My marathons

乌鲁木齐马拉松 (Urumqi Silk Road Marathon)

The organiser has not published a date. Urumqi
Hongshan
Hongshan. Photograph by 螺钉, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

For 2026 the organiser cut the Qidaowan section from the marathon to reduce continuous climbing.

The course in short 2 lines
  • The 2026 route dropped the Qidaowan climb2026 cut the Qidaowan road section, so there is less continuous uphill.
  • From the convention centre through shopping streets and old lanesStart at the Xinjiang International Convention Centre; modern districts and old lanes.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientThe 2026 route dropped the Qidaowan climb2026 cut the Qidaowan road section, so there is less continuous uphill.

The 2026 marathon, run on 13 September, changed its route after runner feedback. The organiser took out the Qidaowan section, which it says makes the course flatter and cuts the stretches of continuous climbing, and sent runners along Xinhua South Road to People’s Road instead, through more of the city centre.

Sourced

Whole courseLandmarkFrom the convention centre through shopping streets and old lanesStart at the Xinjiang International Convention Centre; modern districts and old lanes.

The organiser describes the 2026 course as leaving the Xinjiang International Convention Centre, passing through busy shopping districts and then old streets. It was run as a marathon and a half marathon with 15,000 places, 5,000 of them in the marathon and 10,000 in the half. The marathon also had a team race between running clubs, with a 60,000 yuan prize pool.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Urumqi, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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