South Korean running influencer, 25, dies after collapsing 500 metres from race finish
South Korean running influencer and KAIST graduate student Yoo Ji-won, 25, died after collapsing about 500 metres from the finish of the Seoul Race half-marathon. Her death has prompted tributes and renewed calls for race safety and emergency preparedness.
- Yoo Ji-won collapsed at the 20.6-kilometre mark of the Seoul Race half-marathon and later died in hospital.
- The cause of her death remains officially undetermined as organisers pledge to examine the circumstances.
- Her death has renewed attention to overexertion, emergency response and safety preparedness at long-distance running events.
South Korean running influencer Yoo Ji-won, 25, died after collapsing about 500 metres from the finish line of the Seoul Race half-marathon on Sunday, 11 October, prompting tributes from fellow runners and renewed calls for attention to safety at long-distance races.
The Seoul Race organising committee said in a statement on Monday that an emergency occurred at about 8.49am when a participant collapsed at the 20.6-kilometre mark of the half-marathon.
A race official found Yoo unconscious on a street in central Seoul near Jonggak subway station. Emergency personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before she was transported by ambulance to a medical facility, but she did not regain consciousness and later died.
The committee said the participant had received immediate first aid at the scene before being taken to hospital for treatment.
“We respectfully pray for the deceased’s peaceful rest and extend our deepest sympathies to the bereaved family facing this sudden sorrow,” the committee said in a statement.
It added that it would “carefully examine this incident and proceed with necessary follow-up measures without fail”.
The exact cause of Yoo’s death has not been officially determined. An initial comment from a race official to local media suggested she might have fainted after overexerting herself, Yahoo reported, but no official findings had been released.
The 2026 Seoul Race, organised by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and newspaper Dong-A Ilbo, attracted about 12,000 runners for a half-marathon and an 11-kilometre race through central Seoul. The routes passed landmarks including Gwanghwamun and Heunginjeongmun, the city’s historic eastern gate.
Friend recounts final moments as tributes pour in
Yoo’s friend and fellow running influencer Bummy recalled seeing a crowd near the Seoul Race finish line before learning of her collapse.
“I dropped everything and rushed to the hospital, hoping to see you one last time, but I am so sorry I couldn’t stay by your side until the very end,” he wrote on Instagram.
Friends also corrected false social media claims that Yoo had been discharged and was recovering at home. An acquaintance confirmed she had remained hospitalised. Tributes poured in from runners, engineers and fans. Yoo had more than 8,000 Instagram followers, and her last post on 4 October shared her time in a 10-kilometre run.
Researcher balanced laboratory work with running
Yoo was a graduate student at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), researching artificial intelligence semiconductors. She began running in 2022 and built an online following by documenting her training alongside her studies.
She clocked 1 hour, 22 minutes and 1 second at the New Balance Half Marathon in March, recorded a 10-kilometre personal best of about 36 minutes and 30 seconds, and won the women’s amateur 10-kilometre division at the Gunsan Saemangeum Marathon on 5 April.
She completed the Seoul Marathon on 15 March in 2 hours, 56 minutes and 32 seconds. In a March YouTube interview, Yoo said she arrived at the laboratory at 9am and usually ran for about two hours from 8pm. She encouraged followers to treat running as a lifelong activity, stay healthy and steadily improve.
South Korean marathon runner Hwang Young-jo, who won Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games, warned about overexertion and emergency preparedness in a YouTube video posted on Tuesday.
He said amateur runners could become overly focused on speed and rankings, while race organisers might not always be ready for emergencies.
Study finds cardiac arrests during races are rare
A study published in JAMA in 2025 recorded 176 cardiac arrests among approximately 29.3 million participants in US marathons and half-marathons between 2010 and 2023, or about 0.6 cases per 100,000 runners.
The proportion of cardiac arrest cases resulting in death fell from 71% in the previous decade to 34% during the study period. Researchers suggested that faster emergency responses and wider access to defibrillators may have contributed to improved survival.
The study covered US races and does not establish the cause of Yoo’s death, which remains officially undetermined. The Seoul Race organising committee said it would review the circumstances surrounding her collapse and take the necessary follow-up measures.
