Wenzhou Marathon

The Wenzhou Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons, drawing approximately 12k finishers each December on an urban road in Wenzhou, China. Its combination of river scenery and warm winter timing suits southeast-coast marathoners. The route passes the Ou River, modern financial districts, and bridges linking the city's river islands. Gentle undulations are the only breaks on an otherwise flat profile.

Wenzhou Marathon is a certified 42.195 km (26.2 mile) marathon — the standard World Athletics marathon distance.

The Wenzhou Marathon uses a lottery or ballot through wenzhou.marathon.org.cn, with registration windows that typically open several months before the December race. Domestic applicants register via the official marathon.org.cn portal and demand routinely exceeds the mass-participation cap of roughly 12k runners. International runners must monitor the official site for overseas entry channels and health-credential requirements, as places fill quickly once the window opens.