Nanchang Marathon 2026

Nanchang Marathon 2026 returns on 15 November as one of Jiangxi's largest road races, starting from Bayi Square in the provincial capital. The current edition has a 32,000-runner field, split between 20,000 marathon places and 12,000 half-marathon places. Demand was substantially higher than capacity, with more than 135,000 pre-registration applications reported for the 2026 ballot.

Both races start together at 07:30. From Bayi Square the route runs through central Nanchang, crosses the Bayi Bridge and follows the Gan River corridor. The marathon continues along Ganjiang North, Central and South avenues, with sections around Yumu Mountain Park and the civic-centre area before finishing at Sunac Mall. The half marathon shares the opening section before finishing at MixC. The course is designed to showcase both the city's historic centre and its modern riverfront, including landmarks around Bayi Avenue, the Gan River and Honggutan.

The marathon has a six-hour cut-off and the half marathon a three-hour cut-off, measured from the final starting gun. Intermediate road-opening checkpoints also apply. Timing uses a disposable chip, with mats at the start, every 5 km, the half-marathon point, turnarounds and the finish. Drink stations are provided every 5 km, with water stations between them and additional energy-supply points along the latter sections of the course.

Race-day baggage at the start closes at 07:10. Half-marathon runners must reclaim bags by 11:15 and marathon runners by 14:15 at their respective finish areas. Finishers within the published limits can download an official result certificate after the race.

General pre-registration closed on 18 August, followed by direct-entry and lottery rounds. The organiser is continuing its published waitlist replacement process until 15 October. The 2026 event release has also unveiled the participant shirt, finisher medal and a special SUB3 jacket for marathon runners who break three hours. Exact race-pack collection and expo times have not yet been published, so they are not inferred from earlier editions.