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Yeosu Eleven Bridge Marathon event held for first time with half, 10-kilometer races

Published: 30 Nov. 2025, 15:37 Updated: 30 Nov. 2025, 16:03

A view of the five bridges — Jobal, Dunbyeong, Nangdo, Jeokgeum and Paryeong — that make up the course of the Yeosu Eleven Bridge Marathon [YEOSU CITY HALL]

YEOSU, South Jeolla — The Yeosu Eleven Bridge Marathon, which crosses the bridges linking Yeosu and Goheung, South Jeolla, took place for the first time on Saturday after seven years of preparation.

Organizers promoted the race as the only marathon in the world that crosses 11 bridges and nine islands, and they expected the event to serve as a trial for an international marathon scheduled for 2027.

The Yeosu city government said on Friday that the 2025 Yeosu Eleven Bridge Marathon would run across the five bridges that connect Dolsan-eup in Yeosu and Yeongnam-myeon in Goheung. Runners started at Jobal Bridge and followed a half-marathon course and 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) course that crossed Dunbyeong Bridge, Nangdo Bridge, Jeokgeum Bridge and Paryeong Bridge before returning.

A total of 1,100 runners from across Korea took part, moving along routes that overlooked the archipelago.

The event began as a plan to eventually cross all 11 sea bridges between Yeosu and Goheung. Seven bridges have been completed so far, with the remaining four set to open in 2027.

Once all 11 are finished, organizers plan to expand the race into a full international marathon that runs the entire one-way course.

Interest from running groups grew early because the course runs over sea bridges rather than through a major city. Even so, the race faced two cancellations: first during the Covid-19 pandemic and again after the Itaewon tragedy in 2022.

Yeosu expects the marathon to boost sports tourism by linking marine tourism assets with the city’s Yeosu Bay Renaissance Project. Officials also hope it will help raise the national profile of the Expo 2026 World Island Exhibition Yeosu and the Baekri Island Road, which the central government recently designated as a national tourism road in Korea.

A view of Jeokgeum Bridge in Yeosu, South Jeolla, one of the sections of the Yeosu Eleven Bridge Marathon [YEOSU ELEVEN BRIDGE MARATHON ORGANIZING COMMITTEE]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Nov. 13 designated six sea-bridge sections totaling 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) between Yeosu and Goheung as part of the Baekri Island Road. The full route runs about 39.2 kilometers from Hwatae Bridge in Nam-myeon, Yeosu to Paryeong Bridge in Goheung and links 11 sea bridges of various designs, including cable-stayed, suspension and arch bridges.

Yeosu coordinated with the Yeosu Police Precinct, the Yeosu Coast Guard and the Goheung County Office to ensure safety for this year’s race.

A total of 244 volunteers helped with traffic control and safety along the bridges and the course.

Organizers said they designed the marathon after noting that the 11 bridges linking the two regions stretch roughly 40 kilometers, close to the full marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers.

“We took our first step after more than seven years of preparation so we focused on holding a safe event and turning it into a new sports tourism asset for Yeosu,” Kim Kyung-ho, chairman of the Yeosu Eleven Bridge Marathon organizing committee, said. “We will develop it into an international race and make it a marathon that people around the world want to run at least once.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI KYEONG-HO [[email protected]]