Chuncheon and JTBC Seoul Marathon 2026: A Fall Running Guide for Visitors to Korea

Korea's two big autumn marathons are eight days apart, and they ask for completely different trips.

The Chuncheon Marathon is on Sunday, October 25, 2026, out of town and around a lake. The JTBC Seoul Marathon is on Sunday, November 1, 2026, across the city you are probably already staying in.

Entry is the first thing to settle, because both are further along than a visitor usually expects. Chuncheon's 2026 entry has closed, and JTBC keeps a separate route for runners who live outside Korea.

2026 race comparison

Neither race is the better one. They are different holidays that happen to involve running.

Can foreign travelers enter these races?

For 2026 the honest answer is different for each.

Chuncheon has closed its 2026 entry. The registration page now returns a single line, 참가신청이 마감되었습니다, which means entry is finished. The site is Korean-language, and the organizer is the Chosun Ilbo.

JTBC Seoul runs a separate overseas entry through World's Marathons, and the official English page states that it is strictly for foreigners residing outside Korea. Korean passport holders are not eligible through it, and the organizer warns that such entries can be canceled at the expo.

That distinction matters if you live in Korea on a visa. A foreign resident is not the same as a foreign non-resident here, and the overseas page is written for the second group.

2026 Chuncheon Marathon

At a glance

What the course is like

Korea Tourism Organization — Photo Korea

The full course is the certified circuit around Uiam Lake, which is why the race is known for water on one side and hills on the other for much of the way.

The organizer publishes the route and its certification on the official site. Elevation, pacing and whether it suits a personal best are questions for that route map and your own training, not for a travel guide.

Getting there from Seoul

Chuncheon sits at the end of the Gyeongchun Line. The city's own transport page puts ITX-Cheongchun at about 85 minutes to Yongsan, with the all-stops line at roughly 82 to 92 minutes to Sangbong or Cheongnyangni.

Those are the return figures, and the direction that matters to you is the other one, early on a Sunday morning. Check the current timetable on Korail rather than trusting a published sample, and book the seat as soon as you know your plans. Race weekends clear out the reserved seats in both directions.

For how Korean rail booking works in general, see the KTX booking guide.

Should you sleep in Chuncheon?

The race assembles for a 09:00 start, and you want to be at Gongjicheon well before that with a bag dropped and a warm-up done.

Traveling from Seoul the same morning means the first workable train, a transfer at the far end, and no margin if a seat is not available. Staying in Chuncheon the night before removes all three risks at once, and it is the version this guide recommends.

Central Chuncheon, near the Gongjicheon area or within reach of Chuncheon and Namchuncheon stations, keeps race morning to a short taxi or walk.

After the race

Chuncheon is a food town, and the two things it is known for, dakgalbi and makguksu, are both easy meals after a long run.

Do not stack a sightseeing day on top of a marathon. One meal, the lake if you can still walk, and an unhurried train back is a full afternoon. The Chuncheon day trip guide covers the city properly for the days when you have legs.

2026 JTBC Seoul Marathon

At a glance

Domestic entry for 2026 ran as a lottery earlier in the year and is finished. The overseas route is the one still described as open on the organizer's English page.

The start and finish are not the same place

This is the single fact that reshapes the day. The race starts in Sangam, in the west of the city, and the two distances end in different places.

The full marathon finishes at Olympic Park in the southeast. The 10K finishes at Yeouido Park, much closer to the start. Pack, plan your meeting point and book any post-race meal around the finish you are actually running to.

Korea Tourism Organization — Photo Korea

If the full is your race, the finish sits inside a park worth knowing before you arrive tired. See the Olympic Park guide for the layout and the station choice.

The expo is not optional

All race packs are collected in person at the Korea Running Expo at SETEC in Gangnam, over the three days before the race. The organizer does not allow proxy collection, and race-morning pickup is not offered.

You need a valid passport, and the details on it have to match the ones on your entry.

The expo runs October 29 to 31 with the venue open from 10:00. One caution: when this page was checked, the international entry page still showed the previous year's expo dates. Confirm the 2026 window on the official race site before you book flights around it.

Getting to Sangam on race morning

The start area is served by World Cup Stadium Station on Line 6, and the Seoul subway runs early enough for a morning start.

Race-day road closures and the approach to the start pens are published by the organizer in the final race guide, usually in the last week. Read that document rather than planning your approach from an ordinary map. The Seoul transport guide and the T-money card guide cover the basics of getting around.

Which race fits your Korea trip?

Choose Chuncheon if you want the race to be the reason for a trip out of Seoul. It is a lake course in peak autumn, the town is small enough to walk after a long run, and the natural shape is one night away with a slow return.

Choose JTBC Seoul if you are already based in Seoul and want a big-city event. You sleep in your own hotel, the expo is a subway ride, and the finish leaves you somewhere you might have visited anyway.

The deciding factor is usually not the course. It is whether you want a travel day attached to your race.

What international runners should know

• Passport. Bring it to the expo for JTBC. The name on the entry has to match it.
• Entry timing. Korean majors fill months ahead, and popular races use lotteries or first-come windows that open in the first half of the year.
• Bib collection. Assume you collect in person unless the organizer says otherwise, and check what a race requires before booking flights.
• Cutoffs. Both races enforce them. Confirm the current limit for your distance on the official race guide.
• Weather. Late October and early November in Korea are cool and usually dry, but a forecast is only a forecast. Check the Korea Meteorological Administration close to race day and pack a throwaway layer for the start.
• Getting home. Trains and roads are busy on race afternoons in both directions. Book the return before the race, not after it.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a spring Seoul race and this one are the same event.
• Treating the JTBC 10K finish and full finish as one place.
• Arriving the night before JTBC and expecting a race-morning bib.
• Planning a same-morning trip from Seoul to a 09:00 start in Chuncheon without a booked seat.
• Copying last year's expo dates or entry fees onto this year.
• Filling the day before a marathon with a full sightseeing itinerary.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 Chuncheon Marathon? Sunday, October 25, 2026, starting at 09:00 from Gongjicheon Bridge in Chuncheon.

When is the 2026 JTBC Seoul Marathon? Sunday, November 1, 2026, starting from Sangam World Cup Park in Seoul.

Can foreigners still enter the Chuncheon Marathon? Not for 2026. The official registration page states that entry has closed. Watch the official site for the next edition.

Can foreign visitors register for the JTBC Seoul Marathon? There is a separate overseas entry route through World's Marathons, and the official English page limits it to foreigners residing outside Korea. Korean passport holders are excluded from it.

Can I pick up my JTBC race bib on race morning? No. Packs are collected in person at the expo before the race, and proxy collection is not allowed.

Where does the JTBC full marathon finish? At Olympic Park. The 10K finishes at Yeouido Park, which is a different part of the city.

Is the JTBC Seoul Marathon the same as the Seoul Marathon held in spring? No. They are separate events run by different organizers at different times of year. The spring race is a different entry, a different course and a different set of rules.

Should I stay overnight in Chuncheon? For a 09:00 start it is the lower-risk plan. It removes the first-train question and the chance of no seat being available on race morning.

Last verified on September 20, 2026

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