On July 15, the 2026 China Post Insurance Haidian Marathon press conference was held at the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center Conference Center. This edition is hosted by the Haidian District People’s Government, organized by the Haidian District Bureau of Sports, and operated by Beijing Rapid Sports Industry Co., Ltd. The race will officially start at 7: 30 on October 11(Sunday) at Zhongguancun No. 1.
With the theme slogan "Run Haidian, Innovate Forward", the event aims to use the race as a catalyst to accelerate the deep integration of "culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions, " using high-level sports events as a bond to connect diverse scenarios including technological innovation, cultural tourism and commercial consumption, continuously unleashing new vitality for regional development.
After two editions of accumulation, the Haidian Marathon has been deeply integrated into the regional development context. Upholding the philosophy of "prospering the district through races, enriching culture through races, and promoting integration through races, " it is becoming a vivid window showcasing Haidian’s innovative vitality and humanistic charm.
The event registration channel officially opened at 16: 00 on July 15, with a deadline of 24: 00 on August 8. Runners may submit applications through the official event website, the "Haidian Marathon" official WeChat account and mini-program, or partner platforms "Keep" and "Shuzi Xindong" (数字心动). This edition continues the pre-registration model of "register first, lottery draw second, pay third, " with a supporting waiting list mechanism and optimized allocation rules for 1,000 guaranteed time-qualified slots, effectively enhancing the runner participation experience.
Event Highlights Innovated and Upgraded, Creating an Exclusive Haidian Marathon Experience
This edition carries the "Innovate Forward" concept throughout—from competition organization to runner experience—responding to Haidian’s regional character of being led by and driven by "the new" through new scenarios, new ways to play, and new experiences.
This year’s event debuts a two-way linkage model of the "Haidian Marathon Sports Season" and "Haidian Marathon Alumni Association"
The Haidian Marathon Sports Season takes "Running Toward Technology, Running Toward Nature, Running Toward Vitality" as its main thread, launching a series of training camps and an upgraded Haidian Marathon Carnival starting from August, focusing on "Sports+" cross-border integration, and committing to transforming the marathon into a regional sports festival that benefits a broader population.
The Haidian Marathon Alumni Association, rooted in Haidian’s unique regional gene as an "education highland, " integrates university cultural elements into the race experience, presenting runners with a "Haidian Marathon Graduation Ceremony" that combines both ritual and belonging, making everyone who has run through Haidian a storyteller of Haidian.
In terms of competition incentives, this edition’s total prize pool has increased by 66% compared to the previous edition, with the top six male and female finishers all receiving awards, and the champion prize raised to RMB 40,000. The event continues the course record bonus; if the male or female champion breaks the existing course record, they will receive an additional RMB 10,000 reward. Furthermore, the University Challenge and Haidian High-Tech Enterprise Challenge continue to be established, building exclusive competitive stages for young students and sci-tech innovation elites, continuously polishing the Haidian Marathon’s calling card as a sci-tech innovation event.
Event Gear and Cultural Creative Products Debut, Capturing Exclusive Haidian Marathon Memories
At the press conference, this edition’s race apparel, finisher medal, and finisher cape designs were unveiled for the first time.
The race apparel features Haidian Marathon blue as its main tone, incorporating "Haidian" themed lettering and silhouette landmarks from the course. The finisher medal adopts a flip-up standing structure, with gilt, tech blue, and eco green as its primary colors. The outer ring’s radial track pattern and the inner ring’s blue-green dual colors echo the themes of science-education and ecology respectively. The top features a mechanical dial window, allowing runners to dial in their personal finishing time into the medal after completing the race. The finisher cape is designed in an academic gown style, aligning with the "Haidian Marathon Alumni Association" theme, bringing runners a unique finisher ceremony experience.
Meanwhile, the Organizing Committee simultaneously launched the "Haidian Marathon Gifts" cultural creative product series, covering four distinctive items: a course route puzzle fridge magnet, a bib number collector, an exclusive luggage tag, and a notebook set, deeply integrating Haidian’s characteristic cultural symbols. The cultural creative products will go live on the official website and mini-program on July 16 for pre-sale, letting track memories step out of the race venue and integrating the exclusive warmth of the Haidian Marathon into daily life.
Deep Integration of Culture, Commerce, Tourism, Sports and Exhibitions, Citywide Linkage Unleashing New Consumption Vitality
This edition continues to strengthen the "Bib Number Economy, " further enriching its application scenarios—the bib number serves not only as a participation credential, but also as an benefits carrier connecting more diverse scenarios including scenic area visits, commercial district consumption, and cultural tourism experiences, truly achieving "One Bib Number, Explore All of Haidian. "
At the cultural tourism experience level, runners with their bib numbers will enjoy free admission to 7 scenic areas including the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), Phoenix Ridge, and Baiwangshan Forest Park, free visits to the Zhongguancun Village History Museum and Yuanmingyuan Museum, and consumption discounts at designated cultural creative stores and specialty coffee shops. For accommodation, 12 hotels plan to offer runners exclusive room rate discounts as well as services such as early breakfast and late checkout. In addition, three themed routes of "Follow the Haidian Marathon to Travel" are simultaneously released, connecting landmarks such as Zhongguancun No. 1, Cuihu Wetland, Daoxiang Lake, and Phoenix Ridge, extending the track experience into a Haidian citywide micro-vacation.
At the commercial consumption level, runners with their bib numbers will enjoy exclusive discounts, in-store gifts, and value-added services at ten major commercial districts including Century Golden Resources, Wukesong Wanda, Zhongguancun ART PARK Grand City, and Haidian Joy City, covering diverse categories such as tech trendy products, sports equipment, and specialty dining. The event carnival also plans to gather brand activities including AI interactive experiences, sports equipment trials, and cultural creative product exhibitions, offering a one-stop experience of Haidian’s integrated charm of "Sci-Tech+Sports+Consumption. " Meanwhile, the Organizing Committee continues to open its doors for cooperation, welcoming technology enterprises, merchants, scenic areas, cultural venues and other entities to join, share event traffic business opportunities, and jointly grow the "Bib Number Economy" ecosystem.
At the press conference, the event Organizing Committee completed the signing with title sponsor China Post Life Insurance Co., Ltd., opening a new chapter of strategic cooperation. At the same time, the event received strong support from brands including ChinaCPT, Air China, YUEWANG JEWELLERY, Sashun, ANMED, and Sinopharm Innovation. The sponsorship channel remains open, sincerely inviting quality enterprises from all sectors to join hands with the Haidian Marathon and jointly build a regional sports extravaganza. Finally, attending guests jointly completed the event slogan puzzle and lit up the exclusive bib number, officially launching the 2026 China Post Insurance Haidian Marathon.
In the golden autumn of October, the Haidian course where technology, ecology, and humanity intertwine will welcome ten thousand runners. Let us meet in Haidian and embark together on this running journey of "Innovate Forward"!
