Trail running in North Korea could take off after Covid-19, even for foreigners, as country prepares for adventure tourism
- A trail race in 2015 could be a sign of more to come, as North Korea prepares to open to tourists post-pandemic
- There is a strong road-running scene with elite marathon runners ripe to make the transition to trail running
North Korea hosted a small trail running race in 2015 – open to foreign runners – and as the country seeks to promote inbound adventure and sports tourism, more such races are expected to follow.
There are also signs of North Korean elite road runners trying mountain running; last year a relay mountain race was held outside Pyongyang with the country’s top sports clubs taking part.
North Korea is a country of marathon runners. Jang Song-ok won the women’s marathon at the 1999 World Athletics Championships, achieving hero status at home. North Korean female marathon runners have won two Hong Kong Marathon titles and the last four Asian Championship gold medals. The country currently has no international trail or mountain running races. At least, not yet.
The only race in North Korea that Western runners can participate in is the Pyongyang Marathon. Originally an elites-only event, in 2014 it was opened to international amateur runners.
