If you're from abroad and are looking for a marathon to run in Asia I would not recommend Seoul. If you happen to be in the area in mid-March then it's worth doing, but definitely don't plan a trip just for this race.

-There is no expo. To pick-up your packet you go to the Dong-A office building (the sponsor), take the elevator to the third floor, and one of the employees gets your packet for you from the closet. How am I supposed to get pumped-up and excited about the race with no expo?!?!
-The course seemed lazy to me. By that I mean there are 2 out and backs on the same road (which means they don't have to close down as many streets.) It might be OK if the roads were scenic, but they weren't.
-The course overall was a disappointment. The start (at Gwanghamun) and finish (at the Olympic Stadium) were great, but everything in between was really boring. There are so many great sights to see and run past in Seoul...the course doesn't do justice to the city and its sights.
-Water stops every 5K were tough. I'm used to drinking every 1.5 miles, so by the time we reached 30K and 35K I was dying and the water every 5K was a killer. Also, water tables should be set-up on both sides of the street. With 20K runners it was a cluster at every water station with everyone clogging to one side of the street.
-the vast majority of race materials are in Korean. I realize that I'm the minority when I run this race, but my comment here is mainly to point out that if the Seoul Marathon wants to become a world-renowned, destination marthon, they must have materials printed in English.
-the website is terrible. There is very little information available in English. It's so bad that I couldn't even find my results after the race. Fortunately I have a co-worker who reads Korean and he was able to find my results for me using the Korean portal of the marathon website.

In summary, Seoul is a great city to visit and this race has a ton of potential. It really is a shame that the marathon is not as good as it easily could be. For now, I'd recommend skipping out on this one unless the race organizers get serious about making this a world-class race.

Races in Korea are brilliant because of the camaraderie with other runners and the overall spectacle of the the event. Because this one was so big, it didn't feel like a unique Korean marathon. The course wasn't interesting and the finish in the Olympic Stadium was not very good for spectators.

Also, March and April in Korea can feel like the middle of winter on certain days and this year was no exception. Race officials seemed highly unprepared for the weather. After coming across the finish, one had to walk 5-10 minutes through the stadium and crowds before you could get to your warm, dry clothes. There were no emergency blankets at the finish, sending already cold runners closer to hypothermia.

From what I could tell there was none of the usual free food for runners nor much fraternizing among clubs and runners after the race. Small-town marathons in Korea have this one easily beat.

It is good for a big marathon experience. There were enough water/energy drink stops, good fan support and traditional Korean music played on the side of the road. It was fine for people living in Korea, but I wouldn't recommend traveling from overseas to do it. Try a smaller-town marathon in Korea

I don't like traveling - in other words, I seldom race away from home, but decided to make my way to Seoul after hearing all the positive comments about it. I agree with many of the comments from fellow runners under this column e.g., good organization, flat course, good discipline and lack of English translations, etc. My personal comments:

Positive:
1. Good timing - ideal weather, cool, dry (but not this year though). The 8 a.m. start also reasonable.
2. Time zone well set and respected.
3. Convenient pick up of numbers and stuff.
4. Easy pick up of souvenirs at end. I particularly like finisher's medals only awarded after completion.
5. Good city-marathon atmosphere, running inside the urban areas and stadium finish.

Not so positive:
1. Course, though overall flat, was but bumpy at many places. Also tight corners, bends and narrowed paths at some locations. I didn't feel relaxed for the majority of the race; I had to decelerate, and swerve to avoid bumping into others (may be myself to blame because I started right back - zone D - because I forgot to declare my record when register). I also carried a hamstring injury on the day so the uneven surface didn't help.
2. Too long delay at the start; I didn't pass the start line until 8:20. There were also a few false starts as a result of not understanding Korean, which the MC delivered the message in. Not ideal, especially under the damp and cold condition.
3. Not much crowd support. Disappointing for a very city course.

I probably wouldn't bother again unless I happen to be there or thereabouts at the time. I may be biased because I didn't have a good run; in fact, I achieved my PW (personal worst) of 3:48, mainly due to the hamstring. I wonder if I can see myself in a photo like in many other big marathons.

Overall, a fast, flat race with decent, but generally subdued spectators, and a great finish in the Olympic Stadium. There were 23,000 runners, primarily Korean (no surprise there), with good camaraderie among the runners.

Pre-race was pretty good. The website is in English, and Google does a fair bit of translating the Korean page. Package pickup was relatively painless, and the directions to the pickup for foreigners were accurate and easy to follow. I was put into the wrong time group, and had some trouble finding someone on race morning to ask about moving up into the right time group (they had me in 5:00 rather than 4:00), but had no problems just moving up myself.

The start was a bit long, and in freezing temperatures - the official race start was 8:00, but with speeches and introductions, the running didn't actually start until almost 8:20. On a warmer day, it wouldn't be a problem, but this was COLD.

Once the race started, none of that mattered, though. The pace groups were clear and many - 4 pacers each for the 3:50, 4:00, 4:10, and 4:20 pace, so you could get aligned with different packs.

The course was well laid out, with the first half in a tourist-y section of the city, running out and back along a man-made canal, so you could see the rest of the race, but the turnarounds got a bit crowded. The second half was more point-to-point, with long straight stretches as the running packs opened up a bit.

The course was flatter than the elevation guide suggests, with no major hills, even on the bridge. The KM markers were clear and visible (and accurate) and the water/Pocari stations were right where expected (every 5K), full of drinks (with lots of visible supply) and many tables, so crowding wasn't too bad. Bananas and Mallowmars at both 20K and 30K were well received, though marshmallow cookies may not be the best for a dry mouth (chocolate - good!, marshmallow/cookie - not so much).

The spectators were generally good, although a bit more subdued than Western runners might expect. Where there were crowds of spectators, they were enthusiastic, but in most stretches, there weren't a lot of them.

The end of the race was a lap through the Olympic Stadium, which you could see from the bridge at KM35, and made for a good last-mile objective. Post-finish line was well organized and easy to follow, with clear stations to follow for chip return, refreshment bag, etc.

I finished in 4:12.45, a PR for me, so I was pretty happy with the race anyway, but overall, I thought this a good race to do if you're already in Asia, but not one that I would travel to from the US.

Organization was fantastic! Having crowds lining the entire course was electrifying. Weather was a little too cold but not a major concern. Bib collection was a breeze in spite of the non-existence of marathon expo. Finisher medal was beautifully carved.

Overall, nice and excellent marathon.

I ran a PB ("PR" in American-ese) of 3:09 in this year's Seoul Marathon, so obviously I have positive things to say. The course is flat, and fast, and the organization was generally pretty good. But it would have been helpful if there were more drink stations: here in Australia the intermediate points between the 5, 10, 15K, etc. (at which there is sports drink as well as water) have supplies of water, which can be very helpful, especially if you're taking a GU. The race itself was hassle-free. It was a pity that there weren't more spectators in the stadium at the end of the race; there were many more people in the MCG at the end of the Melbourne Marathon, for instance. Overall, I'd recommend this event.

Pros:
I've run in a few marathon, ranging from several hundred runners to 20,000+ runners and I've learn to generally avoid "mega marathons." I mean, who needs the hassle of dealing with the traffic and crowds at the bib pickup, then the crowded starting line with the weaving around through the slow herd stampede that doesn't thin out until you pass the 10 mile-mark, then the un-enthused spectators standing around for their friend and/or family participant to run by?

Bib pick up was very foreigner friendly at the 7th floor of the Dong-A Ilbo building. Email and telephone questions were answered promptly. Based on my previous time of 3:12, I was put in the A corral; that gave me an easier start, much like what you find at the smaller marathon where responsible runners run according to their ability.

The weather was a little windy, but otherwise perfect. Slightly cold at the start (low 40F-ish) but warming (to the high 50s) by the end. The crowds were so energetic and encouraging - I think I must have high-fived at least 100 people.

Drink stations are at every 5K split (and lie between the places where you get your splits). I thought that might be too far apart, so I brought my Ultimate Direction water bottle. But I probably didn't need it. Unlike the states where the water stations are more frequent (about every two miles) but shorter, the Dong-A was less frequent but stretched on and on. It was easy to get as much in the way of fluids as you needed mid-run.

Overall the course is a very slight downhill, but for the most part, it was flat, with a few short, minor uphills. It is a very fast course, comparable to CIM. Scenery-wise it runs through some of the significant areas: the start is at the Blue House (Korea's White House) and Admiral Yi Shun Shin Statue goes down to the South Gate, down and back newly restored Cheonggyecheon Stream to the East Gate across the Han River than to the Olympic stadium where you run down the entrance around for a lap (part of is on the jumbo-tron) and then to the finish line.

Cons:
1) It was hard to distinguish between the water and electrolyte drink (Pocari Sweat). Also, it was too sweet.
2) No gels, Choco-pies are nice, but not really during a marathon. Eating a thin chocolate cake with marshmallowy center make your mouth dry.
3) The English website only has the bare minimum of information . It would be great to offer a full translated English version of the Korean original.

I am already planning to run this marathon again in 2010. Great course - mostly flat, and starting in waves (separated by 3-5 minutes each) helped thin things out early. Water points were plentiful, registration and bag drop were flawless, and finishing on the Olympic Stadium track is a memory of a lifetime. This is the best organized marathon/triathlon I've raced - awesome. What a great way to start the racing year - with the Seoul International Marathon. See you next year for sure.

Just returned from Seoul. Ran it for my first time. Its a fast, flat run and I very much enjoyed it. They put you in starting groups based on your previous best time. I ran with a friend and this was her first full, so we basically started at the back of the pack. There is water and sport drinks every 5K and the tables are a little crowded. The sport drink is Ion or something like that; my tummy didn't seem to mind it. The course is pretty good, and the fans are excellent. They seemed to really cheer for non Korean's. There weren't too many of us. There were 30,000+ people in the race, so it was a little crowded. The Olympic Stadium finish was amazing; I will remember it forever. Good shirt, and good medal too. I would suggest that if you are considering going, it's worth the travel.

I am in Seoul on a one-year English teaching contract. When I planned to come to South Korea, I thought I might be able to run this race, despite not training for it. I am so glad I did it. It was an incredible day and a magnificent journey for any foreigner to come embrace the hospitality of the Korean people. The logistics of the race are top-notch, from beginning to end. All runners started within 20 minutes of the elites and, thanks to a huge road with plenty of space for waiting, you don't feel crammed in to the holding paddocks. Water stations and food stations were well done. The bananas were peeled for you already. They also have chocolate creme pies, which, although not a normal race food for me, were a nice treat. Although they did not have anything but water until near mile 18 where they had sports drink, I did not feel like I needed it. Only thing that would have made it perfect was to have had gel at the food stations too. The finish in Seoul Olympic Stadium will bring tears to any hardcore runner's eyes. Remember Carl Lewis in 1988? You are displayed on the big screen when you run in the stadium. It was quite a bucket list moment for me. The finisher's medal is OK; nothing special.