China News Service, Hangzhou, October 27 (Zhang Yuhuan, Hu Xinlong) On the 27th, the 2026 Hangzhou Marathon press conference was held in Hangzhou. The reporter learned from the meeting that the total number of registrations for this event exceeded 300,000 for the first time, an increase of 51.6% over last year and a record high.
Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of West Lake University, Kong Shengdong, a national model worker and national moral model, Li Yuwei, a cavalry member of the Scenic Area Brigade of the Traffic Management Detachment of the Hangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau and the most beautiful "Zhejiang Police", Zheng Xiaoqian, the Zhejiang women's marathon record holder, and He Jun, founder of the Ram Club and captain of the Ram Rescue Team, were hired as image ambassadors.
This event optimized the route of the second half of Zhijiang Road, reducing track turnarounds, and further improving the track access experience; secondly, on the basis of starting in separate zones, the intervals between each batch of guns were lengthened to achieve staggered peak flow of people, further improving the starting order, track smoothness and competition safety, and creating a more leisurely running space for the majority of runners.
The new track also connects the West Lake and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, two world cultural heritage sites. The Pengbu Bridge is selected as the cross-river channel. It is possible to see wonderful scenes of high-speed rail, green trains, subways, cars, ships and runners in the same frame. It integrates traditional culture and modern urban scenery into the entire track, and unfolds a moving picture of the city's real scene.
At the press conference, the "Hangma Seal", the finishing medal for this event, was officially unveiled. The medal was jointly created by four artists, Bo Songtao, Dai Jiamiao, Zhang Aiguo, and Cao Xingjun. The ingenuity of couplets, calligraphy, seal cutting, and printmaking merged into one piece, integrating humanistic heritage and marathon spirit. The event simultaneously launched 21 series of cultural and creative products in 8 categories to provide runners with treasured cultural memories.
Over the past 39 years, the Hangzhou Marathon has continued to improve its quality and has been awarded the World Athletics Gold Label Event and the Chinese Athletics Association Class A Event. Wang Zhenzhang, director of Zhejiang Huanglong Sports Center, introduced that this year the Huanglong Sports Center specially planned the "Hangzhou Marathon Memory Exhibition" to focus on the runners' participation stories, video materials and urban development memories, and freeze the warm moments of generations of runners running in both directions with the Hangzhou Marathon.
This year, Hangzhou Marathon’s digital intelligence services also ushered in a number of innovative applications. This Hangzhou Marathon uses NFC smart medals for the first time to support finisher sensor recognition; the intelligent traffic control robot "Hangxing 2" will also be put into use for the first time during the event, cooperating with "Hangxing 1" to undertake service tasks such as intersection order maintenance and player consultation and guidance.
Focusing on the entire process of runners' participation, the organizing committee has also launched a number of beneficial running measures in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. For out-of-town runners, the organizing committee also provides free West Lake Cultural Tourism electronic rights cards, so that runners can immerse themselves in the charm of West Lake’s landscape and culture after finishing the race.
This year, the event organizing committee has also continued to expand internal and external exchanges, inviting representatives from Russia, Brazil, India, New Zealand and several major domestic marathon organizing committees to come to Hangzhou to observe and communicate, building a communication platform for mutual learning in the marathon industry.
