About The 28th BUSAN KOOKJE MARATHON — what makes it special
ABOUT THE RACE
A day you'll remember, long past the finish line.
The 28th Busan International Marathon is a race held on November 15, 2026 at Dadaepo Beach in Busan,
offering the half marathon and 10km events, with prize money awarded to top finishers.
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.
The 28th BUSAN KOOKJE MARATHON runner reviews and race reports
Stories from runners who've been there.
From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.
Race reports: 5
사상PT 뉴인핏 제키Ran in 2025
“I took part in the Busan International Marathon held in Dadaepo on November 16, 2025.”
The runner hit their goal of finishing their first half marathon in under 2 hours. Parking and toilet lines were long, but they enjoyed the run thanks to the river and sea views, the cheering in the tunnel, and the runners around them.
“Yesterday, I took part with members of our Nanning Crew in the Dadaepo Kookje Shinmun Busan Marathon, my first marathon.”
The runner finished their first 10km race in 56:41 with pace help from their husband. The parking lot was full even early in the morning and the toilet lines were long, and afterward they enjoyed a meal with their crew.
“There seemed to be more participants this year than at last year's race, so the atmosphere at the venue seemed particularly lively, and the weather was also really good.”
The runner set a personal best of 41 minutes 57 seconds in the Dadaepo 10km. The runner wrote that their condition and the weather were good, and that they finished satisfied after controlling their heart rate and cadence in the second half.
Quoted from the original · translated
Original quote
올해는 작년 대회보다 참가 인원이 더 많아진 듯하여 현장 분위기가 사뭇 들떠 보였고 날씨도 정말 너무 좋더군요.
After taking a month off because of iliotibial band pain, the runner recorded 57 minutes 17 seconds in their first 10km race. After the turnaround, the runner had knee pain and leg fatigue, and it was difficult to overtake runners near the finish because they were mixed in with the 5km participants, but the runner wrote that they ran to the end.
“I couldn't control my breathing the whole way back, so I kept alternating between walking and running.”
The runner took part in a first 10km with colleagues and repeated walking and running after the turnaround. The completion text arrived late because of an error in the registration contact details, and the runner corrected the actual time to 1 hour 21 minutes, not 1 hour 27 minutes.
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.
Runners start · local time — Start at 09:00 (half marathon) / 09:05 (10km) / 09:10 (5km)
Start/finish: Dadaepo Beach (Saha-gu, Busan); assembly near Dadaepo Beach Station. Half marathon: Dadaepo Beach → Jangnim Port → Eulsukdo Bridge → Nakdong River Estuary Barrage (1st turnaround, 7.5km) → 2nd turnaround → back to the start
Field size
First 10,000 people
Organizer
Kookje Shinmun (host) · Sports Link (organizer)
Participant benefits
Timing chip
Finisher medal
Where and when to collect your The 28th BUSAN KOOKJE MARATHON race bib
To the start line, step by step.
Pick up your bib, check your wave. So on race morning, you can just run.
From the 2025 edition
Pick up your bib at the expo
Bib, timing chip, souvenir, and race guide shipped together by courier. Finisher finisher medal handed out on site on race day Shipped by courier before race day Application address for individuals, representative delivery address for groups (delivery costs are borne by the organizer) Bib, timing chip, souvenir, and race guide shipped together by courier. Finisher finisher medal handed out on site on race day
Application address for individuals, representative delivery address for groups
Your start time, fuel and bag drop. Know them ahead and the run feels easier.
November mornings are chilly.
Bring a layer or a plastic poncho to keep warm while you wait at the start, and keep your race kit light.
With distances up to half marathon, start the first 5 km more conservatively than your goal pace;
holding pace after 15 km is the key.
Busan is known for dwaeji-gukbap (pork and rice soup) and milmyeon (cold wheat noodles), as well as Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches and Gamcheon Culture Village.
Times are local to Busan. 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.
