Qiandao Lake Marathon 2026

Qiandao Lake Marathon returns to Chun'an County, Hangzhou on 29 November 2026 as one of Zhejiang's established destination road races. First staged in 2015, the event has grown from about 6,000 participants in its inaugural edition to a 15,000-runner field in 2026. The programme comprises 4,000 marathon places and 11,000 half-marathon places, with both races beginning from Xiushui Square at 07:30 local time.

The 2026 edition introduces a substantial course redesign. Current race material says the full marathon will enter the north-eastern part of Qiandao Lake for the first time, with lake-view running accounting for more than half of the route. Published course highlights include Jinxian Bay Bridge, Ideal Garden, the Tunnel Art Museum, the North-east Lake District Visitor Centre and areas of ornamental muhly grass. The route combines bridges, tunnels, islands, lakeside greenways and sections of the scenic road network around the reservoir, giving the race a strong sport-tourism character rather than a conventional city-centre marathon.

The event is currently applying for Chinese Athletics Association Class A certification for the 2026 edition. Local authorities describe Qiandao Lake Marathon as a key county sports brand and a representative example of combining road running with tourism. Race weekend is also planned to include a local food market, intangible-cultural-heritage displays and music activities. Participants can use their race bib for free admission to the core Qiandao Lake scenic area under the current event benefit programme.

Registration opened on 26 August and runs until 10 October at 10:00 local time, subject to earlier sell-out. Places are allocated first come, first served rather than by ballot. Marathon applicants must submit evidence of one marathon or two half-marathon finishes from the previous 24 months, while half-marathon applicants need two road-race results of 10 km or longer. Detailed 2026 race-pack collection, cut-off, prize and final operational information was not yet published in the current material reviewed, so runners should monitor the organiser's official channels for later race-week updates.