Huainan Marathon 2026

Huainan Marathon 2026 returns on Sunday, 1 November for an established city road race that has been staged in various forms since 2016. Current local-government reporting describes 2026 as the event's eighth edition after seven successful previous races. The programme is limited to 12,000 runners, with 2,000 places in the 42.195 km marathon and 10,000 in the 21.0975 km half marathon. Both races start at 08:00 from the north gate of Huainan Olympic Sports Center, which is also the published finish area.

The marathon is promoted around a "journey through a thousand years" theme, while the half marathon is framed as a city tour. Organiser material says the routes are designed to connect Huainan's Chu and Han cultural heritage with the modern city. The event is listed in the Chinese Athletics Association's 2026 road-race plan as an A-category marathon, while current edition announcements describe final A-class certification as being pursued.

Entry used a pre-registration and ballot system for the first time in 2026 rather than first-come, first-served allocation. Applications ran from 15 July until 18:00 on 15 August, with ballot results scheduled for 25 August. Marathon applicants had to be at least 20 years old and provide either one marathon result or two half-marathon results from the previous 24 months. Half-marathon applicants had to be at least 18 and provide either one half-marathon result or two results of 10 km or longer. Successful applicants were also required to upload a qualifying medical report between 26 August and 30 September, including blood-pressure and ECG results.

The 2026 finisher medal has already been officially released. Its design draws on Huainan's Chu cultural heritage, including the ancient Chu cauldron associated with Shou County and references to local history, while the event start and finish at the Olympic Sports Center place runners in Huainan's modern Shannan district. Race-pack collection details, final route streets, cut-off schedule and prize structure have not yet been published in the current sources reviewed, so those details should be checked again closer to race week.