A runner in their 20s collapses during a marathon again... Hwang Young-cho’s advice on “running that leads to death” revisited

[Financial News] Just a week after a woman in her 20s collapsed during a marathon and died of cardiac arrest, it has emerged that another participant in their 20s collapsed at a different marathon and received hospital treatment.

According to the Gyeongbuk Fire and Safety Headquarters and other sources, a report was received at around 10:50 a.m. the previous day that A, a participant in a marathon in Seongdong-dong, Gyeongju, had fainted.
Fire authorities took A to the hospital after A showed symptoms including general weakness and a high fever. A Gyeongju City official said, “We understand that A was discharged after receiving treatment,” and added, “The event concluded safely, with no serious injuries.”
With the recent running boom bringing marathons large and small to venues across the country, concerns are mounting as accidents involving casualties continue to occur.
On the 11th, a woman in her 20s surnamed Yoo, who had taken part in the half-marathon course of the “2026 Seoul Race,” collapsed at the 20.6-kilometer mark, about 500 meters from the finish line, and died of cardiac arrest.
At the “2026 Ulsan Marathon,” held in Ulsan on the same day, 21 participants experienced symptoms including dizziness, vomiting, high fever, general weakness, leg cramps and fainting. They were taken to hospital for treatment.

As marathon-related accidents continued to occur, Hwang Young-cho, a coach at the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the marathon gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, posted a video on the 13th to his YouTube channel “Youngjo Hyung,” criticizing a running culture obsessed with times.
“People run to stay healthy and live longer, but running for health is becoming running that leads to death,” Hwang said, criticizing a culture of “show-off running” in which people share posts showing themselves running on social media every day and boast about completing a full marathon in a short time.
“Ordinary people may not get enough sleep and may be stressed at work, yet still enter races without having trained properly,” he explained. “Potentially fatal problems arise when people push themselves to run for show rather than for their health.”
“Even elite athletes often withdraw from races. People who know when to give up are the ones who run well, and those who know when to stop know themselves,” he said. He advised, “Rather than rashly taking on a full marathon beyond your ability, you should train sufficiently in distance and timed runs, then progress step by step, starting with a half marathon.”
Meanwhile, Professor Ji-yong Lim of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital told News1, “Sudden cardiac arrest in young people is rare, but in the emergency room we sometimes encounter cases that occur during exercise.” He explained that even young people who exercise regularly cannot be completely free of heart-related risks.
Professor Lim added that although cardiac arrest during exercise is rare, cardiomyopathy, congenital coronary artery abnormalities and hereditary arrhythmias can also cause it in younger people. “Being young and physically fit, or having run without problems until now, does not rule out heart disease,” he said.
[email protected] Kim Hee-seon Reporter