Qingdao West Coast Half Marathon

At 7:30 p.m. on April 6, QDH 2025 Qingdao West Coast Half Marathon and Good Luck Shandong – Marathon City League (Qingdao Station) started at Golden Beach Beer City in Qingdao West Coast New District.
As the first marathon in Shandong Province to adopt a split start in a single event, the race attracted 15,000 runners from all over China to gather at Golden Beach Beer City. Runners traveled along the “Mountain and Sea City” course in Qingdao’s West Coast New Area, passing through iconic scenic spots such as the Beer City, Golden Beach, Silver Beach, Tangdao Bay Marina Park, and Lianshandao, and enjoying the blending of the mountains and the sea with the city’s springtime scenery.

The event is certified by China Athletics Association, guided by Shandong Province Athletics Association and Qingdao Municipal Sports Bureau, organized by Qingdao West Coast New District Administrative Committee, undertaken by Qingdao West Coast New District Education and Sports Bureau, Qingdao West Coast New District Sports Federation, and jointly operated by Qingdao Zhongde Sports and Culture Communication Company Limited and Qingdao Pingtou Sports Company Limited.

Since 2016, the event has been successfully held eight times. With professional event execution, immersive track experience and “sports + culture and tourism” integration and innovation, the event has won the China Association of Athletics Federations Silver Medal, the most beautiful track featured events, the top ten boutique road running events in Shandong Province, and has become a new business card to show the vitality of the city of Qingdao West Coast New District and the charm of sports.

“In order to optimize the participation experience, the event divided the departure area according to the players’ results, effectively alleviating the track congestion problem and creating a more comfortable competitive environment for the players.” Guan Shanyong, deputy director of Qingdao West Coast New District Education and Sports Development Center, introduced.

This year’s race service is fully upgraded, nearly 5,000 staff and volunteers in the collaterals, medical, timing and other links to provide protection. On both sides of the track, there were also a number of new “atmosphere gas stations”, organized by the Xuejiadao Street Office and sponsors of the performance team, cheerleaders along the way to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
“I have participated in a number of marathons around the country, the West Coast New District track I think is the most beautiful, along the way are scenic spots, flowers are blooming just right, running mood is very relaxed, the cheering sound of the track side one after another, so that I feel the enthusiasm of the seaside city of Qingdao.” Zhang Wei, a runner from Shaanxi, lamented.

“I feel very happy to come to Qingdao West Coast New District to participate in this event and win.” KARITA RAPHAEL GACHERU, winner of the men’s division, said.

As a platform for the integration of culture, sports and tourism created independently by Qingdao West Coast New Area, the event set up an agricultural products exhibition area, where blueberries, oranges, carrots and other specialty agricultural products of the new area were on display one by one. Tournament sponsors also set up product display and interactive experience area, attracting many participants and the public to “card”.

In recent years, Qingdao West Coast New Area deeply implement the national strategy of national fitness, deepen the “sports +” development mode, race as a medium, promote the “events + festivals + culture and tourism” in-depth integration and development. At the same time, vigorously cultivate the sports industry, new forms, new scenes, new models, to create the holding of the Qingdao Fashion Sports Festival, Uncle Harry’s Beach Running and other local events and activities brand, drive the new district economy, culture, tourism and other areas of comprehensive prosperity, help the new district consumer market quality upgrade.

The success of this event not only shows the urban charm of Qingdao West Coast New Area, but also lays a solid foundation for the future development of the event to a higher level. In the future, Qingdao West Coast Half Marathon will continue to attract more runners from home and abroad with high level of race organization, high quality participation experience and deep cultural connotation, injecting more vitality into the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism in the region.