After a six-year hiatus, the Pyongyang International Marathon has returned to the streets of the North Korean capital, marking a rare opening for foreign athletes into the reclusive nation.
Runners from countries including China and Ethiopia joined the race on Sunday, a part of the festivities commemorating the April 15 birthday of Kim Il Sung, the country’s founder and the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.
The marathon, held against the backdrop of the stringent border controls that North Korea implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic, offered a glimpse into the nation’s capital.
Simon Cockerell, the general manager of Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel agency and official partner of the marathon, documented the arrival of approximately 200 foreign participants on Friday and Saturday.
Cockerell’s Instagram posts showed runners practicing at their Pyongyang hotel in preparation for Sunday’s race.
The agency played a key role in facilitating the sign-up process for international competitors.
The isolated state sealed its borders in 2020 at the start of the pandemic but has been slowly lifting restrictions.
In February, it reopened to some tourists with the first organised tour for international visitors in five years.
The five-day tours of the northern city Rason, run by Koryo Tours, include a hike on Mount Shahyang, a boat trip to see seals and a visit to the Rason School Uniform Factory.
Pyongyang remains closed to regular tourism.
The marathon is a return course running through central Pyongyang.
It passes major landmarks and heads out into the countryside before coming back through the city to a stadium filled with 50,000 spectators, Koryo Tours said.
At the stadium, a huge crowd of North Koreans – some wearing masks – greeted the runners, and foreign participants took pictures of the spectators with mobile phones, state television footage showed.
North Korean runner Pak Kum Dong was the first to cross the finish line, according to state TV.
