Meishan Dongpo Marathon 2026

Meishan Dongpo Marathon 2026 is a major road race in Meishan, Sichuan, the home city of Song-dynasty poet and statesman Su Dongpo. The 2026 event is also part of the Run Across Sichuan series as its Dongpo stop. It is organised at large scale, with a 25,000-runner field split between 10,000 marathon places and 15,000 half-marathon places. The regulations list the China Athletics Association as the proposed certifying body, so ARC does not treat final certification as confirmed until the organiser publishes that confirmation.

Both races start at 07:30 from Zizhan Avenue beside Dongpo City Wetland Park, at an organiser-listed elevation of about 415 metres. The final measured 2026 course had not yet been published in the current regulations when this listing was prepared, so runners should check the organiser's final electronic race handbook rather than rely on a previous edition's route. The regulations state that the course will be released after field measurement and confirmation.

Entry used a pre-registration and ballot system. Pre-registration ran from 6 July to 31 August, ballot results were released on 14 September, successful applicants paid by 16 September, and unsuccessful applicants could enter a waiting-list process with results on 18 September. The marathon requires runners to be at least 20 and to show, from the previous 24 months, either one marathon result or two half-marathon results. Half-marathon entrants must be at least 18 and provide two race results of 10 km or longer from the same period.

Public runners are seeded by previous performance and are checked using their bib and timing chip. The regulations also include anti-doping provisions under current Chinese athletics rules. Race-pack collection is in person only: proxy collection is not permitted, an original valid identity document and signed participant declaration are required, and there is no race-day collection. The organiser also requires an eligible recent medical examination record or pre-race examination form before collection.

The event has substantial individual, local-runner and team prize structures, plus bonuses for eligible national and event marathon records. Final operational details, including the measured route and exact race-pack collection timetable and venue, should be checked in the organiser's pre-race handbook when released.