North Korea abruptly cancels 2026 Pyongyang Marathon

North Korea has abruptly cancelled the 2026 Pyongyang International Marathon, providing no clear explanation for the decision and leaving organisers and participants searching for answers.

The announcement was confirmed by Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel company that works as an official partner of the race and organises participation packages for foreign runners. The company said it had received notification from the North Korean athletics association that the event would not take place as scheduled.

According to the message shared by the tour agency, the race has been cancelled “due to some reasons,” though no additional details were provided.

The Pyongyang Marathon is one of the few international sporting events regularly held inside North Korea. Established in 1981, it commemorates the birth of the country’s founding leader Kim Il Sung and traditionally takes place in early April each year.

The 2026 edition had been scheduled for 5 April.

The brief notice reportedly came from the general secretary of North Korea’s athletics association and included a message thanking elite and amateur runners from around the world who had expressed interest in participating.

Despite the acknowledgement, organisers did not explain why the race was called off.

Koryo Tours said the decision appeared to have been made at a higher political level, rather than by the event’s organisers themselves. The agency added that it was seeking clarification from authorities but had been told the cancellation was final.

The sudden announcement is likely to disappoint many runners who had already signed up for the event.

The marathon had become a rare opportunity for foreign athletes to visit North Korea and participate in a sporting event inside the highly controlled country. The race includes several distances, ranging from 5 kilometres to the full marathon distance of 42.2 kilometres.

Foreign participants usually travel to Pyongyang through organised tour packages. Koryo Tours offers marathon trips that combine race participation with guided visits to selected landmarks in the capital.

Packages for the 2026 race started at €2,190 for a short stay in Pyongyang and included accommodation, race entry and sightseeing activities. According to the agency, the packages had already sold out before the cancellation was announced.

The company said that all deposits paid by participants will be refunded. Runners will also have the option of transferring their payment to a future North Korea tour or marathon event if they prefer.

The cancellation is particularly surprising because the race had only recently resumed. The Pyongyang Marathon was suspended for five consecutive years during the COVID-19 pandemic, as North Korea closed its borders and severely restricted international travel.

The event returned in 2025, marking one of the first occasions when foreign visitors were again allowed to enter the country for a public event.

For now, it remains unclear whether the cancellation is linked to logistical issues, political decisions or broader restrictions on international travel.

Organisers have not yet announced a date for the 2027 marathon, leaving uncertainty about when the event might return.

Written by Thorben Thiede