Marathon Run but Told to Drink Hot Water... Outrage Over Busan Race

"Vehicle Control Failed, Posing Danger" Criticism Continues

Participants are demanding refunds in droves due to poor management at a marathon event held in Busan.

"Lack of drinking water, giving hot water to runners"... Criticism of overall poor management

The Busan Marathon held on the 21st at the Daejeo Ecological Park area in Busan. [Image source=Instagram capture]

On the 24th, more than 80 protest posts from participants were uploaded on the 'Busan Marathon' website. Participants raised complaints covering the entire event management, such as "There was not a single bottle of water at the finish line," "They gave hot water to runners," "The mid-course water stations were inadequate, and no additional restrooms were installed, causing shortages," "Vehicle control was poor, and cars entered the running course," "The course differed from the description, causing collisions among participants," "Ranking was not properly tracked," and "The item storage facilities were insufficient."

Some participants even raised issues regarding the use of the entry fees. One participant pointed out, "Contrary to the organizer's notice promising food, they only gave one bread and one soy milk," and asked, "Isn't food included in the entry fee? Where did all that money go?" Some compared it to other marathons and demanded refunds of the entry fees.

Busan Marathon, organized by a private group, states "Internal communication issues... will strive to prevent recurrence"

Criticism of poor management poured in on the Busan Marathon website.
[Image source=Captured from Busan Marathon website]

The controversial marathon was held on the 21st at the Daejeo Ecological Park area in Busan, with entry fees of 30,000 KRW for 5 km, 35,000 KRW for 10 km, and 40,000 KRW for the half marathon. The controversy deepened when it was revealed that the organizer, Busan Marathon, is an unapproved private group (Busan City Athletics Association) not officially registered with Busan City. The officially registered organization with the Busan Sports Council is the Busan City Athletics Federation, and due to the similar names, related complaints have been continuously filed with Busan City.

The organizer, Busan Marathon, apologized, saying, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to participants and related parties due to issues with item storage, water, course, and certificates." They added, "Due to weather issues on the day of the event and internal communication problems and mistakes, we committed an irreversible error by failing to provide bananas, chocolate, and water to half marathon participants." They further explained, "The tofu, kimchi, and Makgeolli we initially planned to provide were prohibited by related agencies due to the Canola Flower Festival, so we had no choice." They apologized sincerely for not being able to replace these with other content or notify participants in advance. They concluded, "We will thoroughly identify and reflect on the problems and make every effort and preparation to ensure that such issues never recur."