“I admire her mental strength”... Woman who got her period during a marathon finishes the race, drawing praise online

[Financial News] Park Seo-yeon, a track and field athlete with the Hapcheon County Office, endured a period that started unexpectedly during the race and severe pain to complete her first-ever full marathon at the National Sports Festival.
On the 18th, Park Seo-yeon finished seventh in the women’s general division marathon final at the 107th National Sports Festival, held in Jeju, with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes and 51 seconds.
She had previously built a record of podium finishes, winning gold medals in events including the 3,000-meter steeplechase. This was her first time taking on a full marathon at the National Sports Festival.
Shortly after the race, Park Seo-yeon shared her thoughts on Instagram, writing, “I finished my first-ever Sports Festival marathon in seventh place.”
She said her period started unexpectedly around the 25-kilometer mark, adding that she had finished her previous period just two and a half weeks earlier and had not expected it at all.
As the uphill stretches continued and severe menstrual cramps added to the strain, she was in extreme pain and her strength was fading. She wanted to give up, but kept running toward the finish line to the end.
Park Seo-yeon wrote, “I wanted to keep the promise I made to myself never to give up again,” adding, “I’ll come back in even better form next time.”
Accounts from people who watched the race in person also emerged. One online user who said they had volunteered at the event wrote, “I saw her running and felt so bad for her. You worked so hard.”
Another online user, who said they were in their 40s, wrote, “I saw her finishing despite bleeding and thought, ‘Surely not,’ but it was true.” They added, “I respect her. It was enlightening.”
Online users who heard her story responded, “Her mental strength seems on another level. So impressive,” “I applaud her willpower,” and “That’s what an elite athlete is.”


[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter