Swimming in Seokchon Lake and 123-Story Sky Run: Over 1,000 Gather for Lotte Corporation Aquathlon

1. 1.5 km Swim in Seokchon Lake and 123 Floors Stair Climb

2. 79-Year-Old Oldest Participant Takes on the Challenge

3. Seokchon Lake Water Quality Improvement Demonstrated

Lotte Corporation announced on July 12 that it successfully concluded the "2026 Lotte Aquathlon," an event that combines swimming in Seokchon Lake and a vertical marathon at Lotte World Tower, with the participation of over 1,000 competitors.

The Lotte Aquathlon is a multi-sport event where participants swim in Seokchon Lake and climb the stairs of Lotte World Tower. It was first launched in 2022 and, starting the following year, has been operated as an official competition approved and organized by the Korea Triathlon Federation.

After completing a 1.5 km swim around the East Lake of Seokchon Lake twice, participants took on the challenge of climbing a total of 2,917 stairs from the 1st to the 123rd floor of Lotte World Tower.

2026 Lotte Aquathlon. Lotte Corporation

This year’s event featured a diverse group of participants, including 86 people who have competed for three consecutive years, the oldest male participant Cha In-taek (age 79), the oldest female participant Kim Pyung-soon (age 68), as well as ironman couples and siblings.

In the men's division, Kim Wan-hyuk claimed victory with a time of 42 minutes and 59 seconds (swimming 19 minutes 24 seconds, transition 2 minutes 20 seconds, sky run 21 minutes 16 seconds). In the women's division, Kim Tae-hyang was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 46 minutes and 58 seconds (swimming 19 minutes 53 seconds, transition 2 minutes 56 seconds, sky run 24 minutes 9 seconds).

Having secured her second victory following her 2024 win, Kim Tae-hyang remarked, "The water in Seokchon Lake is so clean you can see the bottom, making it the best water quality compared to any international event. It became tough from the 60th floor, but I was happy to win again while improving my record."

Alongside hosting the competition, Lotte has continued its efforts to improve the water quality of Seokchon Lake. The lake currently maintains a transparency of over 2 meters and has received a Grade 1 classification for most water quality environment indicators. In June, it also passed the E. coli and turbidity tests conducted by the Korea Triathlon Federation.

Lotte used the media facilities inside Lotte World Tower and Mall to promote water quality improvement messages, while environmental company Zens operated a water purification boat in Seokchon Lake, demonstrating their purification activities.

Jaehoon Jang, CEO of Lotte Corporation, said, "The Lotte Aquathlon, held in the now pristine Seokchon Lake thanks to ongoing water quality improvements, has established itself as a unique sporting event symbolizing the harmony between the environment and the urban cityscape."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.