Beijing Marathon

The Beijing Marathon (Chinese: 北京马拉松) is an exciting race that takes place every year in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. It started in 1981 and has become a big event for runners from all over the world. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and ends in Celebration Square in Olympic Green.

Participants run a full marathon distance, which is about 42 kilometers or 26 miles. This race is very important because it was the first international sports event ever held in China. It was also the first marathon in China to use a lottery system for giving out spots to runners.

The Beijing Marathon is recognized as a top-quality race by World Athletics and follows rules set by AIMS. It brings together many people who love running and helps show the beauty of Beijing.

History

The Beijing International Marathon has been held every year since 1981, organized by the Chinese Athletics Association. It began as part of China's effort to open up to the world under leader Deng Xiaoping.

Some special events happened during the marathon over the years. In 1997, it served as the national championship for Chinese men. In 2005, it was part of the National Games of China, and in 2006, it hosted the Asian Marathon Championship races. The marathon was cancelled in 2020 because of health concerns related to a virus, and in 2021 it was postponed due to health concerns as well. It returned in 2022 with around 30,000 runners.

Course record

In 1986, a runner from Japan set a record time that stood for many years. Later, other runners improved on this record, with the current men's record set in 2019 and the women's record set in 2003 by Sun Yingjie of China.

Course

The Beijing Marathon begins at Tiananmen Square, located between the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and the National Museum of China. Runners finish at Celebration Square in the Olympic Green, which is near the Beijing National Stadium and the Beijing National Aquatics Center.

Winners

The Beijing Marathon has had many impressive winners over the years. Some races are especially important, like the Asian Marathon Championship. The winners of these special races are remembered as some of the best runners in the history of the event.

Date	Men's winner	Time	Women's winner	Time
1981.09.27	Kjell-Erik Ståhl (SWE)	2:15:20
1982.09.26	Li Jong-hyong (PRK)	2:14:44
1983.09.25	Ron Tabb (USA)	2:18:51
1984.10.14	Hideki Kita (JPN)	2:12:16
1985.10.13	Shigeru Sō (JPN)	2:10:23
1986.10.19	Taisuke Kodama (JPN)	2:07:35
1987.10.18	Juma Ikangaa (TAN)	2:12:19
1988.10.16	Abebe Mekonnen (ETH)	2:07:35
1989.10.15	Peter Dall (DEN)	2:12:47	Mun Gyong-ae (PRK)	2:27:16
1990.10.14	Peter Dall (DEN) -2-	2:14:55	Li Yemei (CHN)	2:32:14
1991.10.13	Negash Dube (ETH)	2:12:55	Deborah Noy (GBR)	2:35:18
1992.10.11	Takahiro Izumi (JPN)	2:11:29	Xie Lihua (CHN)	2:28:53
1993.10.17	Hu Gangjun (CHN)	2:10:57	Li Yemei (CHN) -2-	2:30:36
1994.10.30	Hu Gangjun (CHN) -2-	2:10:56	Wang Junxia (CHN)	2:31:11
1995.10.15	Meng Xianhui (CHN)	2:16:20	Ren Xiujuan (CHN)	2:30:00
1996.10.20	Nelson Ndereva (KEN)	2:10:37	Ren Xiujuan (CHN) -2-	2:27:13
1997.10.04	Hu Gangjun (CHN) -3-	2:09:18	Pan Jinhong (CHN)	2:26:39
1998.10.10	Kim Jung-won (PRK)	2:13:49	Wang Yanrong (CHN)	2:28:50
1999.10.09	Kenichi Suzuki (JPN)	2:11:33	Ai Dongmei (CHN)	2:29:20
2000.10.15	Nelson Ndereva (KEN) -2-	2:13:52	Wei Yanan (CHN)	2:26:34
2001.10.14	Gong Ke (CHN)	2:10:11	Liu Min (CHN)	2:23:37
2002.10.20	Li Zhuhong (CHN)	2:13:09	Sun Yingjie (CHN)	2:21:21
2003.10.19	Ian Syster (RSA)	2:07:49	Sun Yingjie (CHN) -2-	2:19:39
2004.10.17	James Moiben (KEN)	2:10:42	Sun Yingjie (CHN) -3-	2:24:11
2005.10.16	Benson Cherono (KEN)	2:06:55	Sun Yingjie (CHN) -4-	2:21:01
2006.10.15	James Kwambai (KEN)	2:10:36	Sun Weiwei (CHN)	2:34:41
2007.10.21	Nephat Kinyanjui (KEN)	2:08:09	Chen Rong (CHN)	2:27:05
2008.10.19	Benjamin Kiptoo (KEN)	2:10:14	Bai Xue (CHN)	2:26:27
2009.10.18	Samuel Muturi (KEN)	2:08:20	Bai Xue (CHN) -2-	2:34:44
2010.10.24	Siraj Gena (ETH)	2:15:45	Wang Jiali (CHN)	2:29:31
2011.10.16	Francis Kiprop (KEN)	2:09:00	Wei Xiaojie (CHN)	2:28:05
2012.11.25	Tariku Jufar (ETH)	2:09:39	Jia Chaofeng (CHN)	2:27:40
2013.10.20	Tadese Tola (ETH)	2:07:16	Zhang Yingying (CHN)	2:31:19
2014.10.19	Girmay Birhanu (ETH)	2:10:42	Fatuma Sado (ETH)	2:30:03
2015.09.20	Mariko Kipchumba (KEN)	2:11:00	Betelhem Moges (ETH)	2:27:31
2016.09.17	Mekuant Ayenew (ETH)	2:11:09	Meseret Mengistu (ETH)	2:25:56
2017.09.17	Salah-Eddine Bounasr (MAR)	2:11:18	Meselech Beyene (ETH)	2:27:44
2018.09.16	Dejene Debela (ETH)	2:12:08	Valary Aiyabei (KEN)	2:21:38
2019.11.03	Mathew Kisorio (KEN)	2:07:06	Sutume Asefa (ETH)	2:23:31
2020	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022.11.06	Anubek Kuwan (CHN)	2:14:34	Xia Yuyu (CHN)	2:28:57
2023.10.29	Deresa Geleta Ulfata (ETH)	2:07:41	Vibian Chepkirui (KEN)	2:21:57
2024.11.03	Lemi Berhanu Hayle (ETH)	2:09:16	Vicoty Chepngeno (KEN)	2:21:56
2025.11.02	Lemi Berhanu Hayle (ETH)	2:08:10	Anchinalu Dessie (ETH)	2:26:08