The 2025 Bank of China Beijing Marathon will start at 7:30 on November 2 at Tian'anmen Square and finish on Central Landscape Avenue in the Olympic Park. The event is hosted by the Chinese Athletics Association and the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau, with China Media Group as co-host.
This year's race features a field of 32,000 runners. The course has been optimized to ease congestion: the section along the North Fourth Ring service road has been extended, the route now passes the National Speed Skating Oval ("Ice Ribbon") to highlight the city's dual-Olympic heritage, Olympic East Road has been added for richer scenery, and the number of turnaround points in the second half has been reduced to one.
Flow routes at the finish have been extended. The distance from the finish arch to the finisher merchandise distribution area is now 170 meters. The number of pickup lanes for finishers has been increased to 20, and the clothing-collection area has been expanded by 15,000 square meters, with the number of clothing tents increased to 162. An additional B2 exit at Aoti Zhongxin (Olympic Sports Center) subway station will be opened to expedite dispersal.
In terms of medical support, the race will deploy medical observers, Automated External Defibrillator (AED) responders, physician runners, fixed medical stations and mobile ambulances. A new 200-square-meter medical service center will be set up at the finish.
The event's organizers and Keep (a sports app) are offering an AI-powered voice pacer service that provides real-time course guidance. Friends and family can track runners and send interactive cheers via the event app. The course will feature eight comprehensive supply stations, seven water stations, and seven energy stations. The post-race stretching area has been expanded to 900 square meters, and recovery supplies such as ice and ice baths have been increased.
The design of the finisher's medal, drawing inspiration from the Bird's Nest (National Stadium), combines a three-dimensional embossed design with a visual theme of "Chinese red against golden background" (金映中国红), and is engraved with the years "1981-2025" and the full race distance. The race kit, in Chinese ruby-red, incorporates the "wudian ding" (hip-and-gable roof) architectural motif and a sprint-strip element; the back showcases the calligraphic characters "乙巳" (meaning the Year of the Snake), corresponding to the 2025 snake motif. Each finisher will also receive a finisher's cape.
The 2025 Beijing Marathon Expo will run from October 30 to November 1 at Chaoyang Hall of the China International Exhibition Center. It will be a pre-race celebration that combines interactive experiences with the promotion of sports culture, and will be open to the public free of charge.
(Source: Official WeChat account of Beijing Daily)