Hapcheon-gun Successfully Concludes the 22nd Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon

Record High Participation of 12,251 People

Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province, successfully held the 22nd Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon on the 2nd at Hapcheon Public Stadium and along the Hapcheon 100-ri Cherry Blossom Marathon Course.

Hosted by the county and organized by the Hapcheon County Sports Council, the 22nd Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon is a prestigious marathon known for its KAAA-certified course, running along the scenic Hwanggang River and the 100-ri cherry blossom path, featuring four categories: full marathon, half marathon, 10 km, and 5 km.

Especially this year, despite being the first event in four years since COVID-19, a record-breaking 12,251 marathoners nationwide registered to participate, proving that this is a premium marathon eagerly awaited by running enthusiasts.

Participants of the Gyeongnam Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon are running one after another toward their target point.

The pre-event performances kicked off the excitement with the Phoenix Cheerleading Team's stage and the Dreaming Theater Team's traditional Korean drum performance. Outside the stadium, tasting events featuring Hapcheon Hwangto Hanwoo beef, pork, and Hapcheon Makgeolli introduced local specialties, while various booths such as face painting and free tea service welcomed marathoners from across the country.

At the opening ceremony, on-site prize draws for washing machines and TVs were held, and from 9:30 AM, participants in the full marathon, half marathon, 10 km, and 5 km categories started running toward their goals in 10-minute intervals following the starting signals from the VIPs.

As a result of outstanding races, the winners by category were: 10 km men's youth division Lee Jae-sik, middle-aged division Kang Byung-sung, senior division Jeon Guk-jin; women's youth division Lee So-ryun, middle-aged division Lee Min-ju; half marathon men’s 30s division Gam Jin-gyu, 40s division Choi Byung-jin, 50s division Jeong Sang-gu, 60+ division Kim Hyung-rak; women’s youth division Ryu Seung-hwa, middle-aged division Kim Ju-yeon; full marathon men’s 30s division Lee Jong-hyun, 40s division Kim Chang-won, 50s division Choi Jin-su, 60+ division Lee Gwang-yeol; full marathon women’s youth division Park Bo-min, middle-aged division Lee Hyun-hee.

In addition, the Chungbuk Sarang A team won the team full marathon competition, followed by awards for the youngest participant and the Silver Star award to Kang Won-jo.

County Governor Kim Yoon-cheol expressed his gratitude in his opening remarks, saying, “Thank you all for responding with the highest number of participants ever for the first event in four years. We have prepared plenty of food and entertainment, so please take home wonderful memories and visit our marathon again next year and the year after.”