Second year in a row running a potential Abbott World Marathon Major candidate race! Shanghai Marathon 2025 was an excellent experience overall and I truly had a ton of fun in China. Though there were definitely some things I wish were different.
Shanghai Marathon was my 12th marathon, first marathon in Asia, second sub-3 attempt, first trip to China and I am pretty happy I chose to race in Shanghai…though my biggest worry was air quality.
Over the last year, the chosen race for candidate to enter the Abbott World Majors in China went from Chengdu to Shanghai (which has been around since 1996 – fyi – Beijing is the oldest in China which started in 1981). Which seems left Shanghai in a mad rush to get up to speed with requirements. For example, it´s website got a massive overhaul this year. When I looked into registering in May it was quite difficult to figure the website out but I did manage to create an account but actual registration opening for the race was still a total unknown date. Registration dates for Shanghai Marathon were never set and in fact a vague ¨before the end of June registration will open¨ was eventually publicized. Registration literally opened the very last day in June when the website redo was also launched (for 2026 it´s July 1st). Way to keep us on our toes!
Registration was by lottery only (unless you have run another of the Shanghai Marathon Series races before and were like top 200…then and only then are you guaranteed entry) and in late August I found out I was in! I know it is a hard race to get into for locals so I imagine me being a foreigner while they are trying to reach Abbott´s statistical needs was helpful. So if you´re international and want to run this race, now is the time! It will be so hard to get in once this becomes a Major (hopefully in 2027) and I would assume it will as it is a great race!
Air Quality (my biggest worry) was actually not awful most days….weeks before the air quality index (aqi) was in the 30-60s…aka great! China has come a long way to improve its air quality over the last 10 years but it is still an issue! I did have a 260 aqi day just days before the race where my head hurt just being outside. Keep in mind, reported numbers on the rating system are a bit skewed in China, for instance a 150 aqi is considered low pollution…at home anything above 70 or 80 aqi is moderate pollution and I probably won’t exercise outdoors….that all changes abroad (not just in China)!
Race Goals
- Sub-3 hours in a marathon
- Run a marathon in Asia
Expo
An out of this world expo that was also very much overwhelming once you got your bib and race shirt.
It was in a big hall at a convention center. Participants had a special separate entrance because IDs were checked and faces matched or photo taken (if foreigner) before entering. All others could attend too but entered elsewhere and were sent directly into the race expo and into the extra running expo going on all at the same time across the hall.
After ID checks, runners were corralled into bib pick up and assigned a location to pick up their bib. The bib number came in this cool envelope with a red wax stamp that close it (felt super traditional). There were also race course maps and details about the start and finish area…the most anyone had seen since the course map was made public two weeks prior!
After bib and map came race shirt and bag pick up with a brief check of the timing chip! Many took photos at the chip check which was interesting or maybe it made it official…I don´t know. Nike being the race sponsor meant we got real nice shirts and huge bags and that whole process was an experience which expanded into a crazier experience as you entered the Nike race experience and then Nike race product store.
Once you exited here you were thrown into the out of this world expo with tons of other brands. Each with massive, pretty elaborate stands at least 20 feet high! There was a lot to take in with these boxy brands everywhere. Runners were taking it all in too, stopping at brands they knew, scanning their QR code and standing in line to get a giveaway…it seemed like every brand was giving out a bag. I couldn’t participate in the QR thing because of a weird data issue (resolved later) so I was booted from one but the next I tried let me pass…woo hoo! 1 bag obtained! What are people doing with all these bags by the way…I have 3 new bags after this marathon!!
The big brands came first but at the far back were foreign races (Belarus seemed popular) and some food stuff to try. My favorite brand was Toray, one of the major sponsors of the Shanghai Marathon…I guess it was really only my favorite because it felt like it was my name written everywhere…our bib numbers had Toray written very visibly…so I thought that was a fun brand 😀 plus their giveaway wasn´t a bag! By the way Toray is a chemical company from Japan…
I was over it all by like the 3rd row of boxy brands because it was overwhelming with no end in sight and lines everywhere. Somewhere before exiting I saw someone take a photo with their bib number and noticed a letter on it for the corral number…I was like wait, ¨what corral AM I IN for the race??¨
I took a look and saw D…immediately I was like, ¨wait, what?¨
I asked myself, ¨Why would they put me there (corrals were A-E)!?!? That’s like almost last…and I have a time for an earlier corral…! I’m sure I submitted my best and most recent time…¨
From the back of the expo I returned to the bib area, backtracking through, to ask if I could change…ya know two days before the race…why not?!?
They almost didn’t let me pass. Luckily each area had at least 1 person who spoke English so when I explained they understood and walked back with me to grab a manager. I spent 20 minutes seeing what we could do. Ultimately, I needed to email and ask (which I could only do once I figured out the phone data problem). I might be able to get into the B corral but A was full. Nothing to do right then so I headed out and emailed later…to which they did respond but said that it was too late to change.
Bummer…ok…how was I gonna do a sub 3 having to pass 30,000 people…no clue…deal with it later I told myself. ¨Deal with it later…I can still make my time…ooohhhmm¨
Lastly, before fully exiting I checked out the extra expo….I didn’t stay long as it was a bunch of smaller stands for local brands and I was tired, overwhelmed from the other huge race expo and done. Luckily exiting the second running expo I found the actual race gear stand in between the two expos which was much cooler as it had different gear and souvenirs for the race. But I still couldn’t convince myself to spend money on anything (my backpack was already quite full and there wasn’t something I absolutely needed).
Start
The start was electrifying! I had wiggled my way to nearly the front of my corral…since all foreigners were basically given the second to last corral. Luckily this corral had it´s own start time so at least we were sent off as if it was the first of the day (20 minutes after the very first corral). It was important for me to get up front in the corral so I could go for a fast race time. The best part at the start was for sure the views just after sunrise looking over to New Pudong across the river and having the old European looking buildings right next to us. The music was an international vibe that had me pumped up. The view ahead of us was a massive building almost completely draped with some motivational ad by Nike which was just massive and the crowd was for sure ready to roll…you could feel it in the air! Then we were off at the count of 3….I think…lol, I don´t know Mandarin Chinese so I feel like a number was skipped…off we ran. HA
The race gave a subway card (2 trips) so I got up early and headed to the nearest station by bike (10 min ride…there are tons of bikes everywhere in Shanghai to use with the local apps…40 cents for 30 min…best option, I swear!) with my friends husband who was curious how such a big race start would be and to maybe absorb from me (who they considered pro) how I prepared. We left 1.5 hours before corral D start time and that was plenty of time for everything pre race!
There were entries for corrals down certain streets, the metro dropped us off a couple of blocks from the entry point (metro ride was also 10 minutes or less for us). There were tons of runners and people scurrying about yet it felt somehow calm, or maybe I was calm…? As we got close to my entry for corral D I found a ledge to change my shoes to the Nike Alphaflys I´ve used for all races in 2025. I gave my friends husband my jacket and warm clothes, took another long sip of water and off I went into the small street where I would find bathrooms and gear drop.
To get into the corral you had a photo scan check…the same screen that was used at the expo…luckily I had no sneaky corral changes planned in my “I´ll figure it out ideas”…lol.
Gear drop was a massive truck with helpers that put your bag (yes the fancy Nike ones) into a bigger bag. It was incredibly efficient! No lines, no hassle, very helpful volunteers (who even made sure I tied my bag!) and you were done…easy peasy…never seen such efficiency at a big race!
Following gear check were bathrooms…urinals for men (so surprised other races don´t include this!), a unisex option and women only (which I have never seen and it was so great!)…There were lines here as there always is for any race but there were tons of toilets and having the women only bathrooms and urinals were in fact critical! I am sure there were less women overall so that helped speed things along for ladies….plus they had women only, unisex, women only and unisex again so if you walked closer to the start, lines diminished!
By the way, yes I was stuck in the D corral. The race never asked participants for times or certificates of times. My friend said it is likely all foreigners were placed in corral D because we had never run in China or the Shanghai Marathon Series so they have no way of knowing our times. When I thought I uploaded my time I had filled it out in the account survey and that didn´t do anything obviously! It is important you send a certificate since many websites might be firewalled in China and they won´t be able to look up your results…yet another reason they probably never considered asking us. If you aren´t asked for your time in future races email them here: general@shmarathon.com
My coach had told me to just ¨mantén la cabeza fria¨ aka don´t let the emotions overtake me, stay calm, focus on your race! So that was what my plan was for my corral D placement, just be calm and run with what I had…oh and pass 30,000 runners…ya know as an extra goal! LOL
Weather was pretty perfect for running in Shanghai this time of year, everyday was in the 40s-50, max 60s with low humidity. Race start was sunny and it felt fine at 7 am without a jacket surrounded by runners. I wore a light jacket to start as I usually feel cold but I tossed it within a few blocks…guess I should have put it in gear check…oh well. I was never hot during the race. By the way air quality on race day was 80-100 max…I´m ok running in that (not everyday but I´ll take it).
Route
The course map was revealed 2 weeks before race day. It would be a Point to Point route like NYC or Boston but start in the city and end elsewhere at a stadium. I knew it was a pretty flat route but had not seen the elevation gain until the expo. I’d planned for 85ft/26m of gain and in the end it was slightly more at 121ft/37m…still remarkably flat!
What the map didn´t tell you was that hydration stations would be on just one side of the road. I understand for logistics it is easier to do it from one side but I was not anticipating that and when the first one came up I had to cross from the left side all the way to the right side through so many runners it was crazy…plus I obviously missed any labeling of what it was so luckily it was water. These hydration stations became a pain for a long while not just due to the fact that they were on a single side but that the cups were all the same color….obviously they were shouting in Mandarin what it was, they were never in the same order (electrolyte, water or water, electrolyte…other) and the signage that was present I generally missed by the time I saw that a hydration station was there…yes I generally for more than half the race didn´t realize it was coming because my main issue was running fast in a maze of people…quite the mental challenge…add figuring out hydration too….forget it. Only after guessing and finally grabbing the wrong drink only to spit it out did I find a way to deal with it… Simply watching what was being poured…was easier than reading the sign for most hydration stations.
Not sure why but fancy chocolate (a sponsor) was also given out in the second half….I didn´t eat it running but I sure as hell ran over and grabbed a handful and stuffed all I could into my pockets! I totally enjoyed it later happily surprised at how much dark chocolate I ran away with…ha ha ha sorry, pun that I could not resist!
So you know we started along the river near some old buildings, a famous area of Shanghai called The Bund…and the river is the Huangpu which divides Shanghai (Pudong – new, financial, east side and Puxi – old historic – west side), it´s 113 miles long and joins the Yangtze River (before they heading out to sea)…it is a long important river for shipping and drinking water (eek…everyone drinks bottled water here..no worries) and we ran along it at the start ever so briefly but with such an impact and again around the halfway point until nearly the end so it is not only important locally but it was a dominant view for almost the whole route!
Once off the Bund the route enters the city and loops you around some really cool stuff (like running down East Nanjing Road, past the Jing´an Temple, the Shanghai Exhibition Center, Taipingqiao Park) before it eventually dumps you off in an industrial area and to a bike/running path along the river again. Basically before you see the Huangpu River again you get a great touristy run through Shanghai and some lovely tree lined streets, shopping areas and more that if you had no time to actually visit Shanghai you basically saw a huge chunk of the cool stuff in the first 13km that you could already go home happy. To do this the route though had a plethora of turns…a particular thing I worried about once I saw the map…but in the end most were just fine. Though the couple of tight triathlon style turns felt unnecessary and I´m pretty sure most marathoners weren´t used to these!
You would think China with it´s big roads and it´s 38,000 finishers would fit well on this route (they report 23,000 runners but I do not believe that, it felt like way more!). Starting in corral D was definitely a challenge! Obviously, the start of all races are hard to find space but after a while usually things space out. I think around km 14 or 15 maybe I felt like it spaced out more but that was trampled on quickly once we headed onto the bike and running path (yes, we were split up between plants on two separate paths that later merged and did some sharp turns which funneled us onto a road again). Now I actually really enjoyed this path along the river and didn´t actually feel as pack in as one would expect but the merge and funnel onto the street somehow felt so crowded basically until the race ended.
I spent from moment zero packed in with runners, looking for space…the mental maze and tetris, although fun for me, was quite taxing while trying to maintain a 6:50 to 6:45 minute pace. I often ran into people (especially entering hydration stations) and zig zaged my way through the entire course. Turns were hard to navigate, for some reason Chinese runners wanted to run straight through them instead of arcing through so that was a huge pain…and usually a slight collision…sorry I was just trying to get somewhere fast? Even running on the sides was packed, plus then you had to watch your feet for gutters and whatever else but that is where the beeline of trying to go fast runners ended up lol. I did like when runners pointed near hydration stations indicating they were going in which I think was a great habit I might use. In the end I found that in the later stages of the race the actual path by the hydration tables to be the zoom zone for some odd reason…and I often once I got water was stuck there so I just let it be.
I am impressed that even with the mass of runners that my friends actually spotted me and were able to cheer me on. This was a huge boost for me. The whole family and all their friends were out somewhere by km 33…perfect spot. It is interesting in the NYC Marathon and how big it is I don´t think I recall feeling like there wasn´t much room (maybe because it´s more straight but it definitely was hard for friends to find you. So thankful to my friends who not only cheered but let me stay with them, fed me (even a Thanksgiving dinner he he) and let me borrow their compression boots and other sport equipment while visiting among plenty of other helpful things. You guys are amazing sporty hosts! THANK YOU!!!
Shortly after here I got excited that I would make the sub-3 and since tracking of athletes for races in China from abroad is pretty much a hard no, I decided to send a live location via Whatsapp to my parents who were wishing to follow me….I wanted them to be a part of it too. The only problem with that is it wasn´t as easy as I expected…too many steps, settings, etc to actually send it, I never told them where the finish was, I was running in between people at 6:45 minute pace and I didn´t prepare to do this in advance as I was given the idea from my friends husband that morning. By the way they did get the live location but had zero understanding…oh well. You can track runners but it isn´t obvious as to how. The race doesn´t have a specific app that they advertise so no one abroad was able to find me. After the race I found out that my Chinese friend in Beijing was able to track me through WeChat! The WeChat App has an area called mini program and there is where you can find another app to track but that meant 1) you had to get the WeChat App, 2) you had to know how to navigate it, and 3) you have to know what to look for to get the tracking app…oh China…
I was still pumped and I don´t think doing the Whatsapp actually affected my running but maybe…I dunno…maybe next time I will stay off my phone. Either way at this point I was running fast and felt strong but I kind of lost track of the visual map in my head…aka I forgot how much more I had to cover. By the way this straight stretch near the river was where most of the hills were…a few bridges and honestly this section was visually kind of boring aside from running by a mall and some control tower?…though boring visually I was not bored…remember I was running fast constantly playing tetris.
Cheering along the course. I didn´t feel it was lacking and I know I saw groups and plenty of spectators on the second part of the course but I think just having that many runners to weave through and running with a massive goal to focus on I didn´t pay much attention to if the crowds were good or not. I did learn a new word in Mandarin though running as I heard it enough— Jiayou! (加油) — ¨Jah eye oh¨ meaning ¨Go for it!¨ everywhere!
Finish
When I hit the last 5 km sign after this weird little shoot out street off the straight away I realized I needed a 19 minute 5k time, which is lightning fast 23 miles in…um…I decided to stick with my race plan and then I´d pick up the pace at the 40km sign. Once we finally turned toward the stadium I became confused why it wasn´t yet visible…that mental map was so skewed at this point…there was still 4 km to go and a few surprise finish line turns.
I was approaching the 3 hour mark so I sped up for the last 2 km which seemed fine but 1 km from the finish line I got a side stitch and had to slow way down. I basically decided since I was already past the 3 hour mark I would just try to enjoy the finish line. I decided to take out my phone to capture the finish while going slow (epic fail, never recorded) and people I´d passed were passing me left and right as I dealt with the cramp in my side.
Sucks it ended that way but I was actually very proud of how I raced, even given the circumstances I was dealt with of trying to pass 30,000 runners, Yeah, OMG!! Nutz! I was able to keep quite a fast pace throughout the race and it felt easy…I felt strong. I impressed myself, not just others, this time. I went from near the front of D corral to finishing near the front of the B corral! I managed a couple minute PR even though I lost at least a minute from the side cramp and from running extra from all the zig zagging, so if you look at my 42.195 (26.2 mile) distance time I completed that distance at 3:00:30…so I say the sprint was worth it even if official time is 3:03:34.
I never found a way to compare results with other runners but I finished 24th in my age bracket and top 113…I assume this is out of gender because again no info is available. In fact, just figuring out my time and finding photos (which get posted same day in China) took my friend´s nanny, who is Chinese, to investigate for 20 minutes or more. By the way photos are amazing in China…they basically have a ton of photographers permitted to be on course and then they upload it to 1 app and you buy photos directly from them at a pretty amazing price! I wish they did that everywhere, it would be so much easier for photographers to make money and provide so much more coverage instead of having official race photographers only and the race hiring out (I´m sure Shanghai Marathon also had that for internal photos)!
Finish shoot
Mind blown, finish shoot…how about finisher stadium!
We finished outside Shanghai Stadium which was used in the 2008 Olympics and is home to Shanghai Shenhua FC with 72,000 capacity. Needless to say we got to walk through the whole stadium (all the way around the inside) lol. Maybe a bit extra for some runners hurting to walk but in general it was nice “me time” to walk it off after 42km.
It took about an hour to go through the finisher shoot and I happily took my time grabbing the towel, the cute snack bag, stretching, receiving my fancy boxed up medal, photo opportunities of said medal once I unboxed it and grabbing my finisher t-shirt and sandals. I mean the swag for this race is outstanding…first time I have ever gotten sandals…needed after all that running!
It didn´t end there, once out of the stadium we were thrown into yet another expo…this time a finisher expo by some race sponsors which once again was overwhelming. Once past the expo you finally collected your gear and could change in tents and exit.
The exit was crazy packed with a mob of spectators waiting for us…it was so crowded to get out that there was a backed up line of runners pushing to get out. It was like we were famous singers leaving a concert with fans hoping for an autograph, etc…at least no one was trying to touch you ha ha.
Here is an article about the 2025 Shanghai Marathon (To translate; right click, chose translate!): https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/USPWFG3BprB_fGTM0OM1SA
Register for Shanghai Marathon (registration opens July 1st)
Training
One of the toughest training blocks ever!
I started training in late July after some serious time away (with the same coach as before) because the aftermath of the Vancouver Marathon sub-3 attempt in May left me not interested, a bit depressed and the recovery took way longer then usual.
During this training block I was hit with everything hard for training…it started by dealing with humidity on the East Coast as I trained in Asheville, NC. This was followed by a month and half long travel block that was insane. Changing location almost daily was not easy at all on training, nor were routes available (I did know this from prior experience but this was worse). Then finally altitude training in Colorado where it was hard to breath. Plus a foot issue came about after travel (I thought due to using only 1 pair of shoes the whole trip and always running on hard surfaces…some 600 miles on the feet between running and walking) but I figured out the issue and was able to resolve it (metatarsal pad for the win, needed new orthotics). Finally after all that hardcore shit, I guess it was go time.
in country 100
I ran one half marathon a couple of weeks prior (read about it here – Indy Marathon) to Shanghai and got a nice PR there. It was the other marathon I signed up for as a potential sub-3 attempt but later moved down to the half because I got into Shanghai which gave me more time to train well after all the travel abroad.
Although training was not under the easiest circumstances I still felt strong and ready to run.
The other thing is after Shanghai Marathon I felt much better than the first sub-3 attempt. Nothing hurt, just soreness. I guess that is what it´s like when you step up your training a huge notch all year! Also, the sport massage in China was an experience all on it´s own.
Whats next?
Immediate following the finish at Shanghai I considered signing up for another marathon in Spring because I didn´t get my sub-3 yet and felt very strong but after actually considering it I´ve decided to wait a bit and thoughtfully consider my options. I may or may not try again for sub-3…I´ll be happy either way. As mentioned after Vancouver Marathon, a sub-3 is a lot of work and is hard to get. I do feel after seeing how strong I was and felt at Shanghai that it might be worth a go again because it would be a shame to waste this current level I´ve reached!
I´d also love to get a marathon in South America…but not any time soon! Doing one there would complete the 1 per continent plan. I´m not planning to do Antarctica so don´t you worry…we good with 6 continents…and yes I know I lived in South America and somehow I did not run one then…I ran it in Panama, which doesn´t count but was one of my favorite routes (it has since changed…and if you read the blog you might see why lol)…
Local Tips for China:
- Get Alipay (set up your bank card – no one really uses cash in China…this app is a must!)
- For more accurate Air Quality: https://aqicn.org/city/shanghai/
- Run along the Riverside, both sides have excellent paths with views that go forever! Or head over to Century Park!
- Run Clubs – RunnersHai_SH or DarkRunners on IG
- AMap (forget Google Maps!…although Apple Maps works)
- Get an eSim or international plan from home (no firewall issues but you will use data quicker because no wifi access for most apps)
Language….I only really learned two words…Nihow ¨HI¨ and Shi Shi En ¨thank you¨ and got by with that alone. I wish I had the capacity to learn more words this trip but I didn´t. In general, not many people spoke English in China (as to be expected) so there was plenty of Translator App conversations, photos of menu´s translated, etc and this was even in the big cities…yes, you do find people who speak and often Chinese might know English but might not have the confidence to speak it.
Visa
I did the 10-day (240 hour) transit visa on arrival in order to avoid visa costs and filling out the ridiculous amount of information required to apply for the visa. If you do need a visa, give your self a couple of weeks, processing is fairly quick once you fill out the information they want.
What does transit visa mean…well no round trip flight…because you are technically transiting through China…and well you can´t land everywhere. I booked a flight to Shanghai (10 day count starts the day after you land) and out of Beijing to Taiwan just before the 10 day limit expired (midnight to midnight). Oddly enough Taiwan counts as leaving China, so that worked well as I have been meaning to visit Taiwan since 2019 when I had a layover there! For the transit visa you go through immigration just like anywhere else but you did need the flight out of China and out of Taiwan booked before even leaving the US…plus they needed the first address where you will stay and then it´s ¨Welcome to China!¨ You will also need to fill out a form which you can do online to save time.
Current Visa Free Options
Regular visa for China application
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS TaG 
That’s quite a story Tarae, sound like fun as well as challenging.
Dad
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