Some stories don’t just inspire — they stop you cold and make you rethink everything you thought you knew about what’s possible.
At 90 years old, Yul Kwon recently crossed the finish line of the BMO Half Marathon with a time of 3:50:33 — and then, almost immediately, started lobbying for change.
He didn’t just want a medal. He wanted an entirely new age division created so that runners in their 90s could compete on a level playing field.
What happened next is the kind of feel-good story the world desperately needs right now — and the extraordinary life behind it makes the finish line just the beginning.
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The Man Who Ran His Way Into History
When Kwon crossed the BMO Half Marathon finish line last month, he was the only competitor in the 90-plus age division — because that division hadn’t existed until he asked for it.
Prior to this year, race organizers capped their age categories at 85-89. Kwon, a retired economics professor living near UBC at Seasons Wesbrook Village Retirement Community, decided that simply wasn’t fair.
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It would be unfair for someone in their 90s to race against someone in their 80s.
He wrote directly to the marathon organizers, made his case, and they listened. A brand-new category was created — and Kwon promptly won it.
First place and last place, simultaneously. Only Yul Kwon could pull that off.
Running Didn’t Find Him Until 60 — But It Stayed
Kwon only took up running at the age of 60, which makes his résumé even more jaw-dropping. By 80, he had already claimed his age group title at the Boston Marathon.
Today, he runs four to five marathons a year. The discipline, he says, is deliberate.
Running is hard. Moving through what is uncomfortable brings rewards. One of those is joy.
For Kwon, every stride carries a deeper weight — one forged across decades of hardship that most people could barely imagine surviving, let alone outrunning.
A Childhood Shaped by War, Hunger, and Unimaginable Loss
Born to impoverished farmers on Korea’s southern peninsula, Kwon grew up with no shoes — weaving his own from rice straw. The food his family harvested was taken by Japanese colonial occupiers, leaving children swollen from starvation and parasites.
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- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Of nine siblings, three didn’t survive infancy.
Somehow I survived.
Then the Korean War erupted. His schooling was cut short, his village was caught between North Korean and American bombardments, and his mother was killed. His family was displaced, and his father had nothing left to send him back to school.
So Kwon ran away. His sister-in-law packed his textbooks and some dry rice into a handmade backpack, and he walked 20 kilometres back to Masan alone — through the smoldering wreckage of a war-torn country.
There was nothing left. All the villages were burned.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Back in Masan, selling newspapers to survive and studying through his grief, Kwon had a chance encounter that rewired his entire future. A distant relative arrived to visit family tombs — dressed impeccably, radiating a kind of dignity Kwon had never seen before.
The man was a professor.
He looked almost like an angel, in these beautiful clothes. I decided then that was what I could be.
He rededicated himself completely. After finishing third on a national exam, he eventually passed the entrance exam to Seoul National University — an achievement so significant that his father sold the only land he owned to cover the fees.
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- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
I knew I had to do well.
54 Applications, One Scholarship, and $540 He Didn’t Have
After graduating and securing a position at the Bank of Korea, Kwon still hungered for more. He applied to 54 American universities and was accepted to every single one — but scholarships were nowhere to be found.
Then a fully-funded Canadian scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan came through. There was just one problem.
The airfare was $540. It was impossible.
The Rotary Club stepped in, covered the fare, and on September 4, 1964, Yul Kwon arrived in Canada. His fiancée Joanne followed, supported by two generous Saskatoon families.
He would go on to earn a PhD in economics from McMaster University and cap an illustrious academic career with 18 years as the Korean Foundation Chair in Korean Studies at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
Running for a Bigger Purpose
Retirement hasn’t slowed Kwon down — it’s given him more reasons to run. Now an adjunct professor at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, he also founded the Kwon Family Scholarship to help students who face the same financial walls he once did.
I had such difficulty getting tuition. I want to help others.
Over the past two years, Kwon has raised $20,000 for the B.C. Cancer Foundation by linking his races to fundraising. He’s also been nominated for the “remarkable residents” honour at his retirement community — an award that comes with a $6,250 charitable donation. If he wins, every cent goes to cancer research.
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- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
By extending my running to fundraising, that gave me a bigger purpose.
His wife passed away in 2017, and Kwon acknowledges his own finish line with quiet clarity.
Happiness is my priority now. At my age, I can see the end of my life. It’s important to cherish every moment.
But here’s the thing — after his email to the BMO Marathon committee, organizers didn’t just add a 90-plus category. They extended the age divisions all the way to 100 and beyond.
Kwon is already planning his next move. In ten years, he intends to write again and ask them to push it even further.
At 90, Yul Kwon isn’t just running races. He’s redefining what a finish line even means.
