Daegu International Marathon Heats Up Downtown After 4 Years... Elite Athletes Make Mass Participation

Half Marathon, 10km, and Health Run Draw Over 15,000 Participants

Also Serves as Selection for Asian Games and World Athletics Championships National Team

The athletes of the international marathon, which had been halted due to COVID-19, will run through downtown Daegu after four years.

More than 150 elite athletes from Korea and abroad, along with about 15,000 masters marathoners, are expected to start from the Daegu Jonggak Intersection on April 2.

The 2023 Daegu International Marathon is an international event returning after four years since it was last held in 2019. The event has been upgraded to a Gold Label certified by World Athletics (WA), attracting many elite athletes and promising new records.

The race will be divided into three categories: half marathon, 10km, and health running, starting from 8 a.m. through the streets of downtown Daegu.

Gwangju, a sister city jointly hosting the 2038 Summer Asian Games, will participate along with Gunwi and Kitakyushu, Japan, a youth athletics exchange city.

Promotional banner for the Daegu International Marathon hanging at Daegu City Hall.

Applications for participation can be made until March 10 through the Daegu International Marathon website, Kakao Channel, email, or phone.

To ensure a safe event, Daegu City has been cooperating with various organizations, holding a traffic control meeting with the city, district offices, police, and the Model Drivers Association on February 23.

On the 14th, a final review of preparations by sector will be conducted through a progress report meeting for the event.

This marathon also serves as the national team selection race for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, so a fierce competition is expected.

Kim Jong-han, Deputy Mayor of Daegu, said, “Since this event is held in the inaugural year of Daegu’s rise leading the next 50 years, we will ensure it is conducted safely as a marathon that citizens can enjoy more than ever,” adding, “As traffic control will be enforced along the course, we ask for the cooperation of the citizens.”