'20s Female Runner Dies' KAIST Graduate Student and Running Influencer Passes Away... Hwang Young-jo Also Emphasizes Marathon Safety: "Running Fast Is Not the Same as Running Well"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

A woman in her 20s who participated in a marathon held in downtown Seoul collapsed and died just 500 meters before the finish line. Amid this, Hwang Young-jo, the gold medalist in the marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, voiced concerns regarding excessive competition for records and insufficient preparation.

On the 13th, Hwang uploaded a video titled "Why Do Marathon Race Deaths Occur?" to his YouTube channel, sharing his thoughts on running safety issues.

Hwang stated, "People run to live long and healthy lives, but running for health is turning into running that leads to death," emphasizing, "When exercising, one must first be aware of their physical condition."

Previously, according to the Seoul Race Organizing Committee, Yoo Ji-won, who participated in the half course of the "2026 Seoul Race" at approximately 8:49 a.m. on the 11th, suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed at the 20.6 km mark.

This was a point approximately 500 meters before the finish line out of the total half course distance of 21.0975 km.

Immediately after emergency measures by on-site medical staff, Yoo was urgently transported to a nearby hospital via an 119 ambulance and received treatment, but ultimately passed away. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined.

The Organizing Committee stated through its official channels, "We respectfully pray for the repose of the deceased's soul and express our deepest condolences to the bereaved family facing sudden sorrow and to all participants who must be feeling heavy-hearted," adding, "We will carefully examine this incident and proceed with necessary follow-up measures without fail."

Approximately 12,000 people participated in courses including the half course and an 11 km course for this event, which started from Seoul Plaza and passed through downtown Seoul landmarks such as Gwanghwamun and Heunginjeongmun.

Yoo was an engineering graduate student at KAIST who had been conducting research related to artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. She had also been actively working as a running influencer, sharing her daily life of balancing research activities with running.

After starting to run in 2022, she consistently improved her skills and was recognized for her abilities among amateur runners, including winning the women's masters division in the 10th km category at the Gunsan Saemangeum Marathon held last April.

As news of her sudden passing spread, tributes have continued to pour in on the late individual's social media accounts and interview videos from her lifetime.

Amid this, Hwang Young-jo offered advice regarding marathon safety. He cited factors that could increase the risk of accidents, such as participating in races without sufficient training or running excessively due to a desire for records.

He continued, "Ordinary people often do not get enough sleep and suffer from work stress. In this state, they may participate in races even if their training has not been properly conducted," adding, "This is when accidents occur."

Above all, he emphasized that one must know how to decisively stop running if one feels something is wrong with their body.

Hwang advised, "A person who knows how to give up is a good runner," stating, "Knowing when to stop means knowing oneself to that extent."

He further explained, "If preparation is lacking, one should decisively shorten the course or participate with the mindset of practicing rather than being obsessed with records," adding, "One should challenge the half marathon after undergoing sufficient distance and pace training, and then gradually challenge the full course afterward."

In particular, he expressed concern about the culture of record competition spreading primarily through social media.

Hwang said, "These days, people who run post their daily running on social media and boast about how many kilometers they ran in how many minutes at which race," adding, "It is good to work hard because you have a goal, but there are cases where people run excessively for records rather than for health."

He continued, "There are also many people who boast about completing the full course within a few months after participating despite having started running only recently," warning, "Problems can arise when one is greedy for records and runs excessively."

He also pointed out that safety management by race organizers is important. He stated, "While there are well-prepared races, there are also many with insufficient preparation," noting, "When problems occur, immediate action must be taken, but there are cases where this does not happen."

Hwang emphasized that a 'Fun Run' culture, which pursues the joy of running itself over records, should become established.

He said, "Running fast is not the same as running well," adding, "The culture must change to one where people enjoy the atmosphere of the race and run comfortably while mingling with others."

He continued, "Even if your body is ready, do not exercise if your mind is not prepared; even if you want to run, do not run if your body is not prepared," urging that running according to one's physical condition is of utmost importance.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original