PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONCN / RACE GUIDE

Chongqing Marathon

Name: Revisit the Marathon. Relive the Journey. | 2026 CHANGAN Chongqing Marathon
Uploaded: 2026-01-20
Description: Chongqing is known for its stairs and steep slopes. This race's course, though, is flat. The secret is that the course sticks to the riverside. The course runs along the riverside roads of Nanbin Roa

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

CNJan 10, 202742.195km

鲨柿笔亚 · Pexels

Race date in 95 days: Jan 10, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Chongqing · 42.195km
Entry fee: CN¥200From the 2026 edition
Status: ClosedWed, September 2, 2026 ~ Sun, September 13, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 7, 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.

Chongqing is known for its stairs and steep slopes.

This race's course, though, is flat.

The secret is that the course sticks to the riverside.

The course runs along the riverside roads of Nanbin Road and Babin Road, and the start and finish are in the same spot, Haitang Yanyu Park.

Few races feel so different from the city they're run in.

The 2027 race is a single full marathon event with 26,000 runners.

The start is at 8 a.m. The Entry fee is 200 yuan for runners from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and 350 yuan for international runners.

To enter,

you needed to have finished one full marathon or two half marathon races at Chinese Athletics Association–certified events between September 14, 2024, and September 13, 2026.

The 2027 race date is confirmed for Sunday, January 10.

Advance registration ran from September 2 to 13, 2026, and results were announced on September 23.

On race morning, the metro is your best bet.

Get off at Haitangxiaoyue or Jiangnan Sports Center station,

then walk from Sihai Avenue along the side street behind the Sheraton Hotel toward the check-in area on Nanbin Road.

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.

#ChongqingMarathon#Chongqing#Overseas Marathon#January Marathon

Stories from those who ran it first.

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

Race reports: 2

Love Elite Sub-3 CommitteeRan in 2026 · Finish time 2:54:12

“First marathon of the new year, finishing in 2:54:12.”

After cramping from 36 km and missing the 3-hour barrier at the 2025 Chongqing Marathon, the writer trained again and took revenge at the 2026 event with a 2:54:12 personal best.

Read the original on MARASOON

庐陵一呵手Ran in 2019 · Finish time 4小时27分钟

“I have taken part in full marathon 17 times, and the richness of the race entry and finisher package made this Chongqing race by far the best.”

The writer ran the 2019 Chongqing race as their 17th full marathon, experienced the start and finish operations and the crowd support, and finished in 4 hours 27 minutes.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

我自己参加过17场全程马拉松赛事，就参赛包和完赛包的豪华程度，这次重马当居第一。

Read the original on 新浪众测

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

CHANGAN · 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.

From the 2026 edition

Lottery entry has closed

It ran Sep 2, 2026–Sep 13, 2026.
Check separately whether other entry routes are open and spots remain.

Registration history · The 2027 race opened entry on Wed, September 2, 2026

Lottery

If the number of applicants exceeds the field limit, places will be decided by lottery (for the 2026 race: registration from 18–24 August 2025;

lottery results announced on 4 September).

Unsuccessful applicants will receive a Entry fee refund within 5 business days of the announcement.

Organizer's page

Qualifying time

Runners who meet the qualifying time for their age group,

as well as the top 500 men and women in the 2025 Chongqing half marathon, may register separately through direct entry.

Organizer's page

charity participation

Places in the Run for Charity category are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Organizer's page

Invitation

A separate allocation is available for sponsors and partner media.

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 42.195km I'll run

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

From the 2026 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 08:00

Time limit6 hours

START

Haitang Yanyu Park (海棠烟雨公园), Chongqing

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Chaotianmen Bridge (朝天门大桥), Chongqing

Finish · Google Maps

Cut-off
5km 55 minutes · 10km 1 hour 30 minutes · 20km 2 hours 50 minutes · 30km 4 hours 15 minutes (from the final starting gun)

Original course map · imgbdb3.bendibao.com

The course follows the riverside along Chongqing's Nanbin Road and Babin Road.

Field size: 26,000 participants
World Athletics Label: Elite Label
Typical race-season temperature: around 5°C (41°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Finisher certificate

Bag drop

To the start line,
step by step.

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

From the 2026 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

The 2026 edition has been officially confirmed for 18 January 2026 (Sunday) at 8:30 am, rather than March; the 2027 edition is expected to return to March.
Collection is available only in person; proxy collection is not permitted.
An original valid identity document is required, including a Chinese second-generation identity card, electronic identity card or passport.
Collection will be refused without the original document.
You must sign the participant declaration on site.
You cannot start if your participant wristband is damaged.
The bib vest is issued in the size selected during registration and cannot be exchanged.
No race-day collection is available; advance collection is required.
For the 2026 edition — 15 January (Thu) to 16 January (Fri), 09:30–17:30; 17 January (Sat), 09:00–20:00 (extended pickup on 17 January (Sat), 20:30–22:00, available only to those who applied in advance by 17:00 on 17 January).

Chongqing International Conference and Exhibition Center, Nanping

about a 5-minute walk from Exit 3B of Gongmao Station on Metro Line 3

Google Maps

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Stations & transport near the venue

Don't bother with the physical IC card — download Alipay or WeChat Pay and scan the QR code at the gate; foreign bank cards do NOT tap directly at Chongqing's turnstiles, only at manned ticket windows.

Getting to the start

Haitang Xiaoyue Station / Jiangnan Sports Center Station (Metro Line 6/9 area, full marathon); Haitang Xiaoyue station only for half marathon · 10 min walk

Exit at Haitang Xiaoyue or Jiangnan Sports Center station,

walk from Sihai Ave toward Nanbin Rd via side road behind Sheraton hotel to check-in area (full marathon).

Half marathon: exit Haitang Xiaoyue station, walk via Xiaoyue Rd junction toward Nanbin Rd. Mini/family race: exit Fulishe or Nanping station,

walk via Fuhong Rd or Hongsheng Rd toward Nanbin Rd (~15 min).

Getting to the finish

Finish line is at the same location as start (Haitang Yanyu Park / Begonia Misty Rain Park) per official race rules.

More details

Details are from the 2026 edition official guide (race date Jan 18, 2026) -- no 2027-specific guide published yet.

Start venue has changed between prior editions, so reverify closer to 2027-01-17.

Road closure: roads closed to public traffic for limited time during race, reopen after course cutoff (exact windows not itemized).

More details

Free official shuttle bus 6:00-7:50 AM, route Nanping International Convention & Exhibition Center to Hongsheng Rd junction on Nanbin Rd.

IC card

重庆宜居畅通卡 (Chongqing Yiju Changtong Card)

Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT) station service counters/ticket windows and designated city transit-card service points.

Not accepted at the gates — get the local card above

Alternative: One-day travel pass (一日票) CNY 18 — Only worth it if making many long, distance-based rail trips in a single day —

normal single fares are CNY 2-10 depending on distance, with a 180-minute time limit per journey.

More details

There are two separate bank-card systems in Chongqing, easy to confuse: (1) direct tap-to-pay at turnstiles works only with domestic UnionPay QuickPass cards;

(2) international cards can be swiped at manned ticket windows at 212 stations to buy tickets, but this is NOT contactless gate entry.

The IC card requires a CNY 25 deposit, refundable at a designated service point with ID, minus a depreciation fee —

a hassle most short-stay tourists should skip.

Most tourist guides recommend QR-code payment via Alipay/WeChat Pay instead of the physical card, since it needs no deposit.

Source · checked Aug 20, 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.

The 2027 race starts at 8 a.m. on Sunday, January 10, on Nanbin Road and Babin Road.

This edition is full marathon only, with 26,000 runners.

The Entry fee is 200 yuan for runners from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and 350 yuan for international runners.

Entry required finishing one full marathon or two half marathon races at Chinese Athletics Association–certified events between September 14, 2024, and September 13, 2026.

Advance registration closed on September 13, and results came out on September 23.

Packet Pickup is in person only—no proxy pickup.

For the 2026 race, pickup ran at the Chongqing International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanping from three days before the race through the day before;

Saturday, the day before the race, was the busiest,

with hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The venue is a 5-minute walk from Exit 3B of Gongmao Station on Metro Line 3.

Bring your original passport.

The start and finish are at Haitang Yanyu Park, and in 2026 runners had to be in the corral shown on their bib at least 60 minutes before the start.

You have to cross the check mat in your corral for your time to count.

Bags had to be dropped by number range at least 20 minutes before the start and picked up by 3:30 p.m. after the race.

The 2026 race closed at 3:15 p.m.

Riverside roads are closed on race day, so organizers recommend the metro and buses;

if you drive, park near a station outside the closure zone and transfer.

January in Chongqing averages a high of 10.4°C and a low of 6.4°C, with high humidity (82 percent) and very little sunshine.

The riverside course catches the wind off the river, so bring an extra layer for the wait at the start.

Times are local to Chongqing. 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.

Hotels that make race morning easy

7 places

Distances are straight-line from the start/finish area.
Check real travel times and booking terms with each hotel.

The start and finish are in the same place
We picked stays around that one spot.

Chongqing Marriott Hotel

Hotel · 564m

8.4/10(41)

View on Booking.com

Riverside International Youth Hostel阅江老院青年旅舍

Accommodation · 1.3km

8.8/10(248)

View on Booking.com

J&H Invis High Rise Panoramic Art Hotel

Accommodation · 1.3km

8.1/10(38)

View on Booking.com

与暮千寻江景民宿

Accommodation · 1.3km

9.5/10(8)

View on Booking.com

重庆市中心家庭民宿

Accommodation · 1.2km

9.4/10(8)

View on Booking.com

隐山舍江景酒店

Accommodation · 1.3km

9.4/10(8)

View on Booking.com

Lanyue River View Apartment

Accommodation · 1.3km

9.0/10(6)

View on Booking.com

Swipe sideways to see more hotels.

View on map →

Time for you, before and after the finish

51 experiences

Rest a little, wander a little.
Pick what suits you and whoever you're with.

RECOVERY & SPA7SIT-DOWN TOURS7CARB LOADING7LOCAL TRANSIT7FAMILY PASS7TRAIL & OUTDOOR7CITY TOURS7EASY WALKING2

Chongqing Lanyue Hot Spring Ticket

CN¥52

Chongqing Marathon

About Chongqing 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