North Korea draws over 600 foreign runners in annual marathon
The turnout of foreign amateur runners, from more than 30 countries, was well above last year’s some 200, although North Korea, one of the world’s most isolated countries, remains vigilant against outside influences.
About 650 foreigners, running to the cheers of North Korean spectators, took part Sunday in an annual marathon in the capital Pyongyang, just a month after the country’s lifting of a months-long travel ban over Ebola fears.
The turnout of foreign amateur runners, from more than 30 countries, was well above last year’s some 200, although North Korea, one of the world’s most isolated countries, remains vigilant against outside influences.
In October, North Korea stopped accepting nonessential travel as part of efforts to shield itself from the deadly Ebola virus.
It also required those allowed to enter its territory to undergo quarantine for the 21-day incubation period of the virus, despite no cases of the disease having been confirmed in Asia and the outbreak’s epicentre in West Africa being thousands of kilometres away.
“I was surprised how friendly people were when I was running,” Raeanna Cranbourne from the Philippines said after finishing the marathon in Kim Il Sung Stadium. “Everyone was cheering, clapping and smiling, and all small kids were saying ‘Welcome to Korea’ in English.”
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.