The pedestrian reach of East Nanjing Road, run from Henan Middle Road west to Hubei Road at km 3.0.
Photo: HeroicLife, CC BY 2.0
km 3.7mile 2.3
People's Square and the Shanghai Museum
People's Square, with the round Shanghai Museum on its south side, a few hundred metres north-west of the course on Nanjing West Road at km 3.7.
Photo: Gary Todd, CC0
km 6.4mile 4
Shanghai Exhibition Center
The Soviet-style Exhibition Center and its gilded spire, on Nanjing West Road a little over 300 m from the line at km 6.4, in view along the street.
Photo: DvTor8303, CC0
km 7mile 4.4
Jing'an Temple
The gold-roofed Jing'an Temple at the west end of Nanjing West Road, about 210 m from the line where the course turns onto Huashan Road at km 7.0.
Photo: Nikolamikovic82, CC0
km 11.2mile 6.9
Xintiandi
The shikumen lanes of Xintiandi beside Huaihai Middle Road, on the line at km 11.2; the course passes the Site of the First CPC Congress on Xingye Road a little earlier.
Photo: Hermann Luyken, CC0
km 20.2mile 12.6
Power Station of Art
The former power station turned museum beside the Huangpu, about 270 m from the Banyuanyuan Road reach at km 20.2.
km 21.1mile 13.1
Nanpu Bridge
The cable-stayed Nanpu Bridge, 200 m from the line at km 21.1 as the course turns back from Banyuanyuan Road onto Miaojiang Road and Lujiabang Road.
Photo: Simon from Shanghai, P.R.China, CC BY 2.0
km 39.9mile 24.8
Longhua Temple and Pagoda
The seven-storey Longhua Pagoda inside Longhua Temple, 98 m from the line on Longhua Road at km 39.9, nearly at the end.
Photo: Balon Greyjoy, CC0
km 42.2mile 26.2
Shanghai Stadium, the finish
Photo: IDontHaveSkype, CC0
Height drawn many times taller than life. Heights: GEDTM30.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi
Dashed: bridge upright dashes: cut-offs
flat all the way
Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes
No higher than 8 m above the sea, start to finishA delta-city course: the high point is km 3.2 and the low point is km 16.3, 5.4 m lower.
From the Bund through the old centreWaterfront start, then Nanjing Road, Jing'an Temple and Xintiandi in the first 12 km.
Three turnarounds, and a long out-and-back on Longteng AvenueThe long out-and-back on Longteng Avenue runs from km 27 to km 37.
Course notes
4 short reads on the course
1km 0 to 42.2GradientNo higher than 8 m above the sea, start to finishA delta-city course: the high point is km 3.2 and the low point is km 16.3, 5.4 m lower.
Shanghai is built on a river delta and the marathon shows it. The road never climbs above
8.0 m, a point reached at km 3.2 on East Nanjing Road, and never drops below 2.7 m,
at km 16.3. Between those two points there is 5.4 m of height to
play with.
In all, the marathon climbs 29 m, 8 m of it before km 5. After that the road is near flat: from km 20 to km 40
each 5 km section climbs between 1 m and 2 m, and from km 40 to the finish the road only rises, by 3 m.
Nothing here is a hill. These figures are for the 2025 route.
Measured
2km 0 to 42.2LandmarkFrom the Bund through the old centreWaterfront start, then Nanjing Road, Jing'an Temple and Xintiandi in the first 12 km.
The start is on Zhongshan East 1st Road, on the Bund, and the first kilometres run south
along the waterfront before turning inland. The runners then turn onto East Nanjing Road
and run its pedestrian reach near km 3.0, continuing west on Nanjing West Road for about 3 km.
Jing’an Temple is about 210 m from the line at km 7.0, where the course turns onto
Huashan Road.
Huaihai Middle Road carries the course from km 8.2 to km 10.8. Xintiandi, with its stone-gate lanes,
is on the line at km 11.2. From there the course heads south on Xizang South Road and
Longhua East Road. The finish is on Zhongshan South 2nd Road, at Xujiahui Sports Park, where the organiser puts it. Longhua Pagoda is
98 m from the line at km 39.9. The organiser’s 2026 rules name the same places on the way:
the Bund, Nanjing Road, Jing’an Temple, Huaihai Road, Xintiandi, the Site of the First CPC Congress,
the Huangpu waterfront, Longteng Avenue, Longhua Temple and Longhua Martyrs’ Cemetery. The streets named here are
those of the 2025 route.
Measured
3km 20 to 37GeometryThree turnarounds, and a long out-and-back on Longteng AvenueThe long out-and-back on Longteng Avenue runs from km 27 to km 37.
This is a point-to-point course with three hairpins in it. The first is at the end of Banyuanyuan
Road at km 20.4, just before the half-way point at 21.1 km, after which the course returns along the
Huangpu on the riverside path.
The longest is on Longteng Avenue, entered at km 27.0. The road runs out 5.7 km to a turn
at km 32.7 and back along the same avenue for 3.5 km to Fenggu Road. A short out-and-back on Fenggu Road
turns at km 36.6, and the course rejoins Longteng Avenue at km 37.1. It then runs on Longhua Road and Longhua West Road
to the finish on Zhongshan South 2nd Road. These are the turnarounds of the 2025 route.
Measured
4km 10 to 42.2TacticsClock cut-offs every 5 km, and 13:30 at the finishThe limits are clock times from 7:00, so a later wave has less than 6 hours 30 minutes.
The organiser sets a closing time at every 5 km from 10 km to 40 km, and counts them as clock time,
not from a runner’s own start. The 2026 table reads 8:50 at 10 km, 9:35 at 15 km, 10:20 at 20 km,
11:00 at 25 km, 11:45 at 30 km, 12:30 at 35 km, 13:15 at 40 km and 13:30 at the finish.
That is 6 hours 30 minutes from the 7:00 gun, an average of about 9:15 a kilometre, for a runner who starts
with the gun. A runner who starts later has that much less.
Medals go to finishers within 6 hours.
Sourced
At a glance
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
Point to point, asphalt
climb
29 m95 ft
Highest point 5 m above lowest
cut-off
6:30 h
6 h 30 min. Finish closes 13:30
first held
1997
A Shanghai route from the Bund waterfront along Nanjing Road and through Xintiandi, finishing at Xujiahui Sports Park in December.
The Shanghai Marathon is a flat point-to-point course of 42.2 km with 29 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 3 m and its highest 8 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 6 December 2026, starting at 07:00.
Race week
Bib pickup at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (850 Bocheng Road)
Timetable
Thursday 3 December Bib pickup
09:309:30 AM–19:307:30 PM
Race kit collectionShanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (850 Bocheng Road). Original ID required, matching the entry details (passport for foreign runners). Collected by the runner in person, not on race day, no posting.
Friday 4 December Bib pickup
09:309:30 AM–19:307:30 PM
Race kit collectionShanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (850 Bocheng Road). Original ID required, matching the entry details (passport for foreign runners). Collected by the runner in person, not on race day, no posting.
Saturday 5 December Last bib day
09:309:30 AM–19:307:30 PM
Race kit collectionShanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (850 Bocheng Road). Original ID required, matching the entry details (passport for foreign runners). Collected by the runner in person, not on race day, no posting.
Sunday 6 December Race day
05:305:30 AM
Marathon start area opens for assemblyRunners gather by start zone and bib type from 5:30; each zone has a check-in carpet to cross after the gun and before the start timing mat.
until 06:456:45 AM
Baggage drop closesBags go into the organiser's bag, marked with the small bib number, and onto the start-area trucks before 6:45. Collection at the finish is until 14:30.
07:007:00 AM
Marathon startZhongshan East 1st Road (the Bund). Start in waves, timed by chip from the start mat.
13:301:30 PM
Finish closesZhongshan South 2nd Road. Clock time at the finish, 6 hours 30 minutes after the 7:00 gun. Medals go to finishers within 6 hours.
until 14:302:30 PM
Baggage collection closes at the finishAfter that, bags can be collected from the organiser's designated place within 5 working days.
Cut-offs and other races (8)
06:456:45 AM
Racing wheelchair marathon start
08:508:50 AM
Cut-off at 10 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
09:359:35 AM
Cut-off at 15 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
10:2010:20 AM
Cut-off at 20 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
11:0011:00 AM
Cut-off at 25 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
11:4511:45 AM
Cut-off at 30 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
12:3012:30 PM
Cut-off at 35 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
13:151:15 PM
Cut-off at 40 kmClock time as the organiser publishes it. After the closing time the road reopens to traffic and runners still on it must leave the course.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Marina Bay Sands, by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Taipei 101, by Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Plaza de España, by Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: South Beach, by Phillip Pessar, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
Questions about the Shanghai Marathon
Is the Shanghai Marathon course flat?
Yes. It has 29 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 5 m above the lowest.
When is the Shanghai Marathon 2026?
Sunday 6 December 2026. The start is at 07:00.
How do I enter the Shanghai Marathon?
The 2026 ballot has closed. It opened on 29 April 2026, closed on 29 May and the results came out on 30 June. Entry fee: CN¥200 (CN¥1,150 from abroad, for the 2026 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
2 more questions
What is the time limit at the Shanghai Marathon?
Runners have 6 h 30 min to finish. The finish closes at 13:30.
