The Yellow River Estuary Dongying Marathon was recently selected as one of 112 national showcase projects at the 2025 China Sports Culture and Tourism Expo — which took place in Suzhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province.
This recognition was said to highlight the quality and the "sports + tourism" model of Dongying city, located in East China's Shandong province.
Since its launch in 2008, the event has grown from 3,000 to over 30,000 runners, expanding participation from 11 to more than 70 countries.
It is now a gold label of World Athletics and is classed as being in the A1 Chinese Marathon category, while also being the longest-running and highest-level race in Shandong province.
Participants assemble at the starting line of the 2023 Dongying Marathon as the race prepares to get underway. [Photo/IC]
The 2025 edition will be held on Oct 19, with 35,000 runners — vying for victory in the full, half, and health run categories.
In addition, a "Marathon Month" will feature themed tours, local product expos, a music festival, food fairs and shopping routes, driving citywide tourism and consumption forwards.
Moving forward, Dongying plans to continue improving its event services. The city will leverage the marathon's wide influence to promote local culture and the city's scenery and to strengthen related industries such as tourism.
The city aims to make the marathon a leading national model for the integration of sports, culture, commerce and tourism.
