Chongqing - The lottery results for the 2027 Chongqing Marathon have been released, with more than 250,000 people pre-registering for the event, a record for the full marathon. The 2027 Chongqing Marathon event launch and sponsorship signing ceremony was held on Sept 23.

The 2027 Chongqing Marathon event launch and sponsorship signing ceremony was held on Sept 23. (Photo/Deng Nan)

The race will start on Jan 10, 2027, along Nanbin Road and Banan Binjiang Road. Pre-registration ran from Sept 2 to Sept 13 and received 256,639 applications, a new high for full marathon pre-registration. Applicants came from 32 countries and regions and 389 cities, including China, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Chongqing residents numbered 25,279, or 10 percent, while non-Chongqing applicants totaled 231,360, or 90 percent. Outside Chongqing, the top five provinces were Sichuan, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hubei.

The 2027 Chongqing Marathon attracted runners from 32 countries and 389 cities. (Photo/Deng Nan)

Entry qualifications are determined by lottery. The full marathon will have a field of 26,000, including 10,000 performance-based direct entries and 12,500 public lottery places. A total of 19,898 applicants qualified for direct entry, with a direct-entry rate of about 50.26 percent. The remaining 9,898 non-directly qualified applicants entered the public lottery. Excluding those who did not meet entry requirements, 197,638 applicants participated in the public lottery, with a winning rate of 6.32 percent.

Scene from the 2026 Chongqing Marathon. (Photo/The Organizer)

In 2027, the 15th Chongqing Marathon will be themed “Stars Shine over Mountains and Rivers, Run and Love Chongqing.” It will seek to further improve event quality in four areas: race organization, cultural expression, service support and associated activities.

Sub-three-hour finisher commemorative trophy for the 2027 Chongqing Marathon. (Photo/Deng Nan)

The event will continue to deepen the integration of Bayu culture and marathon running. Following “Haitang Yanyu” (Misty Rain at Haitang), “Longmen Haoyue” (Moon over Longmen), “Fotu Yeyu” (Night Rain at Fotu) and “Huangge Wandu” (Evening Ferry at Huangge), the 2027 marathon will open a new chapter of the “Twelve Bayu Scenes.” Inspired by “Zishui Xiaodeng” (Lanterns over Zishui) and incorporating the Dingwei Year of the Goat zodiac and Chongqing landmarks, the organizers will create a series of derivative products, including finisher medals, sub-three-hour commemorative trophies, medal bases and ornaments.

Finisher medal for the 2027 Chongqing Marathon. (Photo/Deng Nan)

Services will also be optimized around runners. The Jan 10 race date is expected to offer more suitable weather and enhanced safety. The event will use wave starts to manage crowd flows scientifically and will partner with Amap to launch one-click navigation covering the entire process, including packet pickup, race participation and post-race dispersal.

Awards presented to outstanding volunteers of the 2026 Chongqing Marathon. (Photo/Deng Nan)

The event will also promote the integration of sports, culture and tourism, creating a special experience for the 15th edition. In recent years, leveraging its event traffic, the Chongqing Marathon has developed activities such as the Breakfast Run, Chongqing’s “Travel with Events” and Chongqing Marathon Consumption Month, and the Hotpot Marathon, linking sports competition, cultural experience and urban consumption. For the 15th edition, the organizers will join hands with Chengshang Tianmu to create an official 15th-anniversary check-in point, offering runners and residents a new cultural and tourism experience.

Signing ceremony for the 2027 Chongqing Marathon. (Photo/Deng Nan)

The deep integration of brands and the event remains an important support for the marathon’s continued development. In July 2026, Chongqing Marathon Sports signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. The two sides will use the Chongqing Marathon as a case study for academic research on sports marketing.