C&D Xiamen Marathon

“When I truly crossed the finish line and saw the number “2:59:45” on the arch timer, my heart was exceptionally calm.”

A participant in the 2026 Xiamen Marathon full course recorded 4 hours 39 minutes 59 seconds in their first full marathon in 2020, then spent several years training and competing. The participant achieved a sub-3-hour finish in Xiamen with a time of 2 hours 59 minutes 45 seconds.

“At around 38km, I walked after getting a cramp in my left hamstring in a headwind and on a slight uphill.”

The 2026 participant enjoyed the coastal scenery without checking their watch in the early going. After 30K, the left hamstring tightened up from the climbs and headwinds, forcing some walking, but they found a second wind and picked up the pace again before the final 500 meters.

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“My favorite section of the Xiamen Marathon was the hill before reaching Yanwu Bridge and the 3 km-long bridge that seemed to float above the sea.”

Chia-Ling Cheng described in detail the size of the expo, the route to bib pickup, and how the 12 starting corrals were run. The course along the coastline and out and back across Yanwu Bridge was memorable, but the sun, the climbs, and the lack of aid stations on the bridge section made it tough.

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“The Xiamen full marathon was really difficult to run because both the weather and the course were challenging.”

The runner finished the 2024 Xiamen Marathon in 3 hours 39 minutes. The runner ran the first half steadily with a target of 3 hours 30 minutes, but after crossing the bridge following the turnaround point, energy declined and the rising temperature slowed the pace. The runner was also unable to eat an energy gel, and reflected on the importance of long-distance training and heat acclimatization based on the experience.

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“I finished in 3 hours 39 minutes, 10 minutes slower than my target.”

The runner got in through the waitlist lottery and held back early, but slowed after the turnaround because of the heat and tired legs. Aid stations were well stocked, and they kept moving without stopping, finishing in 3:39. They concluded that they need more long-distance conditioning and better preparation for heat and humidity.

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“Marathons in Taiwan could learn from this, too, but there needs to be a sufficiently spacious venue.”

The runner started from Zone J at the 2020 Xiamen Marathon and experienced congestion during the first 5 km. The runner rated the spacious race-expo area and the clear hydration-station information highly, and was particularly impressed by the coastal scenery and the ice-water foot bath service after finishing.

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“The moment I crossed the line, it was fixed at 340, with a net score of 339.”

The writer took part in the 2018 Xiamen Marathon full marathon in torrential rain. They recalled overcoming an early over pace and fatigue after 30 km, then finishing chip time in 3 hours 39 minutes, cutting around 20 minutes off their previous time.

“Therefore, maintaining an even pace is key, and you should never run too fast early on.”

The runner ran the 2016 Xiamen full marathon, experiencing congestion early on and hills in the latter stages. Due to insufficient fuelling and dizziness later in the race, the runner finished in the 3:09 range, slower than the goal, and reflected on the importance of maintaining an even pace.

Quoted from the original · translated