The course was nearly flat, and although it was crowded at first, it thinned out after about 5-7 KM. Even without being able to read or speak a word of Korean, the number pickup and bag drop were by far the easiest I've seen. The drink stations were huge, maybe 10-12 tables long, so there was no crowding there and getting two or three cups of water from each one was no problem. There were long portions with little or no crowd support, but the finish in the Olympic Stadium was AWESOME, and more than made up for the emptier spots. Run this race if you get the chance.

The Seoul Marathon is a great marathon, but there are a few things that they can improve on.

1. Water stations; there were not enough water stations on the course and the volunteers couldn't get enough water poured out fast enough for the athletes.
2. No sports drinks until mile 18 or so.
3. No gels were given out during the race.
4. Needs a better website for registering. I couldn't make a payment online, so I sent in money and an entry form. I went to the building where they had the race pick-up, and they had my envelope, but hadn't opened it.

I would say that this is a wonderful marathon except for those points.

This was my first marathon and it was awesome.

Wow! I found this marathon here on MarathonGuide and sounded like a great excuse to visit Seoul. All of the comments below are spot on, but I was still caught by surprise about how great of a marathon this was. In brief:

Weather - Perfect running weather; started in a singlet, gloves, and a trash bag, but once we started moving, it was a perfect temp.

Rego/Organization/Packet Pick-Up (for a foreigner) - Immaculate; best I have seen.

Course - Very scenic/historic (running around the gates and along the river but also seeing a lot of the town and of course the stadium finish is great. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE DAY: The course was virtually flat. I feel the elevation chart is very exaggerated, as the only memorable incline at all was an underpass. TERRIFIC COURSE!

On-Course Support - Better than NYC and LA. The best I have ever seen! Every water stop had at *least* 10 tables, some as many as 15, and there was never a shortage or problem getting to water (not to mention at mile 20 they had corporate sponsored Soju, woohoo!).

Price/Medal/Shirt - Great, great, great.

From the 3 pace bunnies per 10-minute slot, with huge 2.5-foot balloons tied to them to the pre-start group stretches, this race was a delight and very well organized and supported. Also a very staggered start helped eliminate roadblocks in some of the beginning city streets - bravo!

There was more people cheering on the course than at Hong Kong or Macau Marathons (but nothing like NYC), but those that were out were quite vocal and great.

Only wish for something different - Being an ignorant foreigner, I didn't think about the fact that all the portable toilets at start line and on course are eastern-style (squatters), but don't let this deter you from a great marathon. Highly recommended!

Very well organized. 30,000 runners started in 6 waves. All runners started within 20 minutes of the official start time. Lots of spectators. The event is called "international," but I saw very few non-Koreans. All announcements were in Korean, but that wasn't a problem. Well stocked water stops every 5 KM, with water-soaked sponges halfway between the 5KM marks toward the end of the race. Medical support workers on inline skates were common along the race. They provided a squirt of muscle cream that smelled like Ben Gay, but it seemed to help.
I highly recommend this race.

This was a great event. The packet pickup was smooth. The event start was efficient and well organized.

Running through the streets of Seoul along parts of the 1988 Olympic Marathon course was humbling. And for Lee Bong-Ju to win and be a part of the race in which he was the winner was the icing on the cake.

The course support was great. There were numerous water stops. The spectators were loud and enthusiastic.

Then to finish on the track at Olympic Stadium was incredible.

My hat's off to the organizers, volunteers, spectators and fellow runners.

Very efficient start with runners separated according to previous marathon finish times. This allowed the large field to begin running early in the course. The Korean drummers and groups in traditional clothing were inspiring, and the Korean cheerleaders in cowgirl boots were more appealing than the co-eds at Wellesley on the Boston course. Finishing the course in Olympic Stadium was a highlight. The aid stations were frequent and well-stocked. The chocolate biscuits on the second half of the course helped me get negative splits.

Loved it! Flat and fast, with great Korean drumming that gets your heart pounding and your feet skipping. Reasonably priced, with all the amenities (except bathrooms) - really fun and the shirt's cute too.... Sorry, still a girl!

My 5th marathon and I enjoyed it very much despite the -5C temps and 18 mph wind. Great morning race set-up and the race was organized into start level categories, so it flows quite well. Very scenic route along the new canal and over the Han River. Running into the stadium was great as well. Could have been more end-race events but with the cold weather maybe would not have stayed that long anyways. Would definitely recommend this race as an "event" rather than just a race.

Despite the wind and freezing temperatures, this race attracted 25,000 brave runners. Did I mention it was really cold? Some of the water-soaked sponges froze to the table. The good thing about the wind is that smog was not a problem. The course was fairly flat and well marked. There was excellent support along the way. Many folks in costumes and lots of drummers. The big finish ended at the Olympic stadium where you got to see yourself on the stadium's big screen as you crossed the finish line. With the wind and cold weather you expect in Seoul this time of year, this might not be the best run to set a personal best, but it is a good warm-up for races in the warmer months and a good reason to keep fit during the cold months. The finisher medal was superb. This race is worth consideration.