How to get into the Shanghai Marathon

Shanghai Marathon lottery odds

The 2026 lottery drew 381,900 applicants and about 6% got in, per organizer figures reported by Xinhua Finance on June 30, 2026. 13,973 applicants were international, from 116 countries and regions, led by South Korea, Russia, the United States, Singapore and Malaysia. For 2025, 356,589 people applied, about 317,425 of them for the marathon, and about 7.2% got in.

Entering the draw is free, and domestic and international runners share one draw. Runners must be 20 or older on race day. International runners apply through the English pathway on shang-ma.com or in the Shanghai Marathon app. The 2026 race has 30,000 marathon places, up from 23,000, plus 20 wheelchair places.

For 2026 the lottery ran April 29 to May 29, results came June 30, and winners paid by noon on July 20. An unpaid place is lost and cannot be recovered through any other channel. The 2027 dates are not announced.

Shanghai and the World Marathon Majors

Shanghai passed its first Abbott World Marathon Majors assessment at the November 2025 race. The second and final assessment is the December 6, 2026 race.

If it passes, Shanghai joins the Majors from 2027 and a Nine Star medal is introduced. No decision date is set, and the entry rules may change if it becomes a Major.

Direct entry from Shanghai half marathons

Fast finishers at three Shanghai half marathons skip the lottery. They register in the same window as the lottery, submit proof of the result and pay to secure the place.

The 2026 rules also reserve places for invited international and domestic elite athletes and other invited runners, with no numbers given. They list no charity places and no places for past finishers.

Shanghai Marathon tour operators

Operators sell packages with a guaranteed bib, but the race publishes no English list of official operators. Travelling Fit and Marathon Tours & Travel describe themselves as official operators, and Adventure Time Travel (Australia) also sells a 2027 package, and Marathon Tours & Travel also has an office in China. Packages are for international runners only: Marathon Tours & Travel does not sell them to Chinese passport holders, or to holders of Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan ID, even if they live abroad.

Both 2026 packages have 4 nights, December 3 to 7, a full-day city tour and an expo visit. Marathon Tours & Travel uses the Radisson Collection Hyland near the start on the Bund, its tour covers the Shanghai Tower and Yuyuan Garden, and companions pay less. Travelling Fit includes lunch on the tour and a three-day transport card for runners. No bib-only option was listed.

Marathon Tours & Travel sells no entry without a package and its race entry is not refundable. Its US office took a $650 deposit per person, and every payment is non-refundable and non-transferable. Travelling Fit took a A$850 deposit per runner, A$750 more by May 22, 2026 and the balance by August 21, 2026. 2027 prices are not listed yet; Adventure Time Travel takes deposits for 2027 without a published price.