What You Need to Know about the April 11, 2021 Pyongyang Marathon

WHO CAN RUN:

Almost anyone can run in the amateur marathon alongside professional runners.

It’s not possible to register for the race on your own. You will need to book a Pyongyang Marathon Tour with a DPRK licensed tour operator. Uri Tours is an authorized travel agency of the Pyongyang Marathon and we have a variety of marathon tours to choose from. Let us know which category you want to sign up for (42K, 21K, 10K or 5K). We’ll send you all you need to know about traveling to the DPRK as well as running in the race. See tour information below.

There are no caps placed on the number of registered runners the marathon committee will accept. We have confirmed this with the Official Pyongyang Marathon Committee – they are welcoming as many runners as possible. However, April will be an incredibly busy month in the DPRK. Book as soon as possible.

HOW TO JOIN A TOUR

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 28th, 2021

For 2021, we have two incredible tour options (dates pending).

LEARN MORE Pyongyang Marathon Weekend Tour – Shanghai Departure

LEARN MORE Pyongyang Marathon Long Tour – Shanghai Departure

EXPERIENCES YOU’LL HAVE:

Flying on Air Koryo, North Korea’s only airline

A city tour of Pyongyang, including visiting the Juche Tower with a view of the Ryugyong ‘spaceship’ hotel and a ride on the Pyongyang Metro.

Watch a local North Korean football match

A history lesson on the Korean war with a distinctly North Korea twist

Visit the DMZ, where you will be able to stand in both Koreas.

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

Runner’s bib which will need to be pinned to your shirt during the race

Certificate of Completion

Participation Medal

Running shirt

For first, second or third place winners in any of the amateur categories, you will also be awarded a medal and a finishers shirt at the awards ceremony in front of 50,000 local spectators in the Kim Il Sung stadium (Uri Tours has a history of winning!)

Bragging rights. Because you ran a marathon in North Korea!

Merchandise subject to change.

REGISTRATION FEE:

Full marathon: $150 USD

Half marathon: $100 USD

10K: $70 USD

5K: $50 USD

Spectators: $28 USD to watch soccer/football matches in the Kim Il Sung Stadium during the race

(Registration fees are collected prior to the tour; cost of the tour package is additional)

DISTANCE AND FINISH TIME:

Full Marathon: 42.195km; finish time of 4.5 hours (the entry to Kim Il-Sung Stadium closes at 4 hours, the finish line will relocate to the outside to allow you to finish and record your time)

Half Marathon: 21.0975km; finish time of 2.5 hours

10K: finish time of 2 hours

5K: finish time of 2 hours

Almost anyone can run in the amateur marathon, half marathon, or 10K/5K alongside professional runners. There are no official qualifying times for the amateur marathon. However, the time limits to receive a registered time and finishers certificate are: Within 5.5 hours for the full marathon, 2.5 hours for the half marathon, and 2 hours for the 10k and 5k events. You can still take 3 hours in the 10k event and finish to a roaring crowd in Kim Il-Sung Stadium even though you’ve been disqualified from receiving an official time. The entry to Kim Il-Sung Stadium will close after 4.5 hours for the closing ceremony, the finishing line will be moved outside for full marathoners to register their times.

The race starts and ends inside the Kim Il Sung Stadium. Professionals and amateurs will start at the same location and time. The race starts at approximately 9am and is finished before 1pm. The streets will be re-open to traffic at about 1pm.

COURSE CONDITIONS: You’ll be running in the streets of Pyongyang, which are relatively flat. There will be km markers throughout the course to let you know how long to go before the finish line. There will also be cars with digital timers that will lead the pack to let runners know how much time has elapsed. There are 2 water stations per every 5km and restroom stops marked along the way. The day prior to your tour, we will give you a driving tour of the route. Lastly, for those who require energy gels, you should bring them with you and we’ll make sure one of our staff members will hand them to you at the designated water stations during the race.

WHAT TO WEAR: Please wear solid colors; no tie-dye, pictures or lettering. Top and bottom can be different colors, so long as they are one solid color each. If your shirt has a small logo, the logo can be no bigger than 30cm in rectangular size and the lettering must be less than 4cm in size, according to the regulations of the International Federation.

You’ll be given a number to pin to your shirt during the race. All runners must have a number affixed to their shirts.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONAL RUNNERS

To qualify for the professional marathon, you must have the below qualifying times:

Men need a record of less than 2 hours and 27 minutes

Women need a record of less than 2 hours and 38 minutes

Registrants must provide proof of an official record time from the past 3 years

The International Athletics Federation registers the records of professional marathon runners who attend the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon.

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These runners made history in 2014 by being among the first foreign amateurs to run in the Pyongyang Marathon.

OUR RUNNERS who made it on the news

Morgan from France: read his thoughts on the race in RUE89