This year marked the first time the Pyongyang Marathon has been open to foreign amateur runners, and at Slate, Will Philipps has the firsthand story. For Philipps, the race offered "a unique way to experience a unique place, and hopefully connect with some of the people who live there," he writes. Also, "I simply wanted to say I’d done something as crazy as run a marathon in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea." Some 225 foreigner amateurs took part; they were banned from displaying American or Japanese flags. Among Philipps' observations: