Eight runners were hospitalized and 12 collapsed during the DMZ Peace Marathon in Paju, South Korea, on Sunday, after temperatures near the country's Demilitarized Zone approached levels more typical of midsummer than mid-April, according to Al Jazeera English.
What happened
Emergency services received reports at around 10:30am local time (01:30 GMT) that participants were collapsing in Munsan, a town within the city of Paju, roughly 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Seoul. A total of 12 runners fell during the race, eight of whom required hospital treatment.
The DMZ Peace Marathon is an annual event that draws participants to a course running close to the heavily fortified strip of land separating South and North Korea. The race's proximity to the Demilitarized Zone is considered part of its appeal, offering runners a historically and geopolitically significant backdrop for the challenge.
Record-breaking heat
The race took place under exceptional weather conditions. Temperatures during the event approached 30°C (86°F), as much of the Korean Peninsula experienced a warm front far more consistent with summer than its typically mild spring climate. In Seoul, the mercury reached 29.4°C (84.9°F) over the weekend — the highest temperature recorded in mid-April since modern record-keeping began in 1907.
The Korea Meteorological Administration attributed the unusual heat spike to a temporary weather system drawing warm air northward across the peninsula. Given that Paju sits approximately 30 kilometres north of Seoul, conditions at the race site were broadly comparable to those recorded in the capital.
Health warnings
A fire official, responding to the incident, urged anyone experiencing symptoms of heat stroke to "stop exercising immediately and cool down." Medical experts have long warned that endurance events held in unexpectedly high temperatures carry significantly elevated risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, particularly when participants have trained in cooler spring conditions and are unprepared for the additional physiological stress.
What comes next
Authorities have not yet announced whether the race organization faces any formal review. The incident is likely to prompt renewed discussion among South Korean sporting bodies about heat safety protocols for spring endurance events, especially as climate patterns continue to produce more frequent and intense early-season temperature spikes.
