Shanghai – the world’s third largest city, after Tokyo and Delhi – has been able to stage the 25th outing of the Shanghai Marathon. This is despite other major sports events being cancelled this year, including the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix and the Rolex Shanghai Masters tennis tournament.
2020 marked the first year for the Shanghai Marathon to be listed as a Platinum Label event by the IAAF. Although most Platinum Label events worldwide were cancelled or limited solely to elite runners this year, the Shanghai Marathon got under way on November 29, 2020 as a mass participation event.
To ensure the safety for all who were involved in the event, this year’s marathon saw the organizing team reduce the number of runners to 9000 – less than one-third of the event’s usual participant base. At the same time, the organizers actively encouraged marathon enthusiasts to participate in the event virtually.
Operating out of a 15,000m² space, three main groups encompassing 3000 runners each took off separately. Routes were designed to avoid congestion; and as soon as the runner crossed the finis line, a mask was supplied for the runner to put on.
Adhering to extensive consultation with medical experts, the event organizer applied ‘stringent test and safety controls for the event.’
