Chinese Sport Events
As in most countries, there are surely a bunch of endurance or other sport events in China as well. As this is a Blog about Guangzhou I will talk about some events in and near Guangzhou. This includes runs, triathlons and spartan races.
Guangzhou Marathon
As a huge metropolis in China and Asia, Guangzhou surely has its own Marathon. I reckon it is one of the most beautiful races in China as Guangzhou is a very beautiful city for running. The course goes next to the river on both sides, so you will be running in between historical and modern architecture on one side and the pearl river on the other while large trees provide shade.
Guangzhou is a runner city, which means there are many spectators and many runner who want to participate. As a foreigner you pay a bit more for the entrance fee, but will get a secure spot. I am always one of the only people in my running group (most are Chinese) who get a spot.
Here the official website of Guangzhou Marathon.
Foshan & Zhaoqing Triathlon
There seems to be no Triathlon in Guangzhou directly, but two events nearby. One in the north of Foshan, Sanshui District to be exactly. The second one in Zhaoqing, which is a small city 30 minutes by train from Guangzhou. Foshan Triathlon is usually in May and Zhaoqing in November. I did both and preferred the Zhaoqing one a bit more, but had fun on both.
Zhaoqing & Guangzhou Trail Races
Apart from the south, Guangzhou is surrounded by smaller mountain ranges, making it ideal for trail running events. In fact there are quite a lot. Most of them organised by smaller groups, but also larger events like the Guangzhou 100 ultra trail run. You can find information about these race in the race sign-up apps below.
Sign-Up Apps
Signing up for events takes place on Apps, these could either be the Android/iOS Apps or the WeChat mini programs of the 3 listed Sport Event organizing companies in China. They both take their shares in the market, so it is worth having a look at all 3 if you want to sign up for sport events in China.
Gusto 第一赛道
The first App to talk about is Gusto, which is not like the other two, who are mainly for marathons. Gusto is where you can find trail runs and triathlons. Also the App is very reliable and easy to use, once it is set up. You need to create a profile with all your information and then just choose an event, choose your profile and sign-up.
Here is the link to their website, but you can find the App in most AppStores by searching Gusto or 第一赛道
Maramara (马拉马拉)
The second App for signing up to Chinese sport events is Mara Mara. Most of the large Marathon in China can be accessed through this App. Including the Guangzhou Marathon. You can also sign up for various trail runs and even runs outside of China.
Marathon Sign-Up (马拉松报名)
The last App is by a company called HPaoPao and is simply called “Marathon Sign-Up” they host more medium to small sized runs. There used to be larger events on there, but it seems like they are loosing the fight over the market. Still worth checking out as smaller runs are usually very fun and often go through small cities close to nature.
Highlights of Past Races
Here a small gallery (without awkward race pictures) from past Events I attended in Guangzhou and nearby cities.
