# Marathon (2005 film)

Marathon (Korean: 말아톤) is a 2005 South Korean drama film directed by Jeong Yoon-cheol, and starring Cho Seung-woo and Kim Mi-sook. It received 5,148,022 admissions, making it the 4th most attended Korean film of 2005.
Based on the true story of Bae Hyeong-jin [ko], an autistic marathon runner, the film popularized the South Korean term for autism (자폐증; japyejeung) which can be translated as "self-closed syndrome."

## Plot

A young man with autism, named Cho-won, finds release only in running. As a child, Cho-won regularly had meltdowns, bit himself, and struggled to communicate with others—finding solace only in zebras and the Korean snack, choco pie. His mother never gave up on him and was determined to prove to the world that her child can achieve. As Cho-won gets older, he begins to find a passion for running and his mother is there to encourage and support him. Even though their family suffers from financial difficulties, they find a former marathon champion, Jung-wook — now a lethargic older man with an alcohol problem.
Jung-wook, who is serving community service hours as a physical education teacher for a DUI, grudgingly accepts the offer to train Cho-won in marathon running, but eventually becomes lazy with him. The coach often takes Cho-won's snack, and takes Cho-won to a jjimjilbang to relax. Even though Jung-wook slacks off most of the time, Cho-won's determination for running is firm (he accidentally runs 100 laps around a soccer field when the coach told him to without literally meaning it).
He takes third place in a 10 km running race, which causes his mother to set another goal for her son: to run a full marathon under three hours. This is not an easy task, however, as Cho-won wants to win but doesn't know how to pace himself. Therefore, his mother pleads the coach to run with Cho-won in order to teach him how to pace his running. The movie shows the emotional struggles of a mother who is not sure if she is forcing her son to run or if it truly is his passion. The movie further explores and shows deep love and genuine purity through Cho-won.

## Cast

* Cho Seung-woo as Cho-won
* Kim Mi-sook as Kyeong-sook, Cho-won's mother
* Lee Ki-young as Jung-wook
* Baek Sung-hyun as Yun Jung-won
* Ahn Nae-sang as Hee-geun, Cho-won's father
* Jeon Su-ji as Se-yoon

## Remake

A Japanese drama remake of the same title (マラソン) aired on TBS on September 20, 2007. It starred Ninomiya Kazunari in the lead role.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
| 2005 | 41st Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Marathon | Won |
| 2005 | 41st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Marathon | Nominated |
| 2005 | 41st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Won |
| 2005 | 41st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Screenplay | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Won |
| 2005 | 41st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Director | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Nominated |
| 2005 | 13th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best New Director | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Won |
| 2005 | 13th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Nominated |
| 2005 | 13th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Kim Mi-sook | Nominated |
| 2005 | 6th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | Marathon | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Popularity Award | Cho Seung-woo | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Kim Mi-sook | Nominated |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Lee Ki-young | Nominated |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best New Director | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Screenplay | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Planning | Seok Myeong-hong | Won |
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Music | Kim Jun-seong | Won |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Marathon | Nominated |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Nominated |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Cho Seung-woo | Won |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Director | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Won |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Nominated |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Music | Kim Jun-seong | Won |
| 2005 | 4th Korean Film Awards | Best Film | Marathon | Nominated |
| 2005 | 4th Korean Film Awards | Best Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Nominated |
| 2005 | 4th Korean Film Awards | Best Actress | Kim Mi-sook | Nominated |
| 2005 | 4th Korean Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Lee Ki-young | Nominated |
| 2005 | 4th Korean Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Nominated |
| 2005 | 4th Korean Film Awards | Best New Director | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Nominated |
| 2005 | 8th Director's Cut Awards | Best New Director | Jeong Yoon-cheol | Won |
| 2005 | 1st Premiere Rising Star Awards | Best Actor | Cho Seung-woo | Won |
| 2005 | 14th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival | Best Actor in a Foreign Film | Cho Seung-woo | Won |