A Marathon in the Most Isolated Country in the World | Running in North Korea

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“Running in North Korea” captures the journey of Olympians Aimee Fuller and Mirjam Jaeger as they travel to Pyongyang to participate in the 2019 Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon and meet fellow Olympians from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Fuelled by curiosity, wonder and a wish to connect with athletes no matter their nationality, this original documentary is an inside look at the isolated country and showcases the power of sports to go beyond politics.
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[@charleswang3576]

I want to see Kim Jong un running a marathon

[@thomasmcgillivray3997]

I don't think he'd put himself through that.

[@fraserslife8399]

Dony you know he has the North Korean marathon record of 1:45

[@julezangel5102]

Proberly a body double will do it in his place

[@ATLTraveler]

I was raised to believe nothing is impossible, but I'm going to go ahead and say that is an impossible feat.

[@cmyrell]

Julez Unicorn he is the body double

[@BillyYang]

Can’t believe they were allowed to use drones there... 🤯🤯

[@tabstabs1204]

The North Koreans did, and gave them the document afterwards I guess

[@vincenttan6303]

12:26. *My boss checking in*: Any problem with the work? *Me*: Not at all under your visionary leadership.

[@KabbalahSherry]

😭💀 LMAOOO

[@Maxyshadow]

One of my favourite running docos! These two should be sent somewhere else and do another one.

[@lenav6947]

That was a really well done documentary!!! I love the message behind it!!!

[@june-xo3vw]

If they visit Seoul Korea, it would be absolutely different feeling.

[@user-tj3kq7en3x]

absolutely.. But in S.Korea. Many escapers live here, from N.Korea. I think maybe a lot of N.Koreans trying to escape, in this time.

[@fvelame]

Pyongyang and Seoul are different planets.

[@Steveinthailand]

They did compete in South Korea in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics of 2018 when the North and South combined to compete under a unified Korea.

[@unarmedduck]

@@Steveinthailand They were only 'unified' for 1 event. For everything else they entered as separate Koreas.

[@Steveinthailand]

@@unarmedduck Who are u talking to? What are you talking about? We've been commenting on the Pyongyang Marathon.

[@jayvonpryor1956]

She not coming back

[@clinhhh6436]

that’s what I was scared of. I don’t know much but I thought no one rly comes in and no one rly comes out

[@ewatokarz577]

Actually, a lot of people go to North Korea and comes back safely. There is one Polish guy that travels to North Korea a few times a year and organises trips there. Never had he a single problem with coming back to Japan where he lives. His wife, who is Japanese also came to North Korea many times and came back safely. As long as you don't break the law (that is different than in EU or USA, but in Singapore, you will be punished for dropping single rubbish, in Iran woman can't wear shorts and no one shouts about it) you will be safe and nothing will happen to you.

[@4gerars500]

Dennis rodman lmaooo

[@stanen]

@@ewatokarz577 the only thing you have to do to get in and out the country as a tourist is follow their law just like every other country in the world.

[@thegirltype]

They are so unbelievably passionate about their skill but I wonder if it's genuine and they enjoy it? Regardless, they are incredibly skilled and talented!!!

[@krollpeter]

Why shouldn't they enjoy? Many praise the kindness of the people there. They are not only happy because someone orders them to show happiness. And regardless of what our media says, life under the younger Kim has become easier for many.

[@DiamondHoe]

@@krollpeter yes but there is no internet or leaving the country. They are all being isolated without brands or music from other countries.

[@krollpeter]

@@DiamondHoe That seems to be not the real problem, being without brands or the modern plastic music.

[@DiamondHoe]

@@krollpeter they get put in jail for even listening to music unapproved by their “great leader”

[@Steveinthailand]

Good documentary. Insightful. I hadnt realised before just how well the DPRK has done in the Olympic Games. And Pyongyang is so clean!

[@legalisecrack]

They’re all starving to death and getting publicity executed but yeah streets look clean 👍

[@VipassanaRunner]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience

[@tylerjosh2000]

They showed you all the food constantly because they don’t want you to know that most citizens go without food

[@ganodrof7887]

How do you know that ??

[@tylerjosh2000]

@@ganodrof7887 there are many videos you can find on KZbin that both show and explain how they can struggle to produce enough food for their country. This video shows huge amounts of food that may go to waste, so I just figured that they did it to make it appear as though they have tonnes of great food. Hope this helped :)

[@tylerjosh2000]

@Vladilena Milizé this may have come across in the wrong way, I didn’t mean that nobody ever eats, I was saying how people may not eat enough or have to skip meals occasionally. They definitely have large areas of poverty.

[@ekeg_]

wrong.

[@GarryMcGovern]

Brilliant doc, 2 fantastic athletes to use as subjects/participants too, as both are elites in their field, but now tackling something out of their comfort zones - but very personable and down to earth: a great watch. I'll be running the marathon there in April 2023, so this has been a brilliant resource for me - it's still 6 months away, and my stomach is already turning with excitement (even though I'm a 3 time Ironman and Pyongyang will be my 17th marathon!!).Top work again guys, enthralling from beginning to end!

[@jasperherr8694]

Wow, wishing you all the very best. If you manage to come out alive, will you please reply back here? Looking forward to reading about it.

[@kev60625]

@@jasperherr8694 it got cancelled :(

[@rvchelgrn0]

Très beau documentaire, ça booste ! :-)

[@JohnAdams-rm7zm]

Loved it ❤️

[@thelongrun5077]

Is it just me or are their shoes a little older than the western runner's shoes?

[@josebendecido]

They look like some 80's Asics.

[@EndMeNowPls]

Because north Korea is extremely shut off from the world the are several generations behind not only on technology and fashion but language and the the social norms of the countries closer to them so of course their shoes are old designs.

[@josebendecido]

@@EndMeNowPls I wish them the best, those athletes, regardless of their motives, are the epiphany of perseverance and success. Imagine if they had some vaporfly Nikes? 😮 They would certainly fly.

[@SR-ls3fr]

Those sneakers are still very popular today. They're called Onitsuka Tiger's. They're made by Asics and they're actually pretty cool (opinion of course). Back in the day you'd see them on a lot of runner's and wrestler's feet. Today, I don't think you'll find very many people running races in them but you'll definitely catch people wearing them as leisure sneakers. Stores in the US such as Neiman Marcus and Macy's carry them.

[@tabstabs1204]

@@SR-ls3fr yes and the most famous model is the Mexico one, very simple but pricey 100$ around...

[@jaytee3217]

Awesome documentary and insights!

[@annikakim270]

this is now my second favourite documentary love ittt

[@fraserslife8399]

First?

[@annikakim270]

Fraser's Life breaking 2 :))

[@Maxyshadow]

It is a brilliant doco

[@mariemwangi819]

The slow-motion parts are amazing.

[@VioletSClover]

너무 재밌게 잘 봤습니다

[@davidjones2110]

How come none of the runners were wearing the Alphaflys?

[@nellieeess]

David Jones this was probably before those shoes came out

[@zacprunty]

They have some North Korean technology that is 20 years ahead of the alpha fly. Ha!!!!!

[@archiecaldow5686]

The weightlifter was definitely forced to say that 😭😂

[@fvelame]

He was trained to think this way since his childhood.

[@mylesiswhite4122]

Caldow Bargie it’s like how you would say 2+2=4 they learn this from their childhood

[@krollpeter]

They do not need to force anyone to say anything. The people know what they are expected to say, and they say it like you say: How are you?

[@adinrizki4125]

Great documentary.

[@user-tj3kq7en3x]

That's PR for N.Korea. Don't trust about that.

[@erickhan6349]

공현우 yeah they're very selective of where tourists visit

[@doniday6239]

What's pr ?

[@user-tj3kq7en3x]

@@doniday6239 It's public relation.

[@josephmercel1146]

"this original documentary ...showcases the power of sports to go beyond politics." You do realize that North Korea gov is turning sports as a politic tool and you helped them in that. "The Olympic Games were created for the exaltation of the individual athlete."* and not a particular country (*Pierre de Coubertin, you know the guy who founded Olympic committee..).

[@i_run_far1132]

21:55 Definition of an understatement.

[@lucasdarlington4030]

35:00 they look about 7 years old

[@Minexorek]

And what's wrong about that? It's not really impossible for a 7 year old to run a half-marathon or a marathon. But I actually think they were 10 years old.

[@ewigerschuler3982]

@@Minexorek The fact that they are forced to run at such an age may disturb some of the human rightsy folk among us.

[@Minexorek]

@@ewigerschuler3982 In Etiopia they do 100km per week at that age so yea.

[@ewigerschuler3982]

@@Minexorek Ethiopia has a better human rights record than the DPRK. In the latter this is basically brutal child labor.

[@Crb53]

oofficer I wouldn’t call it brutal but yea definitely forced but also in Ethiopia most children run to get out of poverty I don’t they can do that in North Korea they probably also get punished for not running times

[@ehfos]

3:04 ayeee keston!! didnt expect that lol

[@jamir2602]

Awesome

[@andrewang5565]

Fyp this help the tourism of the country too and Help the economy and Made the Country to be Popular in April of a Year

[@Pianoprac]

This place is stuck in the 70s or 50s or something idk

[@hbfard]

Sports! where everyone is equal and bring people together, there is no politics for some times, everyone has a smile and enjoying the moment, peace is all over the place and everyone is healthy (Body and Soul). WE NEED SPORTS 365/24/7 ALL AROUND THE WORLD. :D

[@cameron777555]

What’s the song playing at 40:00

[@ewigerschuler3982]

0:45 "I don't think many people can say they've done that" Good, because supporting a murderous regime is nothing to be proud of actually.

[@oliverkat]

oofficer tell me 1 not murderous regime

[@ewigerschuler3982]

@@oliverkat the United States of America for example

[@sykeassai]

@@ewigerschuler3982 How do you define the US as a regime? As a govenment it barely functions at all, largely in part of it's President.

[@sykeassai]

@@ewigerschuler3982 Kuroko Z wanted a regime which was not murderous. My question was how do you define the US as qualifying as a Regime? So were you just naming any country you could think of which was neither a regime nor a murderous one?

[@ewigerschuler3982]

@@sykeassai Sorry, I got it all wrong initially. by definition almost every country is a regime, isn't it?

[@dharami4450]

The vibe there is really 1980's

[@KabbalahSherry]

1950s in some cases 😄

[@7.5Mviews]

41:08 she said she came in 13th overall, but why didn't she get to cross the finish line? it look like the event was over already.

[@toyo5078]

Because she didn't do the marathon...only the 10k part

[@ranran3578]

It's so interesting the treadmill is speaking chinese!!

[@AnoRex770]

Wow.

[@itsnataliewbu]

so do locals have access to internet or just tourists??

[@ryandupuis5860]

18:47 Quarantine got me like

[@carolinahernandez7358]

Song at 40:10?

[@frantix22]

wait... she did not run through the finish line ? why was the area closed ?

[@dekmiden]

one question this account is handled by Greeks if not from which country??

[@nellieeess]

What time did the girl who came in 13th get? Just curious

[@tabstabs1204]

it's BS, she arrived and there was a barrier to stop her to finish in the stadium. It means her time was not recorded, so how does she know she finished 13th ?? The time limit is 4h, so she obviously ran longer.

[@888em]

I would be scared to go there

[@stoopidpoop452]

I would be scared to go to US

[@doniday6239]

Why ?

[@christopherderrell8470]

How is their entire team kitted with Adidas? 1:46. Maybe I'm not aware of their foreign trade policy

[@markdammes1947]

Chinese knock offs?

[@mooske6352]

Why was the treadmill speaking in Chinese, and there were Chinese speakers going into the stadium

[@supavegetasama]

Because of corona it was cancelled this year by feb :/

[@MisterMarmota]

My mom is an Olympic medalist and a world champion and life is hard in Mexico

[@sykeassai]

That was a fascinating documentary. I had heard about this some time ago. As a country, N.Korea is still a dangerous place for any freedom under its dictatorship. However, at least in some respects, There are elements of Progression. At least through sport

[@zacprunty]

Incredible documentary of the marathon in the DPRK. wow. And Aimee! What a bird! Ha!

[@yosuabaguswirawan2106]

Maybe the next olympic games host

[@luke_palmer05]

Kim would probably "run" it by driving a golf cart

[@xSLWRTHNUx]

Now every country is the most isolated country in the world

[@deborah8080]

Where is the alphafly?

[@carsonsmith6917]

not released yet

[@maggie0285]

I wanted to know your marathon time

[@SR-ls3fr]

Aimee finished around 4h35m.

[@QasimAli-to5lk]

Is this the May Day Stadium?

[@pyroxxx]

No, the May Day stadium is actually way bigger.

[@m_y_t_h_e_s9413]

Alors ça peut paraît bizarre pour certains. Mais j'ai depuis plusieurs années l'envie d'aller en voyage organisé en corée du nord. En ayant vu qu'il y avait un marathon ça me donne encore plus envie. J'aimerais bien y aller avec quelqun mais personne de mon entourage n'en a envie 😅. Si par hasard quelqu'un qui voit ce message est intéressé, faites le moi savoir. Merci

[@sangeetanawani5611]

Everybody there is using only asics or it's just any other brand

[@tabstabs1204]

It's actually called Onitsuka !! Owned by ASICS

[@tortureh2371]

If you say I've won gold medal in london , the duh response would be idfc

[@user-bd2wu3wz2t]

Greeting from West Korea

[@SkaterMisterAxe]

一日看盡長安花 west?

[@user-tj3kq7en3x]

west??? are u stupid???

[@winkyben69]

@@SkaterMisterAxe ,​ 공현우 Woooooosh

[@ebunny5]

😊

[@jevanaalise]

They were full blown sprinting in the beginning 😭 that’s where you go wrong

[@breakfastburritos19]

Your sprint is their jog.

[@breakfastburritos19]

jevana lambert Professional runners like those in the front tend to run at a pace below a 5:00 minute mile. The average person cannot/can barely maintain this pace for even a lap around a track. Collapsing is not uncommon in marathons because of how difficult it is. Also, people often go out faster in the beginning of the races to secure a good place, although in marathons that is less common because of how long it is.

[@jevanaalise]

Breakfast Burritos oh yeah I was just joking but thanks for the information lol

[@thecrystaltide3757]

I'm pretty sure for most weightlifters, training is their life, and everything they do is dictated by their sport. But for these guys, the stakes are different, and unless they're a phenom like Om Yun Chol, their lives, and their family's lives probably depend on this

[@yomihe1101]

An American New York ctiy er who travels to North Korea is definitely not interesting, but John F. Kennedy International Airport, traveling to China, Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou are absolutely fun.

[@eyobalema421]

12:22

[@ManunKanava]

42:33 Definetly not

[@user-kq9fx6hy7t]

看到最后， 这是被关门了吗？第一次参加马拉松赛，没有跑进4.30小时，很正常，快乐就好！加油！

[@vincentbosco4098]

She said she got 13th overall? Ok 42:40

[@carsonsmith6917]

19th

[@SR-ls3fr]

The race results are online. After you separate by gender, there are 3 categories of runners (Professionals, Amateurs, and Amateurs - DPRK). Aimee's category is "Amateurs" and has a total of 17 women in it, including her. She placed 13th out of 17 Amateurs with a time of 4h:35m:33s. She placed 59/60 women that finished the race overall. One thing that is particularly interesting is that Aimee goes by Aimee Nicole Elizabeth on the results. Not Aimee Fuller. However, her finish place and bib number match with the 2019 race results. No other Aimee's are shown as running.

[@SR-ls3fr]

@@carsonsmith6917 Mirjam Jaeger said she finished 19th. However, that is her finish place for the category of "Amateurs". She finished the overall 10K race in 361st place out of 606 people with a time of 1h01m07s. If looking at only women (including "Professionals", and "Amateurs - DPRK") she finished 153rd.

[@erwinsaputra3645]

pyongyang is the cleanest city in the world

[@FIINKS]

Tokyo takes the cake for that one.

[@user-ve4ke1ls5e]

little do they know what’s happening rn

[@Evan0708]

안녕

[@alexsinnett6123]

I’d just like to mention that there were so many kids actually RACING in the 10km from DPRK. They were definitely forced to run and train for that.

[@WebstaMC]

Alex Sinnett you never know

[@alfierowe7523]

Must of been filmed before dave skylark visited North Korea

[@myzen1729]

At least they really respect their sthletes, in my country many medal winner athletes died poor without govt help

[@pipijapija]

I felt like watching a Korean drama Reply 1988 ^^

[@wuk2323]

I feel something strange. I'm South Korean and I can understand what North Korean saying. But foods, buildings, and places are the first thing I see.

[@francisnguyen6349]

North Koreans athletes are proud of us.

[@jeffreybarry64]

Look at us . . we are such Hip Enlightened Europeans

[@hobosdominecraft1]

This is by far the most bizarre and heartbreaking things I’ve seen. I feel so bad for the athletes because they aren’t serving themselves but instead a leader. They don’t look happy at all even with all the medals and materialistic things and it truly feels like they just want to be loved and have freedom. You can’t create a world that someone can’t live in.

[@saintnicole3209]

i think not letting the british girl run on her own outside alone was more of a safety thing tbh. imagine if she got lost in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language? the media would throw and absolute fit and blame north korea so it's kind of damned if you do damned if you don't.

[@doniday6239]

When u meet the Supreme leader and he say how about ur trip? Good, And He ask again which the country most do u like now ? *Get sweaty never end*

[@BrunnoLSonny]

Love

[@Pianoprac]

the foreigners were the happiest people there

[@noahbutler4190]

I think it’s interesting that that girl had never ran a marathon. Why didn’t they pick the top marathon runners from each country?

[@carsonsmith6917]

they have more prestigious races to run with more prize money involved, or it was in the middle of a training block so the couldn't attend

[@raymondmeyers8983]

Pyongyang has to be the most overbuilt city in the world. All of that infrastructure but hardly any people actually using it. Creepy.

[@joewillburn]

Real life Truman Show.

[@therofthew]

They have to leave their phones and laptops 4:59 “ this is already weird, I cannot send any texts” Oh nooooo, what a nightmare!!!! :-(

[@ebunny5]

I taught that I would prodominantly see a race here...meh

[@notmyrealname8615]

Yeah same. I wanted to know some North Korean marathon times or something.

[@mr.derhoro3996]

dont bring politics here

[@bagelized]

Mr. Derhoro Don’t bring politics in a video specifically supported by a government willing to spread political propaganda... right

[@abnercr9]

A caray esto si me interesa jajaja

[@LearningFast]

The way they look at their government leader is not that far removed from how most religious people look at their god.

[@ders.]

North Korea has divine rule when the government leader is literally thought to be a god. So yes

[@KING2011KOKO]

The biggest question I have is how does she wash her clothes . There’s no dryer or washer gotta be smelly

[@jjankiefn1152]

The pink hair chick looks like one of the bad people in Ironman 3

[@GorgorothBergen-ns7il]

There is DEFINITELY something wrong in our world🇳🇴🙋‍♂️🐺

[@NobleTries]

How to survive corona

[@ragilelisra5945]

Eh?

[@POO-wd9jq]

only took them 4 years to post

[@imskya]

보는 내내 답답했네요. 내 동포의 반이 저런 환경에서 살고 있다니.

[@gorgouszo]

00:01 아니 시작부터 18 호구라니 너무하네!

[@Sturmpionier03]

That is how the world was before the Cell Phones

[@michaelreyes7154]

The olympics should add average people and let them compete against the athletes to show how hard these athletes have trained.

[@Animescene23]

No

[@pezdacandyboi]

They do. Olympic trials

[@rileydaily5426]

Cool idea like I would love to run in the same race as Eluid Kipchoge but not all dreams can come true. Rip.

[@carsonsmith6917]

@@pezdacandyboi all those people ran qualifying times tho?

[@pezdacandyboi]

@@carsonsmith6917 I believe so (the one in Atlanta)