Beijing Marathon 2006

[randall_flagg]

Beijing Marathon 2006

Hi there!

I just read all the posts about the Beijing Marathon and I thought they were really interesting – except for the fact that either no one actually participated or they didn’t write about it? Anyone want to share some first hand experiences?

Also, is anyone looking at running this year’s Beijing Marathon (or Shanghai Marathon, while we’re at it?)? I think I will. I won’t try to go for a personal record, heaven forbid! I’ll just kind of glide along and enjoy myself. I am even thinking about taking my camera along. This will be fun, I want to do it. NOW!

Also, I can’t seem to find the Beijing Marathon webpage. I know, it shouldn’t be hard at all, but all I can come up with is last year’s page. Maybe they don’t have a page for this year yet?

If I can make it to Beijing that weekend, I really really want to do this, regardless of the air-quality. I do just feel sorry for all the athletes who will have to go all out during the Olympics!

Randall

[ShanghaiMike]

Hey Randall - been a couple months since your post. Hope this is relevant.

is anyone looking at running this year’s Beijing Marathon (or Shanghai Marathon, while we’re at it?)? - I'm all signed up for BJ, and have run SH 3 times. Go to Marathonguide.com to see reviews of the BJM - it needs a lot of work, but if you're there, then why not. SHM is OK for the 1/2M, but pretty damn ugly and boring for the full. Then again, the weather the past 3 years has been spectacular, the crowds OK (mostly drums and old ladies screaming "jia you", which really propels you along, if only to get out of ear-shot), and support improving. The sign-up usually isn't open until late Aug or early Sept.

Also, I can’t seem to find the Beijing Marathon webpage - the official website is still 2005, but you can go to here instead

http://mail.cits.net/travel/travel/marathon/marathon-1.jsp

From what I hear, it's better to pay a little extra and go through CITS, unless you want to stand in line for hours to pick up stuff, get your finish certificate, get your medal, etc. That extra money pays for a little distance from the masses.

If you're in SH, drop me a line.

Cheers,

Michael

[Ma Baoluo]

Hi Randall,

Not sure how long ago you posted this enquiry.

Beijing Marathon website is up-and-running, but not open for online registration yet - and strangely invisible to Google! I had to find it through http://www.runnersweb.co.uk, a very useful international race calendar resource with links to all the active organiser websites. URL is http://www.beijing-marathon.com/English/default.asp

Date for this year's race is Sunday 15th October. Although we tend to expect things to be done better in Shanghai, it ain't always so - there's still no sign of their website.... and I seem to recall that last year it didn't appear until two or three weeks before the race. However, they have announced their date as Saturday 25th November.

I have run Beijing three times: half-distance the first two times, and first attempt at the full event last year. Beijing sucks! I only do it because it's my 'local', but I think this year I might skip it, and just concentrate on Shanghai. Although it seems to be a bit more together since the American event promotion company Octagon got involved last year, it was still pretty chaotic. It's a hideously overcrowded field (they press-gang tens of thousands of University and high school students into taking part, just to make the entry figures more impressive - a lot of these kids have never run in their lives before, and just form a wall of flesh you have to try to hack your way through). The weather is often still hot (& humid) in mid-October (it always seems to warm up again for race day, anyway!); and there's never anywhere near enough water. The air quality, of course, is almost always appalling these days, regardless of the weather - so much construction dust and traffic pollution. The route is stupendously tedious: mostly long, long straights along featureless main roads, much of it in fact on or alongside the 3rd and 4th Ringroads through the northern part of the city - the University district and the projected Olympic village. It really is so dull that it makes the distance seem twice as far! At least it's a flat course, apart from a few elevated interchanges on the Ringroads, and one fairly stiff uphill drag around kilometre 10.

Are you living in China now? Foreigner registration is mostly geared towards tourists, and viciously expensive. However, if you live in Beijing you can usually register as a 'local' for 100 or 200 rmb at the Health Club in the Swissotel by Dongsi ShiTiao subway stop.

Shanghai is a much more attractive prospect, though. I ran the half there last year (was going to do the full, but picked up a heel injury in the Beijing race). Nicer climate, cool but not cold. Interesting route - the first third or so, at least, starting near the Bund and weaving through the old European parts of the city. Much better organized, much smaller field, plenty of drinks stations...... limitless supplies of electrolyte drinks at the Finish (Beijing can take a lesson from that).

Best of luck, with either or both.

[randall_flagg]

Thank you so much for your detailed description. This was the first time in weeks that I've had a chance to check the chinese-forums and I was pleasantly surprised to find you long reply.

Yes, I am currently living in China…but I’m neither in Beijing nor in Shanghai, thank God! (sorry to those of you who are stuck there and are longing for some fresh air).

I won’t make the Beijing Marathon this year, no way Jose, but I might look into the Shanghai Marathon more closely. Although flying to another city just to run a race seems a little over the top, doesn’t it? Well, I guess I might visit some friends while I am in Shanghai.

Say….you say you live in Beijing? Did I get that right? And you run long distance? How do you prepare for the races? Do you run in some sort of gym with A/C? I tried running in BJ but couldn’t stand it. One race would be OK, but I don’t think I’d want to do my daily runs in Beijing.

Thanks for the info, I truly appreciate this!

Randall

[randall_flagg]

to stupid?

i can't seem to find the Shanghai Marathon (2006) page. Man, sometimes I hate the web. The cool thing is: when I input "Shanghai Marathon 2006" into Google, chinese-forums is the second hit.

[wushijiao]

As far as the Shanghai Marathon (I think I'll do the half), see this:

http://www.shmarathon.com/n_xz.asp

I assume they will have details in English soon.

[Ma Baoluo]

Hi Randall,

Yes, I am a Beijing resident.

I am too poor to join a gym, and hate treadmills anyway. Luckily, I live in one of the nicest parts of the city, near Houhai lake - so I try to run around there almost every day: it's a mile or so from my apartment and a 3-mile circuit. The air quality is not usually too bad around there, especially if I can get out early in the morning. I realise, though, that just living in this city is taking years off my life expectancy! I occasionally have a chance to get out into the burbs or the Western hills for some cross-country with running nerd buddies at the weekends.

See you in Shanghai, perhaps?