North Korea ended its four-month ban on foreign visitors over fears of the Ebola virus, reported The New York Times. The decision was made in time to allow non-Korean runners back into the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April 12.

"This has been a truly extraordinary period in the history of North Korean travel, and we’d like to genuinely thank all of our tourists for being so understanding during what must have been an extremely frustrating time for you during all the recent uncertainty,” Koryo Tours, a tour company through which runners can sign up for the race, said in an email to The Times.

Last year was the first time foreign amateur and professional participants could enter the race officially called the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon. About 225 overseas runners took part in the 27-year-old event. It looked like the same would be true for the 2015 event until an announcement made in February rescinded entries for foreigners because of the ebola outbreak.

The marathon in the country's capital, Pyongyang, celebrates the birth of Kim Il Sung, the nation’s founder and grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.

Related:

Pyongyang Marathon Bars Foreign Runners from Racing in April

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