PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONCN / RACE GUIDE

Beijing Marathon

Name: 2025 北京馬拉松
Uploaded: 2025-11-10
Description: Start line is Tiananmen Square. The race starts on the vast stone plaza between the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the National Museum. There is just one event: 42.195 km. There is no half marathon o

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Beijing
CN

N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons · N509FZ, CC BY 4.0Francisco Anzola · CC BY 2.0CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia CommonsWikimedia CommonsYkekaixin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Race date in 8 days: Oct 18, 2026 Sun
City · Distance: Beijing · 42.195km
Entry fee: CN¥200Varies by event and entry period
Status: ClosedSee how to enter ↗

2026Date Oct 18, 2026 · Entry Sep 17, 2026 ~ Sep 22, 2026

2025

2025Date Nov 2, 2025 · Entry Sep 10, 2025 ~ Sep 15, 2025

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 10, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Start line is Tiananmen Square.

The race starts on the vast stone plaza between the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the National Museum.

There is just one event: 42.195 km. There is no half marathon or 10K.

This is the only marathon in China to offer just full marathon.

The route crosses the city all the way to finish.

It passes the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube before entering Celebration Plaza in Olympic Green.

In 1981, it was the first international sporting event held in China.

Today, that same race carries a World Athletics Gold Label.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 3

Qian MarquandRan in 2023 · Finish time 4:34

“I almost wasn’t sure I had crossed the finish line.”

The writer ran their first full marathon at the 2023 Beijing Marathon, finishing in 4:34. They enjoyed a field of more than 30,000, plentiful aid station every 2.5 km and crowds along the streets, but found the Olympic Park finish a bit flat with no music or spectators. After 10 years of running, they finished their first marathon with their family cheering them on.

Read the original on American Women's Association of Singapore

亮色白团Ran in 2017 · Finish time 3小时24分

“I finally finished. I got through the full marathon safely and felt fine, and after setting a personal best and beating the struggle and myself, I suddenly got emotional.”

The writer ran the 2017 Beijing Marathon aiming to break 3:30. When cramp symptoms appeared at 26 km, they held on with salt and energy gel, finishing in 3:24—16 minutes faster than their previous best—and wrote that they were overcome with emotion.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

终于完赛了，我顺利跑完了全程，我还很好，我PB了自己的成绩，克服了困难，战胜了自己，脑子一下子脆弱了起来。

Read the original on 咕咚

James QiRan in 2012 · Finish time 4:10:50

“When I looked up, the race clock showed 4 hours, 10 minutes and 50 seconds.”

They finished the 2012 Beijing Marathon in 4:10:50. Early on they managed their heart rate and pace, and sub-4 looked possible, but after 35 km their calves tightened and they slowed on the rolling sections. To avoid injury, they chose to finish with several short walk breaks in the second half.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

抬头看计时钟定格在4小时10分50秒。

Read the original on 祁劲松的博客

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Finisher vlog

黑影儿跑步日记 · Finisher vlog

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

Lottery entry has closed

It ran Sep 17, 2026–Sep 22, 2026.
Check separately whether other entry routes are open and spots remain.

Registration history · The 2026 race opened entry on Thu, September 17, 2026

Lottery

Entry cost CN¥200

General participants in the 2026 Beijing Marathon register online through the official website or an app designated by the race,

then receive an entry through a lottery.

Registration ran from 10:00 on September 17 to 18:00 on September 22, 2026.

Runners had to be at least 20 years old in the race year and have an in-person finish in one marathon or two half marathon during the 24 months before registration closed.

Organizer's page

Qualifying time

Entry cost CN¥200

Runners who achieved the age- and gender-specific direct-entry qualifying time at the 2025 Beijing Marathon could receive an entry for the 2026 race.

Runners had to meet the Beijing Marathon direct-entry time listed in the official race regulations.

Eligible runners also had to submit their registration details through the official website or designated app during the specified period and pay Entry fee.

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 42.195km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 07:30

Time limit6 hours

Event	Start	Entry fee	Field size
Marathon42.195km	07:30	CN¥200	32,000

not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet.

START

Tian'anmen Square East Side Road

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Beijing Olympic Park Landscape Avenue, Celebration Square, Olympic Green

Cutoff
5km 08:25 · 10km 09:00 · 15km 09:40 · 20km 10:20 · 21.0975km 10:30 · 25km 11:00 · 30km 11:45 · 35km 12:30 · 42.195km 13:30

Original course map · marathonbeijing.com

Runners start · local time — Marathon 07:30 (Oct 18, 2026)

Start line starts in Tiananmen Square, between the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the National Museum of China.

Course finishes at Celebration Plaza in Olympic Green, directly north of the Beijing National Stadium and the National Aquatics Center.

The event offers only the full marathon, with no half marathon or 5K.

It has been held every autumn since it began in 1981 and is regarded as China's first international sporting event and the first race in the country to introduce a lottery-based entry system.

It was also the first race in China to offer only the full marathon.

In 1997, it also served as the Chinese men's national championships, won by Hu Gangjun.

In 2005, it doubled as the marathon event at the National Games, with Sun Yingjie taking the women's gold medal.

That same year,

Benson Kipchumba Cherono was officially recognized as the men's winner despite running off course after a wrong turn at approximately the 800-meter mark;

his lead was large enough that officials still awarded him the title.

The 2006 edition also hosted the Asian Marathon Championships.

A course holding both a World Athletics Gold Label and Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) certification,

its men's course record is 2:07:06, set by Matthew Kisorio in 2019, while the women's record,

also the Chinese national record, is 2:19:38, set by Sun Yingjie in 2003.

Field size: 32,000 people
World Athletics Label: Gold Label
Typical race-season temperature: around 12°C (53°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Finisher medal

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

Pick up your race packet at the marathon expo.
10/15~10/17

China International Exhibition Center (Chaoyang Hall), Beijing

Google Maps

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startHeping men or Qianmen (Metro Line 2); Qianmen (Metro Line 8)
Transit cardJust tap your own foreign Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, or American Express contactless card directly at any subway gate — no card purchase needed. If you prefer a prepaid option, get the tourist-oriented 'Beijing Pass' or a Yikatong card. Where to buy
Getting to the finishAolinpike Gongyuan · Olympic Green (Line 8 & 15) -- main dispersal station; Aoti Zhongxin (Line 8) may go non-stop during crowd peak

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Heping men or Qianmen (Metro Line 2); Qianmen (Metro Line 8)

Race starts on the east side of Tiananmen Square, 7:30 AM. Per prior (2025) edition, pattern expected to repeat: Line 2 to Hepingmen, exit B, ~20-30min walk (recommended); or Line 2/Line 8 to Qianmen, ~20-25min walk.

Arrive by 7:00 AM for bib check/security screening. Vehicle traffic on Tiananmen Square east/west side roads banned from 22:00 the night before through end of race -- no taxi drop-off near start.

Distinguish from the separate 'Beijing Half Marathon' held in April at a similar but not identical start -- do not conflate. No dedicated runner shuttle; Line 8 runs shortened headways during post-race dispersal peak.

2026-specific traffic notice not yet public.

Map

Getting to the finish

Aolinpike Gongyuan / Olympic Green (Line 8 & 15) -- main dispersal station; Aoti Zhongxin (Line 8) may go non-stop during crowd peak

Finish on the Olympic Park central landscape avenue. Expect long queues with single-entry/single-exit crowd control at Olympic Green exits B1/B2.

Map

Transit card

Yikatong (一卡通)

Subway station customer service counters, airports, Yikatong offices at Dongzhimen or Xidan (passport required); the tourist-focused 'Beijing Pass' is also sold at designated visitor points Works directly at the gates

Alternative: Beijing Pass — Worth it if you don't want to use your own bank card and prefer one prepaid card that also covers buses, some taxis, and entry to sights like Badaling Great Wall. Beijing was the first mainland Chinese city to enable this: since 13 September 2024 (expanded further by June 2025), foreign-issued Mastercard and Visa (later joined by JCB, UnionPay, Amex) can tap directly at all gates across all subway lines plus airport lines — officially confirmed by the Beijing municipal government.

This tap usually costs slightly more per ride than Alipay/WeChat QR fares. Alipay and WeChat Pay transit QR codes (bound to a foreign card/passport) also work as an alternative.

Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

This race is known as the first in China to select runners by lottery after accepting entries.

Entering does not guarantee you a place, so check in advance when the lottery results will be announced.

Air quality in autumn varies from year to year.

The 2014 race was held in heavy smog.

It is worth checking the air-quality information before race day.

The 2020 race was cancelled because of COVID-19.

In 2021, it was postponed because of the spread of the Delta variant, shortly before its scheduled date of 31 October.

It returned in November 2022 with around 30,000 participants.

If you are planning to enter, bear in mind that the schedule has been subject to change in recent years.

Times are local to Beijing. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

New World Beijing Hotel

Hotel · 1.0km

9.2/10(1447)

View on Booking.com

Beijing Mingyitang Moxibustion Clinic · Manual Moxibustion · Traditional Chinese Medicine Thermal Moxibustion

CN¥96

Beijing Marathon

About Beijing Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run