Celebrity Marathon Participation Sparks 'Run-trip' Craze; Tokyo, Sydney, New York Top Overseas Destinations, Seoul Leads Domestic

The recent participation of celebrities in marathons has ignited a 'run-trip' craze among domestic runners.

Girl group NewJeans member Danielle participated in this year's Sydney Marathon, and broadcaster Kian84 took part in last year's New York City Marathon, drawing significant attention. Their involvement has focused domestic runners' interest on the host cities of the 'Abbott World Marathon Majors'.

Data from digital travel platform Agoda's 'Preferred Marathon Travel Destinations for Korean Travelers' ranking supports this trend. Tokyo, Japan, emerged as the most preferred overseas marathon destination for Korean travelers, followed by Sydney, Australia, and New York, USA.

Accommodation searches for these cities saw a surge compared to the previous year: New York (115%), Sydney (74%), and Tokyo (72%). This is analyzed to be driven by the fact that all three cities host world-class events: the Tokyo Marathon, Sydney Marathon, and New York City Marathon.

With 10 million runners in Korea, the 'run-trip' trend, combining running and travel, is also strong domestically. Seoul ranked first among domestic marathon travel destinations, followed by Gyeongju and Daegu.

Daegu, in particular, showed the highest growth among domestic travel destinations. Applications for the 2026 Daegu Marathon have already surpassed 40,000, and accommodation searches on Agoda surged by 190% year-on-year, marking it as a rising marathon hotspot.

An Agoda representative noted, "As running becomes a popular sport among the MZ generation, the number of travelers participating in domestic and international marathons is rapidly increasing."

Netizens reacted enthusiastically, with comments like "Danielle is amazing! Completing the Sydney Marathon," and "Seeing Kian84 challenge the New York Marathon made me consider trying it myself." Many expressed interest in the 'run-trip' trend, with one user saying, "The run-trip trend is popular; I want to visit Gyeongju for the marathon this weekend."