Shenzhen Marathon 2026

Shenzhen Marathon 2026 is the 12th edition of Shenzhen's flagship city marathon and a World Athletics Gold Label road race. Established in 2013, the event has grown into one of China's major year-end marathons, with a 30,000-runner field for the single 42.195 km race on Sunday, 6 December.

The point-to-point course starts at Shenzhen Civic Center in Futian and heads west along Shennan Boulevard. Runners then turn towards Shenzhen Bay via Shahe West Road and Wanghai Road, taking in the city's waterfront before returning to the main east-west corridor. The later stages continue through Bao'an and the Qianhai area before finishing at Bao'an Coastal Plaza. The route is designed as a cross-section of modern Shenzhen, linking its civic centre, dense urban core, bayfront roads and newer western waterfront districts.

The race starts at 07:00 local time and has a six-hour overall limit, with intermediate course closures progressively reopening roads behind the field. Timing is chip-based. The current competition rules list separate men's and women's marathon races and require entrants to be at least 20 years old, with runners expected to be medically fit for the demands of a full marathon.

Pre-registration ran from 20 to 28 September 2026. If applications exceed the 30,000 places, entry is decided by ballot. Results are scheduled from 16 October, with successful runners required to complete payment by 22 October. The organiser also provides direct-entry pathways for qualifying mass-elite runners, capped at 3,000 places, and for runners who have completed at least eight previous in-person Shenzhen Marathons with a recorded finish.

Race materials are scheduled for collection from 3 to 5 December. The organiser has published the collection window but had not yet confirmed the 2026 venue at the time of listing, so runners should check the official site before travelling.