Cool Runnings: China's 2016 Marathon Calendar

Perhaps you are one of those crazy running types or maybe you are an inveterate couch potato that has recently made a foolish new year's resolution to run a marathon this year. Whatever your running fetish is, never fear: China's got a race for you, with a whole bunch of marathons to choose from in 2016.

Below is a chart of the officially sanctioned events from the Chinese Athletic Association plus a couple more we found. If we were able to find a registration website, we've linked to it below. Most have information in English but note that  the majority of organizers for those races that occur in the second half of the year have yet to update their websites for 2016.

Happy running, don't break a leg and get planning now so you'll be in shape when race day comes.

January

• 9 – Feipao Wurao Lover's Race (Beijing) – 6km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 9 – Houjie Industrial Tourism Half Marathon (Dongguan, Guangdong) – Half – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 10 – Haikou Marathon (Haikou, Hainan) – Full, Half, 4km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 17 – Hong Kong Marathon (Hong Kong) – Full, Half, 10km, 10km wheelchair, 3km wheelchair – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 17 – Beijing Yeyahu Snow Marathon (Beijing) – Half – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 17 – Beijing Xiangbala Winter Mountain Marathon (Beijing) – Full, Half – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Passed

February

• 28 – Hainan International Marathon (Sanya, Hainan) – Full, Half, mini – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: Jan 9
• 28 – Kunming Plateau Half Marathon (Kunming, Yunnan) – Half, 12k, mini, family fun run – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Jan 10

March

• 13 – Shaanxi Dali International Marathon (Weinan, Shaanxi) – Full, 10km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 13 – Beijing Spring Mountain Hiking Race (Beijing) – 30km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Feb 5
• 13 – Suzhou Jinji Lake International Half Marathon (Suzhou) – Half, Short (14km), Mini (4.5km), Family (2.5km) – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 19-20 – Hangzhou Ultra-Trail Race (Hangzhou) – 100km, 42km  – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 20 – Qingyuan Marathon (Qingyuan, Guangdong) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 20 – Chongqing International Marathon (Chongqing) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Bilingual) -- Registration Deadline: Passed for Full and half; Feb 28 for mini
• 20 – Wuxi International Marathon (Wuxi) – Full, Half, 4.5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Passed
• 26 – Shanghai Women's Half Marathon (Shanghai) – Half, 10km, 5km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 27 – Zhengkai International Marathon (Zhengzhou, Henan) – Full, Half, 5km –  Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 27 – Chengdu Marathon (Chengdu) – Full, Half, 10km, 5km –  Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: Jan 12

April

• 3 – Mount Tai International Marathon (Tai'an, Shandong) – Half, 10km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 9 – Sakura Women's Half Marathon (Ningbo, Zhejiang) – Half – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 10 – Yangling International Marathon (Yangling, Shaanxi) – Full, Half, 10km, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 10 – Wuhan Marathon (Wuhan) – Full, Half, 12k – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Jan 12
• 10 – Hengdian Half Marathon (Jinhua, Zhejiang) – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 12 – Macau International Marathon (Macau) – Full, Half, Mini – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 16 – JN100 Ultra Trail (Ningbo, Zhejiang) – 100km, 60km, 25km, 10km – Website (Chinese with partial English) – Registration Deadline: Mar 16
• 16 – Huangshan International 100 Mountain Race (Huangshan, Anhui) – 100km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 17 – Jinshanling Great Wall Marathon (Jinshanling Great Wall, Hebei) – Full, Half, 10km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: Mar 17
• 17 – Shanghai International Half Marathon (Shanghai) – Half – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 23 – Dailian 100 Ultra Endurance Race (Dalian) – 100km, 50km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: Jan 6
• 24 – Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon (Yangzhou, Jiangsu) – Half, 10km, 5.6km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 24 – Jiulong Lake International Half Marathon (Ningbo, Zhejiang) – Half, 10km, 5km, 2km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD

May

• 1 – Great Wall of China Marathon (Great Wall, Beijing) – Full, Half, 10km, 10km walking, 5km, Fun Run 8km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 1 – Qinhuangdao International Marathon (Qinhuangdao, Hebei) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 1 – Zhaoqing International Half Marathon (Zhaoqing, Guangdong) – Half, 5km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 2 – Hebei Jingmen International Marathon (Jingmen, Hebei) – Full, Half, 10km, 5km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 6-8 – Roof of the World Marathon (Yanghu and Namucuo, Tibet) – Full, Half, 10km – Website (English) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 8 – Yellow River Estuary (Dongying) International Marathon – Full, Half, 5km, 1km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 15 – Great Wall China Marathon (Great Wall, Beijing) – Full, Half, 10km, 5km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 15 – Yingkou Bayuquan International Marathon (Yingkou, Liaoning) – Half, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 15 – Qingdao (New Area) International Half Marathon (Qingdao, Shandong) – Half, 10km, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 21 – Great Wall Marathon (Great Wall, Beijing) – Full, Half, 8.5km Fun Run –Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline:
• 28 –Shangri-La Marathon (Meili Mountains, Yunnan) – Full, Half, 100km, 50km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD

June

• 12 – First Jingpohu Marathon (Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang) – Full, 10km, 5km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 19-25 – Gobi March – 250km – Website (English) – Registration Deadline: Feb 20
• 21 – Mohe Polar Day Marathon (Daxing Anling Region, Heilongjiang) – Full, Half, 10km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD

July

• 2 – Genghis Khan Grassland Marathon (Xiwuqi, Innner Mongolia) – 42.5km, 21.5km, 11km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: Jun 28

September

• 10-11 – Beijing International Triathlon (Beijing) – Sprint and Olympic Triathlons – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 11 – Dalian Changshan Islands Marathon (Dalian, Liaoning) – Full, Half, 10km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD

October

• 22 – Shaoguan Second "Sanjiang Six Shore" Half Marathon (Shaoguan, Guangdong) – Half, 10km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 23 – Central Huangnichuan Race (Dalian, Liaoning) – 50km, 25km, 15km, 5km – Website TBD – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 23 – Chongqing International Women's Half Marathon (Chongqing) – Half, 10km, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 30 – Heifei International Marathon (Hefei, Anhui) – Full, Half, 5km, 1.7km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 30 – Mount Tai International Marathon (Tai'an, Shandong) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Chinese Only) – Registration Deadline: TBD

November

• 5 – China University of Mining and Technology Fourth Half Marathon (Xuzhou, Jiangsu) – Half, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 6 – Hangzhou Marathon (Hangzhou) – Full, Half, 5km, 4.5km, 1.2km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 6 – Xichang Qionghai Wetlands International Marathon (Liangshan, Sichuan) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 13 – Songshan Shaolin International Marathon (Zhengzhou, Henan) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD
• 27 – Qiandao Lake Marathon (Hangzhou) – Full, 4.2km – Website (Chinese only) – Registration Deadline: TBD

December

• 11 – Guangzhou Marathon (Guangzhou) – Full, Half, 5km – Website (Bilingual) – Registration Deadline: TBD

A link to the Chinese Athletic Association's full calendar (Chinese only) is below, and can be found here.

Photo: runchinamarathon.com