Runners on closed Jongno heading toward Heunginjimun, the great east gate, under scattered morning cloud.

Korea race calendar · Seoul

MBN Seoul Marathon

2026 MBN 서울마라톤

November half from Gwanghwamun to Jamsil, and a 10K out and back from Jamsil.

Race date
Sunday, November 15, 2026
Registration window
Registration closedJun 25, 2026 to Sep 29, 2026
Distances
Half · 10K
Where
Gwanghwamun Square (Half) / Jamsil Sports Complex (10K)

Heunginjimun from the closed road during the September 2026 YTN half. The MBN half runs this same stretch.

MBN Seoul Marathon 2026 Course Map & GPX Download

Loading the course map…

  • Start
  • Finish
  • Every 5 km
  • U-turn
  • Han River crossing
These are the organizer's own GPX files, with my elevation profile under the half. Aid stations sit at the km the organizer lists. The exact table spots are set on the day. Km marks are measured along the organizer's GPX.

Elevation by km

0255075010203040GwanghwamunJamsil Bridge
From my own watch on these roads: the 2026 YTN half to about km 6 and the 2023 Seoul Marathon for most of the rest, with km 14 to 16.4 filled from terrain data. About 65 m of climbing, and a net drop of about 18 m.

Course at a glanceHalf marathon

Start
Gwanghwamun Square, 07:30 by group
Finish
Jamsil Sports Complex East Gate
Route
Sungnyemun, Jongno, Sinseol-dong, Gunja, Jamsil Bridge, Lotte World Tower
Time limit
2 hours 30 minutes
Aid
Water every 2.5 km from km 5
Timing
Net time
Quintin and his running partner smiling into the camera on a wide zebra crossing on closed Jongno, runners streaming past behind them.
Jongno 3-ga during the September 2026 YTN half. The MBN half passes here at about km 4.3.

The course

The MBN Seoul Marathon is a half marathon and 10K in Seoul on Sunday, November 15, 2026, for 20,000 half runners and 10,000 on the 10K. Both start in groups from 07:30.

The half runs point to point from Gwanghwamun Square past Sungnyemun, along Jongno to Sinseol-dong, through Gunja and over Jamsil Bridge to the Jamsil Sports Complex East Gate. The 10K turns at Garak Market Station and comes back to Jamsil.

Weather you should expect

Mid-November mornings in Seoul are cold at the 07:30 start. The live forecast replaces these averages 10 days out.

At the start
About 3°C, feels like 0°CUsually -3 to 9°C
By 10:00
About 7°C, feels like 4°C
Wind
About 8 km/h, gusts around 17 km/hGusts reach 31 km/h in about 1 race hour in 10
Rain
About 1 race morning in 21

Averages for November 8 to 22, 07:00 to 10:00, from 2016 to 2025, at Gwanghwamun. Open-Meteo historical data.

The start area

Be at your start by 06:30: Gwanghwamun Square for the half, Jamsil Sports Complex for the 10K. Assigned groups go from 07:30, and starting ahead of yours costs you an official time.

Half runners drop bags at Gwanghwamun by 06:30; the truck leaves at 07:00 and the bags wait at the Jamsil finish. No valuables or electronics, and nothing with wheels on the course.

Where to watch the half

The half passes subway stations most of the way, so one supporter can usually see a runner three times; for runners faster than about 1:45 the hops are tight. Watch at Jongno 3-ga, ride Line 5 straight to Gunja (about 20 minutes), then take Line 7 and Line 2 to Jamsil Saenae for the last kilometer.

WhereKm1:30 finish2:00 finish2:30 finish
Jongno 3-ga Station (Lines 1, 3, 5)4.307:4807:5408:01
Gunja Station (Lines 5, 7)12.708:2408:4209:00
Jamsil Saenae Station (Line 2)20.208:5609:2509:54
Finish, Jamsil Sports Complex East Gate21.109:0009:3010:00

Times assume an even pace from 07:30. Later start groups pass later by however long their group waited. Train times are approximate.

How to register

  • RUNIT (runit.co.kr)

    Entry is closed: the half sold out within 20 minutes in July, and the September extra rounds have closed too. Fees were 100,000 KRW for the half and 70,000 KRW for the 10K.

    Entries are in your own name and cannot be transferred or resold.

Bib pickup

No pickup: the bib with its chip, a T-shirt and Black Yak socks come by courier before race day. Wear the bib on the front.

Getting there

Half start: Line 3 Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 6, or Line 5 Gwanghwamun Station via the Haechi Madang passage or Exit 7. Jamsil: Sports Complex Station, Line 2 Exits 6 and 7 or Line 9 Exit 9.

The organizer lists no shuttle back from the half finish; take the subway home from Sports Complex Station.

Visitor tip

The half is point to point, so plan your trip home from Jamsil and pack only what you want carried there.

FAQ

When do the roads close?

Section times are not out as of November 6, 2026. Roads reopen in sections after the time limit, and runners behind it take the sweep bus.

Are there prizes?

The top three men and women in each distance win prize money by net time, and every finisher gets a medal.

Late October · Free guided run

Run Seoul with me, on Korean TV

A Korean TV documentary is making an episode about what draws foreign visitors to Seoul these days, beyond K-pop. They're filming one of my guided runs, and I'm looking for one visitor to join me.