The 2026 Lanzhou Marathon (hereafter "Lanma") is coming! As a leading domestic event, Lanma is famed not only for its "Yellow River scenic route" course but also for the unique challenge of its high-altitude plateau and the citywide, feverish enthusiasm of Lanzhou residents — making it a must-run for countless runners. Today the organizing committee officially announced: the 2026 Lanzhou Marathon is scheduled for May 24, 2026, and pre-registration will open on February 26, 2026 at 10:00! Even more exciting, this year’s lottery rules receive a runner-friendly upgrade — runners who have been trying for years, your chance is here! 📅 Quick event facts Race date: May 24, 2026 (Sunday) Registration period: February 26, 2026 10:00 – March 4, 2026 17:00 Lottery results announced: March 6, 2026 Registration channels: Lanzhou Marathon official website "Lanzhou Marathon" WeChat public account "Guodong Events" mini program 🎰 Major lottery-rule upgrade: goodbye to the perennial long odds? For many runners, Lanma’s biggest pain point isn’t the thin air of the high-altitude plateau, but how hard it is to secure a spot. Pre-registered runners will be divided into three groups for the lottery, and the most notable change is: Runners who have registered for Lanma for three consecutive years but never got a spot will this year have a separate lottery opportunity! That means true fans who adore Lanma but have repeatedly missed out will see a substantial boost in their chances. 🎫 Automatic entry and elite standards In addition to the optimized lottery pools, the following categories of hardcore runners still receive automatic entry: Lifetime bib holders: runners who obtained a Lanzhou Marathon lifetime bib in or before 2025. New 2026 lifetime bibs: runners who have participated in a total of eight editions of the Lanzhou Marathon and finished within the cutoff time (based on past finish certificates) will directly receive a lifetime bib when registering this time. Yellow River Marathon: according to the series reward rules, athletes ranked in the top 200 of last season’s points standings may receive direct free entry. Elite athletes: International elites: foreign athletes who meet the event’s category standards. Domestic elites: athletes included in the Registered Testing Pool and Testing Pool of the Anti‑Doping Center, General Administration of Sport. Note: Elite athletes must register by email (lanmazuweihui@163.com). Deadline: May 1, 2026. The Lanzhou Marathon has become the "road-running totem" of Northwest China not only because of its World Athletics Gold Label status. From the start beside the Yellow River Mother statue, to running under Zhongshan Bridge, to that steaming bowl of beef noodles at the finish, the Lanzhou Marathon offers a pure running faith. This year’s lottery optimization is clearly designed to retain the core runners who truly love Lanma. Register now — let’s lock in this Yellow River–side celebration together! See you in Lanzhou on May 24, 2026! #Lanzhou Marathon #Marathon Registration #Marathon #TrailRunningBoom