PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONKR / RACE GUIDE

Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Marathon

Name: 2026 경주벚꽃마라톤 하프코스 우중주 즐거웠습니다
Uploaded: 2026-04-04
Description: The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Marathon, hosted by Gyeongju City, offers half marathon, a 10K and a 5K around Bomun Tourist Complex. It has traditionally been held in early April, when the ancient Silla

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Gyeongju
KR

Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date Apr expected: April 2027
City · Distance: Gyeongju · 21.1km · 10km · 5km
Entry fee: Fee TBDVaries by event and entry period
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date April 2027 · expected · Soon

2026Date Apr 4, 2026

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 6, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Marathon, hosted by Gyeongju City, offers half marathon, a 10K and a 5K around Bomun Tourist Complex.

It has traditionally been held in early April, when the ancient Silla capital is lined with cherry blossoms.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from those who ran it first.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 1

모도 헤도헨

“I try everything because I do not know what will be best. At that moment, I give it my all so I have no regrets.”

The writer ran the half marathon. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, but it was an overcast day with heavy rain clouds. The streets of Gyeongju were crowded with cherry-blossom-season tourists and vehicles. The pungmul bands, volunteers, and local residents cheering along the course gave the writer a major boost. The writer ran tensely, focused on achieving a good time, but ended up walking during the latter half. It was the largest race the writer had entered so far, and the organization was smooth.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

뭐가 좋을지 몰라서 다 해보는 거다, 그 순간만은 아깝지 않게 최선을 다해서.

Read the original on 브런치

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Course preview

날쌘도비 · Course preview

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served

Entry cost TBD

Online registration is first come, first served, based on completed payment;

opening dates vary by distance — the 2027 schedule has not yet been announced

2026 edition: half marathon and 10K: 50,000 won;

5K: 30,000 won · Men and women in good physical health who agree to the participant guidelines

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 21.1km I'll run

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 8:00

Time limitHalf marathon 2 hours 30 minutes

Half marathon 2 hours 30 minutes · 10K 1 hour 30 minutes · 5K 1 hour 30 minutes (for the 2026 edition)

Event	Start	Time limit	Entry fee
Half21.0975km	08:00	2h 30m	₩50,000
10K10km	08:00	1h 30m	₩50,000
5K5km	08:00	1h 30m	₩30,000

City center · not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet. The map shows the host city.

START

Helipad next to Bodeok-dong Community Service Center

Gyeongju Bomun Tourist Complex

FINISH

In front of Bodeok-dong Administrative Welfare Center

start point

Runners start · local time — 8:00 am start (for the 2026 edition)

Gyeongju was the capital of Silla from 57 BC to 935 AD and is home to Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto and the Gyeongju Historic Areas.

The race takes place at Bomun Tourist Complex, a lakeside resort area set some distance from those historic sites,

so the scenery on the course has a different character from a sightseeing course.

The start is at the helicopter pad beside the Bodeok-dong Administrative Welfare Center.

The events are half marathon 21.1km, 10K and 5K.

Half marathon requires separate planning for pace and fueling,

while the 10K and 5K put more emphasis on taking in Gyeongju during cherry-blossom season than on chasing a time.

The most recent edition was the 33rd, which started at 8 a.m. on April 4, 2026.

The date of the next edition has not yet been announced.

Participant benefits

Not yet confirmed in the official race guide

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

Registration opens on separate days for each event.

For the 2026 edition, half marathon opened at 10 a.m. on December 29 of the previous year,

the 10K on December 30, and the 5K on December 31, closing at 5 p.m. on February 13, 2026.

Entries are accepted in order of completed payment, so it is worth deciding on an event in advance.

Entry fee was 50,000 won for half marathon and the 10K, and 30,000 won for the 5K.

Early-April mornings in Gyeongju are generally milder than those inland, but the 8 a.m. start can feel different.

Bring a light outer layer and decide in advance how to check it before the start.

When choosing accommodation, factor in the journey to the start at Bodeok-dong rather than looking only at the city’s sightseeing areas.

Staying in Bomun Tourist Complex keeps start line close and makes it easy to continue with a lakeside and historic-site itinerary after the race.

Times are local to Gyeongju. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Hotels that make race morning easy

7 places

Distances are straight-line from the start.
Check real travel times and booking terms with each hotel.

Hotel Palace Gyeongju

Hotel · 1.9km

8.6/10(748)

View on Booking.com

Gyeongju Sugi's Guesthouse

Accommodation · 1.5km

10.0/10(120)

View on Booking.com

Stay Yeojin Yeomong

Accommodation · 1.7km

9.8/10(28)

View on Booking.com

Stay Ali

Accommodation · 1.7km

9.6/10(28)

View on Booking.com

B&G House

Accommodation · 1.4km

9.4/10(45)

View on Booking.com

Aha Stay

Accommodation · 2.0km

9.3/10(1279)

View on Booking.com

서라벌옛집

Accommodation · 1.5km

9.2/10(88)

View on Booking.com

Swipe sideways to see more hotels.

View on map →

Time for you, before and after the finish

49 experiences

Rest a little, wander a little.
Pick what suits you and whoever you're with.

RECOVERY & SPA7SIT-DOWN TOURS7CARB LOADING7LOCAL TRANSIT7FAMILY PASS7TRAIL & OUTDOOR7CITY TOURS7

K-Beauty Spa Treatment Voucher

₩77,205

Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Marathon

About Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run