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Yoo Ji-won: Running Influencer Dies After Collapse at Half Marathon in Seoul
South Korean running influencer Yoo Ji-won has died at the age of 25, according to media reports. She collapsed during the half marathon of the Seoul Race around 500 meters before the finish line.
By Marcel
Automatically translated from German · may contain errors · Read the original
South Korean running influencer Yoo Ji-won has died at the age of 25. As the portal Dexerto reports, she collapsed during a half marathon just around 500 meters before the finish line. People magazine and the Singaporean outlet Mothership also reported the 25-year-old's death.
What is known about the incident?
According to the Indonesian news portal BeritaSatu, the collapse occurred on October 11, 2026, during the Seoul Race 2026. Yoo reportedly lost consciousness on the half marathon course about 500 meters before the finish and died.
A report by the Korean newspaper Financial News dated October 14, circulated on X, names the 20.6-kilometer mark of the course as the site of the collapse. According to that report, the runner suffered cardiac arrest; resuscitation attempts were reportedly unsuccessful.
What is known about the cause of death?
According to BeritaSatu, the exact cause of death has not yet been medically confirmed. The available reports do not contain an official statement from the organizers or the authorities.
The Financial News article reproduced on X also quotes warnings from coach Hwang Young-jo. What specific advice the coach gave is not clear from the reproduction.
Who was Yoo Ji-won?
Yoo was active on Instagram under the name mta1n_0ne, where, according to her profile, she had just under 9,000 followers. In 52 posts she shared her runs and athletic achievements, according to the reports. According to Dexerto, her reach was more than 8,000 followers.
In addition to running, Yoo worked in science. According to her Instagram profile, she completed a master's program at KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, in the field of AI semiconductors. Dexerto describes her as an AI semiconductor researcher at one of South Korea's leading universities; BeritaSatu refers to her as a master's student and running influencer.
How did the news spread?
The runner's death attracted international attention. Mothership reported it as early as October 14, with Dexerto and BeritaSatu following on October 15. On X, users also shared the headline of the US magazine People, according to which the running influencer died after collapsing at the end of a half marathon.
Further details about the course of the race, the medical care on site and possible consequences for the event are not yet known. So far, the reports are based essentially on Korean media accounts and the public profile of the deceased.