A 25-year-old South Korean running influencer and university student has died after collapsing just 500m from the finish line of the 2026 Seoul Race half marathon.
Yu Ji-won collapsed near the 20.6km mark at around 8.49am on Oct 11, with only a short distance remaining in the 21.1km race.
According to Chosun Daily and Chosun Biz, she received medical attention at the scene before being taken to hospital, where she later died.
The race’s organising committee expressed its condolences to Yu’s family and said it would investigate the incident.
Yu, who was born in 2001, was pursuing a master’s degree at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), where she researched artificial intelligence semiconductors, the Seoul Economic Daily reported.
She previously earned her bachelor’s degree from Ewha Womans University.
Despite being an amateur runner, Yu had already made a name for herself in the running community. Chosun Daily reported that she won the women’s 10km Masters division at the 2026 Gunsan Saemangeum Marathon in April.
Her social media posts also showed that she had completed the full marathon at the Seoul Marathon in March this year.
Following news of her death, followers flooded her latest Instagram post with messages of condolence, while several South Korean celebrities also joined in mourning her passing.
