As the 2025 major Chinese marathon season wraps up, and elite athletes are entering a period of adjustment,this year's Chinesemarathonmen's top ten也相应are accordingly出炉。He Jie and Yang Shaohui occupy the top two spots, rightly serving as the pioneers carrying the banner of Chinese marathon.
If judged purely by finish times, overall performance this year has dipped compared with last year. Yang Kegu, who was tenth last year, posted 2 hours 10 minutes 24 seconds at the 2024 Shanghai Marathon, a time that would rank sixth this year. But this is largely because the top athletes faced both the World Championships and the National Games this season.
Both of those events are tough places to post fast times, and they were held in hot, humid conditions that depleted the athletes, further reducing their chances of running fast in other races. So the downturn in men's marathon results this year is understandable.
Take the "Chairman" Wu Xiangdong as an example: having competed in both the World Championships and the National Games this year, his focus was clearly on the major events. Although he didn't manage a sub-2:10 time this year, winning the men's bronze in the National Games marathon makes this unquestionably a fruitful year for him.
Among the top ten, Wuxi Marathon emerged as the “big winner” with three spots, Osaka Marathon took two — echoing last year’s pattern. It must be said that Wuxi and Osaka have become the fastest courses for Chinese athletes domestically and abroad in recent years.
Of the top ten results, eight were set in the first three months; in the second half of the year, in November at the head and the tail of the month, the Beijing Marathon and the Shanghai Marathon each produced one result. This also confirms the impact those two major late-year races have on athletes producing fast performances.
Notably, Yang Shaohui ran into SUB 210 three times this year, becoming the first athlete in Chinese marathon history to reach this “milestone.” Previously the veteran Dong Guojian was regarded as the anchor of Chinese marathon; now “Dafu” has smoothly taken the baton from “Dong Ge” with his steady performances.
Regarding the shoes chosen by the year’s top ten athletes, the “legendary shoe” Xtep 160X PRO 3.0 — still shining on the racecourse three years after its release — occupied the top two spots. Xtep accounts for four of the top ten, Anta three, and Zhongqiao Sports, Nike and Li-Ning one each.Chinese running shoe brands are getting stronger, and this is tangibly reflected on the list.
Since 2023 Chinese men's marathon has entered a new chapter, with the national record broken in consecutive years. But like any natural law of development, progress cannot rise continuously — periods of adjustment and consolidation are needed to build strength for the next breakthrough. After the buildup in 2025, let's look forward to the athletes' exciting performances next year!
