"My period started and I ran while bleeding" — The "true fighting spirit" of the track and field goddess... "Ran another 17 km with blood on her legs" to complete the marathon

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Track and field athlete Park Seo-yeon (22, Hapcheon County Office) completed a full marathon course despite the harsh condition of her period starting during the race.

Park Seo-yeon finished in 7th place with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, and 51 seconds in the women's open division marathon (42.195 km) final at the 107th National Sports Festival held on the 18th in Jeju Island.

This competition marked Park Seo-yeon's first full marathon appearance at the National Sports Festival. Previously, she won a gold medal in the women's 3,000m steeplechase event at the 103rd National Sports Festival.

Traces of blood were visible on Park Seo-yeon's legs when she crossed the finish line. Immediately after the race, Park Seo-yeon posted on her social media (SNS), "I finished my first National Sports Festival marathon in 7th place," and added, "My period unexpectedly started around the 25th km mark of the race. Since I had already gone through it two and a half weeks prior, I was extremely flustered and really wanted to give up."

She continued, "The constant hills and the worst possible condition that suddenly struck during the race caused cramping pain in my stomach and drained my strength," but noted, "I wanted to keep my promise to myself never to give up again. I will return with an even more impressive performance next time." She also expressed gratitude to the fellow athletes who competed alongside her and the coaching staff.

Park Seo-yeon's confession has brought the issue of menstruation among female athletes, which had been taboo in the sports world, back into public view. Previously, Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui publicly revealed that she suffered from menstrual cramps after competing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

American figure skating national team member Amber Glenn also voiced her struggles with performing in thin competition attire while menstruating following the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, calling for an improvement in the social atmosphere. Japanese badminton Olympic bronze medalist Igara Lisa also recently shared at an event her experience of collapsing during training due to menstrual cramps, advising that one needs to be more lenient with their own condition.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original