2026 Beijing Marathon

2026 Beijing Marathon Countdown

-- DAYS
-- HRS
-- MIN
-- SEC

Want personality modes & weather integration? Try the full countdown experience

Registration closed

See entry dates for other marathons →

Race Information

Race2026 Beijing Marathon
CityBeijing
Date2026-10-18 at 07:30
Field Size~32,000 runners
Time Limit6 hours 15 min
Cutoff pace8:53/km
Course speed
Fast course Speed index 0.94 — median of the last 4 winners' times against the global same-year median. Winner times track elite fields and prize money, so this reads the course as a proxy, not a pure measurement.
TimezoneAsia/Shanghai
Official SiteChinese Athletics Association
Fee trend 2023 ¥2002024 ¥2002025 ¥2002026 ¥200(3-yr +0.0%)· below industry avg (+0.0% vs +4.8%/yr)

One email when it opens. Unsubscribe anytime. · Privacy

Race Day Weather

Average Temperature9.7°C / 49°F
Humidity55%
Peak Wind17.7 km/h
Rain Chance8%
Typical ConditionsCool, dry autumn with clear skies and low humidity

What to Prepare: Late-autumn Beijing is close to ideal racing weather: a typical start around 8-12C (mid-40s to low-50s F), low humidity, and bright skies, warming through the morning. The real variable is air quality, not temperature. Beijing's autumn AQI swings widely day to day; a clear blue-sky morning is fast and pleasant, while a hazy inversion can push particulate levels high. Check the AQI the night before and on race morning, and consider easing your goal if it is elevated. Bright sun on the open boulevards means sunglasses and sunscreen earn their place even when the air is cold.

Based on historical averages for race week. Use our Weather Score Calculator and What to Wear Guide for personalized advice.

Wind Impact on Race Day

Winds peaking around 17.7 km/h — the typical daily maximum for this date — can affect your pace by 5-15 seconds per kilometer in exposed stretches. Headwinds slow you down exponentially: a 20 km/h wind costs more than twice a 10 km/h wind.

Calculate your wind-adjusted pace →

Race-Week Climate

Based on 20 years of race-week weather (2005-2024), MERRA-2 reanalysis

Cooler Typical Warmer
Temperature 6.3°C 9.8°C 13.2°C
Dew point -5.4°C 0.6°C 7.1°C
Wet-day chance: 8% Runnability: 83/100

Data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), NASA Langley Research Center

Course Profile

Course TypePoint-to-point
Elevation Gain55m
TerrainRoad
ProfileA flat, fast point-to-point through the heart of the capital. The gun fires in Tiananmen Square, the route runs west along Chang'an Avenue past Fuxingmen, swings north up the West 3rd Ring, then grinds along the long North 4th Ring auxiliary roads (about 18-30km) before finishing on the Olympic Park Central scenic boulevard, beside the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Net elevation is minimal; the only real rise is the Kehui Bridge around 28km.
Boston QualifierYes — Check your BQ time

Course Analysis

Course Overview

The Beijing Marathon is China's oldest and most prestigious road race, first run on September 27, 1981, when just 86 runners from 12 countries lined up. Chinese runners call it 'Guo Ma' (the national marathon) for good reason: organized by the Chinese Athletics Association, it is the country's largest, most commercialized, and most coveted full marathon, and it holds World Athletics Gold Label status. It is not part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, but within China it carries Major-level weight.

The course is a flat, fast point-to-point straight through the symbolic center of the capital. The 2025 edition started at 7:30 a.m. from Tiananmen Square and finished about 42.195km later on the Olympic Park Central scenic boulevard, beside the Bird's Nest National Stadium and the Water Cube. The field has grown to 32,000 runners (up from 30,000 in 2023-2024). With its wide boulevards, minimal climbing, and cool late-autumn air, it is a legitimate PR course on a clear day.

The 2026 date is now official. The competition rules and registration notice the organiser re-issued on September 16, 2026 both set the race for Sunday, October 18, 2026, starting at 7:30 a.m., about two weeks earlier than recent editions on October 29 (2023), November 3 (2024) and November 2 (2025). (The first release on September 13 had said November 1; the September 16 version supersedes it.)

The Tiananmen Square Start and Chang'an Avenue

Few marathons open with a backdrop like this one. The race assembles in Tiananmen Square at the literal center of Beijing, then heads out east of the square and turns west onto Chang'an Avenue, the ceremonial east-west axis of the city, running past the Forbidden City wall, Tiananmen Gate, and the government district. For the first several kilometers you are on some of the widest, most iconic urban roadway in China, with the route continuing out through Fuxingmen and Fuxing Road toward the western suburbs.

The opening is dead flat and fast, which is precisely the trap. Adrenaline, a packed field of 32,000, and a downhill-feeling wide avenue make it dangerously easy to bank time you cannot afford. The course does not get hard until the second half, so the discipline that decides your race is exercised right here, in the first 10km, by holding back. Lock onto goal pace early and let the crowd surge past.

The North 4th Ring: Where the Race Is Won or Lost

After the western turn the route swings north up the West 3rd Ring and then settles onto the North 4th Ring auxiliary roads, which carry runners from roughly 18km to 30km. This stretch is the spiritual heart of the Beijing Marathon's difficulty. It is not steep, but it is long, wide, exposed, and visually monotonous, arriving exactly as the early-pace bill comes due. Veterans describe the North 4th Ring as the most demoralizing part of the day: a seemingly endless ring-road corridor where the kilometers stop ticking and the wall begins to loom.

The 2025 course extended the North 4th Ring auxiliary section, which the organizer framed as an upgrade (wider lanes, better tree cover, more comfort) but which also means more time on this draining segment. The one genuine bump comes at the Kehui Bridge climb near 28km in recent layouts, landing earlier than in past years, right when legs are already heavy. Run the North 4th Ring on feel, not ego: if you are still comfortable here, you paced the first half correctly.

Olympic Park Finish (37-42km)

The final stretch is the reward. The route climbs off the ring roads and into the Olympic Green, threading past three landmark 2008 and 2022 venues clustered in the closing kilometers: the National Speed Skating Oval ('Ice Ribbon'), the Water Cube National Aquatics Center, and the Bird's Nest National Stadium. The 2025 layout even routed runners through the Speed Skating Oval area and along the Olympic Forest Park wetlands for autumn scenery.

Stay alert for one pinch point: in the 2025 design the course narrows around 37km on a North 5th Ring auxiliary bridge, where congestion can disrupt a hard finishing rhythm. From there the route turns onto the North Central Axis scenic boulevard for the run-in to the line. The Olympic Park finish is flat and grand, with the Bird's Nest framing the last few hundred meters, but the finish line closed at 13:45 in 2025, 6 hours 15 minutes after the 07:30 gun, so the back of the field has no time to waste in the closing kilometers.

Race Strategy and How to Enter

Pacing. Beijing rewards a conservative front half. The flat, fast Tiananmen-and-Chang'an opening invites you to overspend, and the bill comes due on the long, draining North 4th Ring from 18-30km. Run the first 10km a touch slower than goal, hold steady through the ring roads, and you will have legs left for the Olympic Park finish. Build honest splits with our Pace Calculator, and pressure-test your goal time against your recent races using the Race Time Predictor before committing to a number.

Air and weather. Temperature is rarely the problem here; air quality is the wild card. Check the AQI the night before and on race morning, and be ready to ease your target if it is elevated. Score race-morning conditions with our Weather Score Calculator.

How to enter. Beijing is China's most oversubscribed marathon. The 2024 edition drew a record 182,949 applicants from 43 countries and regions for about 30,000 spots, roughly a 16% acceptance rate, awarded by lottery. Registration opens for a short window each September (the 2025 window ran September 10-15, with lottery results in early October; the 2026 notice published on September 13 confirms a September window and the same 200 yuan fee but leaves the exact dates to a later announcement). There is also an entry gate: for 2026 applicants must show one marathon or two half-marathon finishes within the 24 months before the deadline, with no time threshold stated (2025 required sub-6h or sub-3h; virtual results never count), and minimum age is 20. International runners can apply through the official English registration portal (en.beijing-marathon.com), with the Bank of China title sponsor offering global-runner support; budget for a passport at packet pickup. Model your lottery odds against repeat-entry strategies with our Lottery Calculator, and set a target for the qualifying race you need with the Finish Time Calculator.

Training in Beijing

Arriving early? Explore daily running routes and local tips.

Prepare for 2026 Beijing Marathon

Use our free training tools to get race-ready:

View all running tools

Featured In

Best Marathons for Perfect Racing Weather in 2026 Best Marathons in Asia to Run in 2026 Best Fall Marathons in 2026 (Sep-Nov) Best Marathons in China to Run in 2026 Best Marathons with Historic Routes & Heritage in 2026

Beijing Marathon Comparisons

Show all comparisons (7) ↓

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Beijing Marathon and what time does it start?

The Beijing Marathon is held in mid-October to early November, on a Sunday, with a 7:30 a.m. start from Tiananmen Square. Recent editions ran October 29 (2023), November 3 (2024), and November 2 (2025). The 2026 edition is confirmed for Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 7:30 a.m.: the competition rules and the registration notice the organiser re-issued on September 16, 2026 both state the date and start time. (The first release on September 13 had said November 1; the September 16 version supersedes it and matches the October 18 date in the Chinese Athletics Association's December 2025 calendar.)

How do I get into the Beijing Marathon, and what are the odds?

Entry is by lottery, and the odds are tough. The 2024 edition received a record 182,949 applications from 43 countries and regions for roughly 30,000 places, about a 16% acceptance rate. Registration opens for a short window each September: the 2026 window runs September 17, 10:00 to September 22, 18:00 Beijing time (200-yuan fee paid only if drawn, 32,000 field, lottery when oversubscribed), with the draw and payment in late September or early October; the 2025 window ran September 10-15 with results in early October. Applicants must also meet a qualifying standard and minimum age, and the entry fee is 200 yuan, paid only after you are drawn.

Can foreigners run the Beijing Marathon, and how do they register?

Yes. International runners can register through the official English registration portal at en.beijing-marathon.com, and the Bank of China title sponsor provides dedicated support for global runners. You will need your passport, and the same qualifying standard and age minimum apply. Note that China's 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy covers travelers from 57 countries as of August 2026, with Beijing among the eligible entry ports, which can make a race-trip logistically simple for many overseas runners, though you should verify your own nationality's eligibility and the latest rules before booking.

Is there a qualifying time or result requirement to register?

Yes, and the bar changed for 2026. The registration notice published on September 13, 2026 asks for one marathon finish or two half-marathon finishes within the 24 months before the registration deadline; unlike 2025, which demanded a sub-6-hour marathon or sub-3-hour half, it states no time threshold, but a half-marathon runner now needs two results instead of one. Online or virtual race results do not qualify. The minimum age is 20 in the race year, and runners aged 65 and over must submit a participation pledge co-signed by a family member. Beijing also keeps a direct-entry standard (the former "nine-star" times, from 2:40:00 for men and 3:10:00 for women aged 20-34) that skips the lottery, listed as "to be confirmed" for 2026, and will draw 200 direct entries at random from 2026 Guangzhou Marathon applicants. Use our Finish Time Calculator to set a target for the qualifying race you still need.

What is the Beijing Marathon course like?

It is a flat, fast point-to-point through the center of the capital. The race starts in Tiananmen Square, runs west along Chang'an Avenue past Fuxingmen, swings north up the West 3rd Ring, then spends a long stretch on the North 4th Ring auxiliary roads (about 18-30km) before finishing on the Olympic Park Central scenic boulevard beside the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. There is very little climbing; the main rise is the Kehui Bridge around 28km. The long, exposed North 4th Ring corridor is widely considered the toughest mental stretch of the day.

Is the Beijing Marathon a good course for a personal best?

On a clear day, yes. The course is flat and fast on wide boulevards, and late-autumn Beijing typically delivers cool, dry, low-humidity conditions close to ideal for racing. The two things that can derail a PR are air quality, which swings day to day in autumn, and pacing discipline: the easy, flat opening on Chang'an Avenue tempts runners into spending too much before the draining North 4th Ring. Pace the first half honestly with our Pace Calculator and you give yourself the best shot.

What is the time limit for the Beijing Marathon?

The course cutoff is 6 hours 15 minutes. Under the 2025 rules the gun went at 07:30 and the finish line closed at 13:45, with staged cutoffs on the way: 25km at 11:00, 35km at 12:35, 40km at 13:25. The entry standard is a separate and tighter bar, since applicants must already have a sub-6-hour full marathon or sub-3-hour half on record, so the field is filtered to runners who can realistically finish in time. Stay ahead of the closing vehicles, particularly through the long North 4th Ring section where the pace can sag.

How big is the field and what does it cost?

The field is 32,000 runners, expanded from 30,000 in the 2023 and 2024 editions. The entry fee is a modest 200 yuan (CNY), paid only after you win a place in the lottery. Demand vastly outstrips supply: the 2024 edition drew 182,949 applications for about 30,000 spots, so securing an entry is the hard part, not affording it.

More Marathon Countdowns

All 2026 marathons View all marathons