DMZ International Marathon wishes for Korea unification

A percussion group plays at the 16th DMZ International Marathon at Cheorwon, Sunday. / Korea Times

Participants compete in the 15th DMZ Marathon last September. / Korea Times

By Jung Hae-myoung

The 16th DMZ International Peace Marathon was held Sunday in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, with more than 6,000 participants, including 444 foreigners, taking part.

Kenyan Joel Kimaru Keiyo, 37, won the full course section for the second consecutive year, while Hong Seo-rin, 41, won the women's event.

British Ambassador to Korea Simon Smith and Australian ambassador James Choi finished the 10-kilometer and five-kilometer courses, respectively. Korea Times President Lee Byeong-eon also took part, along with the president of sister paper Hankook Ilbo, Lee Jun-hee, and Cheorwon Mayor Lee Hyun-jong.

“People in Korea as well as from other countries are paying attention to this event,” Mayor Lee said. “Putting the tragic division of Korea aside, I hope today can be the day where people can make happy memories while running the Cheorwon plain.”

There were five courses ― the full course, half course, 10 kilometers, five kilometers and a four-kilometer walk.

The DMZ Marathon course runs along the border area between North and South Korea.

With the two Koreas still technically at war, participants got a glimpse into the ongoing military tension on the peninsula; the civilian access control area was opened for 15 kilometers for the event.

Full-course participants started from Goseokjeong Pavilion, through Dongsong Reservoir and returned to the starting point.

For the half course, runners started from Woljeong-ri Station, South Korea's northernmost train station, and wound up at Goseokjeong Pavilion.

The running courses include historical traces of South Korea, from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-935 AD) to the 1950-53 Korean War.

Goseokjeong Pavilion is where the legend of Im Kkeok-jeong started. Im was a Robin Hood-style outlaw during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom who killed the rich and redistributed food to the poor. The area is also famous for a three-story stone pagoda, one of the national treasures from the Silla era, preserved at Dopian Temple.

There is also a clear bullet mark at the Labor Part Office, a reminder that Cheorwon was a ferocious battlefield during the Korean War.

Lee Byeong-eon, president-publisher of The Korea Times, gives awards to participants in the 16th DMZ International Marathon in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon

After the race, the runners enjoyed Cheorwon's local food including rice, spicy fish stew and duru pork.

For the full course event, the first 10 competitors received prize awards and trophies. T-shirts were distributed to all participants and medals engraved with their running record.

Then annual event is organized by Hankook Ilbo and Cheorwon County in Gangwon Province.