On 3 October, Wangsan Marina in Incheon became the setting for an unusual crossover: K-pop idols and thousands of runners in matching shirts spun from recycled plastic. SMTOWN RUN CLUB 26, hosted by SM Entertainment, named South Korean textile firm Hyosung TNC as main sponsor — and the company used the race to put its sustainability pitch literally on runners' backs.
The official race shirt was made with regen™ ASKIN, Hyosung's recycled functional polyester yarn produced from PET bottles. It is not just a green gesture; the fabric is engineered for sport, with cooling and quick-drying properties, UV protection and improved opacity. SM Entertainment artists ran alongside ordinary participants wearing the same shirt, so the material was tested in exactly the sweaty, sunny conditions it was designed for.
Hyosung also set up an experience booth at the venue, showing visitors how discarded plastic bottles are converted into yarn and collecting ideas about what functions people want in future performance wear. Before race day, the company ran a field test with Stone of 262WAVE, a well-known name in Korea's running community, alongside its own employee runners — several of whom returned to run the course on the day. CEO Chang Hwang Lee framed the event as a way to let people feel recycled materials firsthand and fold that feedback into product development.
Why does this matter beyond the textile industry? For one, it is a snapshot of where sportswear is heading: recycled content with no performance trade-off is quickly becoming the norm rather than a marketing line. Hyosung, one of the world's largest spandex makers through its CREORA® brand, is also pushing bio-based spandex derived from sugarcane, so expect more of this blend of sustainability and function in the gear you pack for a holiday run or a hike.
There is also a travel hook. Runners who plan trips around events — parkruns abroad, city marathons, fan-run fitness gatherings — will recognise the format: a big-name entertainment company, a scenic waterfront course, merch worth keeping. Incheon's Wangsan Marina area, near the city's coastal zones and a short hop from Seoul, is exactly the kind of venue that pairs a race with a city break. If K-pop and running are both your things, events like this are worth watching on SM Entertainment's channels, as they tend to sell out fast with fans travelling in from across Asia.
For everyone else, the takeaway is simple: the shirt you buy for next year's race abroad is increasingly likely to have started life as a plastic bottle — and, based on the evidence at Incheon, it will handle the heat just fine.
