Han Seung-hyun Wins Men's Marathon in 2 Hours, 24 Minutes, 55 Seconds... Choi Jung-yoon Secures Second Consecutive Women's Title

Han Seung-hyun of the Chungnam Provincial Government has won the marathon at the National Sports Festival with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 55 seconds.

Today (the 18th), Han was the first to cross the finish line at the Jeju World Cup Stadium after completing the full 42.195-kilometer course winding through Seogwipo.

This marks Han's first victory in his fifth attempt in the general division at the National Sports Festival.

He washed away the disappointment of winning silver medals in 2024—trailing Shim Jong-sub (Korea Electric Power Corporation) by just 5 seconds—and last year, when he finished second behind Shim again by a mere 1 second.

After the race, Han explained, "Shim Jong-sub is such an exceptional runner, so I kept my eye on him throughout. I decided to make my move when there was not much distance left in the middle of the race, and I suppose luck was on my side."

Han added, "As I will be transferring to Kolon next year, I likely won't be running in the National Sports Festival marathon for a while. Moving forward, I want to challenge myself with the goal of becoming a national team member."

Lee Dong-jin finished second (2 hours, 25 minutes, 13 seconds) and Kim Ji-in (both representing the Daegu Metropolitan City Government) came in third (2 hours, 26 minutes, 3 seconds), while Shim Jong-sub, who had beaten Han to win the title for the past two consecutive years, finished 11th (2 hours, 31 minutes, 17 seconds).

In the women's general division marathon, Choi Jung-yoon (Chungnam Provincial Government) achieved her second consecutive victory with a time of 2 hours, 43 minutes, and 52 seconds, edging out Jeong Hyun-ji (Samcheok City Hall, 2 hours, 43 minutes, 55 seconds) by a 3-second margin.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.