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 will be in attendance at the stadium.
After the race has finished, the top three in the 10 km, half and full marathon amateur categories (men’s full; men’s half; men’s 10km; women’s full; women’s half; women’s 10km) take their place on the stadium’s podium for the award ceremony.
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VIEW MARATHON TOURSRACE PREPARATION
Running in the Pyongyang Marathon is unlike any other race in the world. The crowd support is incredible, and crossing the finishing line is an extraordinary experience thanks to the 50,000 Koreans cheering you on as you make your way around Kim Il Sung stadium.
However, if you are to get the most out of this event, we recommend you expand the following sections to read further about the event.
Getting to the Start LineIf you wish to take part then the most important thing to do is ensure you’ve booked your trip to the country with an official travel provider, and have properly secured your place in the race. Koryo Tours is the official travel partner of the 2025 Pyongyang Marathon. Booking directly with Koryo automatically guarantees you race entry.
When selecting which race distance to enter, please take time to properly consider the preparation you have done, and what you are physically and mentally capable of. We advise against attempting one of the longer race distances in Pyongyang if you have not done them before. Marathons are inherently dangerous, and can be an extreme test of one’s physical and mental limits — please note that there are very limited medical options available for treatment in Pyongyang should something go wrong. We strongly recommend selecting a distance you know you can do, and doing it well, because you’ll want to make this event memorable for all the right reasons, and not the wrong ones.
Race DayThe weather on the day of the race can vary dramatically each year, so participants will need to prepare for all possibilities. Please ensure you are wearing appropriate clothing to suit your comfort for the conditions on the day and remember to protect yourself from the sun, including applying sunscreen. An official race shirt will be provided for you to wear, or you can wear your own. Please note that shirts featuring flags, political slogans, prominent logos or obscene words are prohibited.
Refreshment stations are placed every 5km along the route, but will only provide water. If you require sports drinks, energy bars, gels, or any other such snacks in order to help you get to the finishing line, then you must bring these into the country with you — as such items are not available in the DPRK — and then carry them on race day. There are no limits on how much food and drink you can bring in to the country.
Pay attention to your surroundings at all times, as all race participants — including the elite athletes — will be running on the same course at the same time. Avoid getting in the way of faster runners, especially the professional field, and try not to make sudden stops or wild changes of direction. If you need to stop or change direction then communicate this in advance to those around you via hand or voice signals.
If you injure yourself, or start to feel unwell, then stop your race immediately and move to the side of the road. Do not try to push through the pain or discomfort — you will only make your situation worse. Ambulances will be driving the course at all times, and will come to collect you once you have stopped.
FinishingThe stadium doors will close after 4 hours so that the awards ceremony can begin. The top three in the 10km, Half and Full Marathon amateur categories (men’s and women’s) will then take their place on the stadium’s podium for the award ceremony.
The time limit for the Full Marathon race has, for 2025, been set at 4.5 hours.
Any amateurs running the Full Marathon who cannot make the 4.5 hour cut-off time and are still on the course will be asked to stop, and their time will be recorded as a DNF.
Amateurs who successfully complete their event at the Pyongyang Marathon will receive a race certificate and official finisher’s medal — these will be provided to those running any of the four race distances (but only provided you finish in time). The certificate and medal will be given to you before your departure from Pyongyang.
2025 Pyongyang Marathon Tours are now available and bookings can be made with no deposit at present!
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OFFICIAL PARTNERS & SUPPLIERS
Organising Committee
DPR Korea Amateur Athletics Association
Exclusive Partner
Logistics Support
