'2022 Seoul Running' Celebrates 20th Anniversary with In-Person Event After 3 Years

Held as an In-Person Event Around Seoul Plaza... Total of 11,000 Citizens Participate
First Seoul Area Marathon Including Cheongwadae... Seoul Plaza~Gwanghwamun Plaza~Cheonggyecheon, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The ‘Seoul Dalligi (SEOUL RACE),’ celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, will be held as an in-person event for the first time in three years.

On the 6th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will hold the ‘2022 Seoul Dalligi’ around Seoul Plaza on the 9th. Since its inception in 2003, the ‘2022 Seoul Dalligi’ marks the 20th edition of Seoul’s representative autumn running sports event.

This year’s race is the first marathon event in Seoul to circle the Blue House. Starting from Seoul Plaza, the route connects attractive landmarks in downtown Seoul including Gwanghwamun Square, the Blue House, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), with both a half marathon and a 10km course available. The half marathon course starts at Seoul Plaza, passes Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Blue House, Namdaemun, Euljiro, and Cheonggyecheon, and returns to Seoul Plaza. The 10km course follows the same route as the half marathon except it excludes the Cheonggyecheon section, returning to Seoul Plaza.

To date, a total of 190,000 participants have taken part in the ‘Seoul Dalligi.’ Marking the 20th anniversary, the Seoul Metropolitan Government aimed to reach a cumulative total of 200,000 participants and began recruiting 11,000 runners from July 1st, resulting in early closure within 25 days.

In addition to the Masters (amateur) category for general citizens, the ‘2022 Seoul Dalligi’ will separately operate an Open International category featuring professional overseas athletes. Established in 2015, the Open International category has been upgraded from a 10km to a half marathon course for the 20th anniversary, with a total of eight professional athletes competing in friendly competition with Masters participants.

Meanwhile, analysis of the participants in the ‘2022 Seoul Dalligi’ shows that 65% are in their 20s and 30s. The number of half marathon participants increased by 62% compared to 2019. Notably, women in their 20s and 30s account for 74% of all female participants. The oldest participant this year is Mr. Yoon Yong-woon, born in 1943 (79 years old), and the youngest is Jin Ha-jun, born in 2016 (6 years old).

On the 9th, from 6:00 AM to 10:30 AM, staged traffic control will be enforced on major sections including Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun, the Blue House, Namdaemun, Euljiro, and Cheonggyecheon. For detailed information on traffic control zones and times, please contact the 120 Dasan Call Center or refer to the attached photo materials.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “Through the ‘Seoul Dalligi,’ held as an in-person event for the first time in three years, we hope people can fully enjoy the autumn breeze and appreciate the preciousness of running together with family and colleagues.” He added, “Having achieved the meaningful milestone of 200,000 total participants over 20 years, we expect ‘Seoul Dalligi’ to continue its legacy as a representative health sport and marathon event of Seoul.”