Woman in Her 20s Collapses During Gyeongju Marathon Amid Warnings Over Dangerous Running Trends

A woman in her 20s participating in a marathon held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, collapsed while running and was transported to the hospital.

At around 10:50 a.m. yesterday (October 17), a woman in her 20s, identified as Ms. A, lost consciousness and collapsed while running in a marathon event held in Seongdong-dong, Gyeongju.

Fire authorities transported Ms. A, who exhibited symptoms such as generalized weakness and high fever, to the hospital.

An official from Gyeongju City stated, "Ms. A was discharged after receiving treatment."

On October 11, another woman in her 20s participating in the half-course of the 2026 Seoul Marathon in Seoul suddenly lost consciousness about 500 meters before the finish line.

Although event officials performed CPR at the scene and transferred her to a hospital, the woman passed away the next day.

On September 19, a man in his 40s collapsed while running at a mountain marathon held in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest before passing away.

Amid a continuous series of accidents driven by the running boom, experts have warned against excessive competition for records and urged runners to pay close attention to their physical condition.

Hwang Young-jo, the gold medalist in the marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, emphasized on his YouTube channel on October 13, "Running is turning from an activity for health into a run leading to death," adding, "When exercising, you must first listen to your body."

He warned, "While it is good to work hard toward a goal, problems can arise when you become overly obsessed with records and push yourself too hard."

(Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.