Huangshi Marathon 2026

The 2026 Huangshi Marathon takes place on Sunday 22 November 2026, marking ten years of the Huangshi road-racing event and the first edition to offer a full marathon alongside the established half marathon. The organisers expect 15,000 entrants, with 3,000 marathon places and 12,000 half-marathon places. Both disciplines are scheduled to begin at 08:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8) at Huangshi People's Square; any further staggered-wave arrangements remain subject to a later official notice.

One start, two different finish locations

This is not a same-start-and-finish course. The 42.195 km marathon leaves People's Square, follows the urban Cihu Lake corridor and Cihu Bridge, passes the Jinshan Tunnel and Olympic Sports precinct, and finishes at Huangshi Olympic Sports Centre. The 21.0975 km half marathon shares the initial city and lakeside section but finishes on Hangzhou West Road instead. Runners and supporters should plan transport and reunion points according to their distance, not assume everyone returns to People's Square.

The Huangshi half marathon became a World Athletics Label road race in 2023 and advanced to Elite Label status in 2024. Runners know its relatively flowing city/lakeside terrain as a potential personal-best course, although the extended 2026 full-marathon route should not be assumed to have the same elevation profile as earlier half-marathon editions.

Pre-race procedures

Organiser regulations specify 06:30-07:45 on race morning for participant check-in at the designated starting corrals, with bibs displayed correctly. Chip timing is provided for both distances; timed mats are placed at the start, intermediate points and finish. Missing required timing points can invalidate a result. Participants will receive an event race shirt, bag-storage bag, bib and official handbook during pre-race pack collection. Exact pack-collection hours and venue have not yet been confirmed: the organiser expects to announce them about a week before the race, so do not rely on previous-year arrangements.

Registration is closed, ballot still to be resolved

Pre-registration closed at 18:00 local time on Thursday 22 October 2026. That was an application-and-payment window, not a promise of a confirmed place. The organiser plans to publish any ballot results in late October through its official website or the WeChat account 黄石马拉松. Unsuccessful ballot applicants are entitled to a refund; a runner who secures a place but later withdraws does not receive a refund, and entries cannot be transferred or changed to another race distance.

Eligibility requirements include at least 20 years of age for the marathon and 18 for the half marathon. The official FAQ asks marathon applicants for a recent full marathon or two half-marathon finishes, and half-marathon applicants for two qualifying 10K-or-longer results. Overseas applicants should note that foreign nationals must use a separate approval channel rather than the ordinary domestic online ballot.

Special direct-entry allocations exist for eligible Jiangsu, Yongzhou and Jiujiang runners and for qualifying performances, but these do not reopen general registration or replace the requirement to apply by the deadline.

Finishers, prizes and final announcements

The race advertises awards for leading male and female finishers in both distances, speed-based performance bonuses and a Huangshi resident award. Eligible finishers receive a medal and may retrieve their race result certificate through the organiser's official channel after the event. Additional hydration, bag storage and road-management instructions should be confirmed against the final runner briefing.

Official verification: Huangshi Sports Development Centre, 29 September 2026 confirms the date, both distinct finish locations and the registration deadline. The 2026 organiser FAQ reproduced here provides qualification and race-pack guidance. The organiser's site and WeChat are authoritative for changes and ballot results.