Save Race Seoul 2026

Save Race 2026 is a major charity running event organised by KakaoBank and UNICEF Korea at Yeouido Park in central Seoul on Saturday 7 November. Now in its third edition, the event is designed as a collective 10 km effort for children affected by the climate crisis rather than a conventional podium-focused road race. The organisers have expanded the field to 7,000 participants, with places allocated by ballot.

A city course with a charitable purpose

The single 10K route begins and finishes at Yeouido Park's Culture Plaza. Runners leave the park along Yeouiseo-ro, cross the Han River using Seogang Bridge, turn near Gwangheungchang Station intersection and return via Yeouigongwon-ro to the finish. It offers a recognisable Seoul city-and-riverside setting, but runners should follow the published event map and marshal instructions rather than assume standard public road access.

All participant entry payments are donated in the entrant's name to UNICEF Korea to support children and young people in East Asia and the Pacific affected by climate change. The organisers also describe reduced-waste operations, including reusable cups, and environmental-awareness activities at the event venue. The race deliberately emphasises safe completion and its fundraising purpose over placing.

Arriving and taking part

The organiser has announced a start-time change: gather at 07:30 for an 08:00 flag-off, both Korea Standard Time. The former 07:30 race start has been superseded. Four starting groups are organised around participants' expected finish times: under 50, 60, 70 or 80 minutes. The organiser advises runners to take part at a sensible pace, follow medical and safety instructions and avoid transferring entries.

Applications were accepted through the KakaoBank mobile app only, from 7 to 18 September 2026. Selected entrants were announced on 30 September, with payments due by 7 October at 17:00 KST. The entry fee was KRW 50,000 and the course cut-off is 90 minutes, subject to the organiser’s road controls. These deadlines have passed, so normal entry is closed; readers should not treat the event information as a live registration offer.

The organisers' sustainability-minded participant package comprises a running shirt, windbreaker, running belt, packable bag, socks and a Choonsik character keyring. Packages were scheduled to be shipped from 26 October. Entrants should consult the official site for any delivery enquiries, group allocation and race-day changes. Given the early gathering time and anticipated road controls, allow extra journey time and use the final organiser instructions for access to Yeouido Park.

Featured flier: AI-assisted portrait adaptation of official 2026 artwork; the official original is retained in the gallery.