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.

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!