The 2019 Guangzhou Marathon will take place on December 8 (Sunday). Registration for this annual international event has opened on June 30 and will last through July 30, according to the organizing committee.

This year's event uses the same process to register runners as it used in 2018. Registration is held entirely online at http://www.guangzhou-marathon.com/ or on the mobile application, 马拉马拉.

For the first time, the Guangzhou Marathon will introduce wave starts to reduce the congestion at the start line. A wave start is a technique to send participants off in smaller groups (called "waves"), with a short time delay between each group. Any runner who breaks the Guangzhou Marathon record will be awarded US$ 10,000, regardless of whether they win first place or not.

Also, 100 qualified applicants of the Guangzhou Marathon will be selected to participate in the 2019 Beijing Marathon.

Course of the race

This year's race features both a full marathon (42.195 kilometers) and a half marathon (21.0975 kilometers).

Full marathon participants will begin their run at Tianhe Sports Center and finish at Huacheng Square. They must complete the race within six hours and 15 minutes to merit getting a score. Half marathon runners share the same starting point but will finish at the Canton Fair Complex and are required to cross the finish line within three hours and 15 minutes.

Along the route, participants and observers will get to enjoy views of the Canton Tower, Haixinsha Island, Liede Bridge, Haiyin Bridge and Canton Customs.

Date and Time

Sunday, December 8

Full marathon: start at 7:30 a.m.

Half marathon: start at 8 a.m.

(Wave starts will be set and announced later.)

Number of participants

Only 30,000 applicants will be allowed to participate in the event, with 20,000 runners for the full marathon and 10,000 for the half marathon. If the number of applications exceeds the limit, participants will be selected randomly, and the results will be announced in late August.

Application requirements

Runner must be at least 20 years old (born before December 31, 1999) to participate in the full marathon, and at least 16 (born before December 31, 2003) for the half marathon. In addition, applicants must provide certificates of completion for either full or half marathons within the last two years. The certification of online marathon is not recognized.

Special channel

"Loyal runners" and "elite runners" of the Guangzhou Marathon can get instant qualification for the event. Loyal runners are those who have participated in the event for seven consecutive years from 2012 to 2018. Elite runners are those who have performed to a certain level in any previous Guangzhou marathons (running performance requirements: men's marathon within 3:30:00; women's marathon within 3:50:00; men's half marathon within 1:30:00; women's half marathon within 1:50:00)

Entry fee

For Chinese runners (including residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) the fee is 160 yuan; it's US$ 40 for overseas applicants. Entry fees will not be refunded if participants don't make the random selection.