The Nanshan Half Marathon will return to Shenzhen on December 4, 2022, after a two-year hiatus due to the never-ending COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, a party isn’t a party in China unless endless COVID-19-shaped hoops need to be jumped through… and the 2022 Nanshan Half Marathon is no exception. 

The runners, of which there are expected to be 16,000, must not leave the city seven days prior to the date they collect their bibs (we assume the race’s organizers will be checking participants’ Travel Code). 

When collecting your bib, you must show a 24-hour negative nucleic acid test, pretty normal right? Well, the best is yet to come. 

On race day, runners must have a record of 10 negative nucleic acid tests taken over the last 10 days. Let that sink in, 10 tests, every day, for 10 days. 

The official website also states that participants must have a green health code. 

Even by zero-COVID standards, getting a red or yellow code after having 10 days of consecutive testing must be hard. 

A nucleic acid test is also required 48 hours after you finish the race.

And finally, all runners must have had three shots of a COVID-19 vaccine.  

Let’s compare these rules to the ones in place for the Beijing marathon, set to take place this weekend (Sunday, November 6).

• You MUST have a negative nucleic acid test issued within 24 hours when picking-up items for the race. The pick-up normally takes place one or two days before the race itself. 

• You MUST have a negative nucleic acid test issued within 24 hours on the day of the race. 

• You MUST undergo a further negative nucleic acid test within 48 hours of finishing the race.

• You MUST have completed basic immunization (two shots) of a COVID-19 vaccine before October 20, 2022. Those who completed basic immunization before April 20, 2022, must have completed a booster shot before October 20, 2022. 

READ MORE: Beijing 2022 Marathon: Race Route, Road Closures and COVID Rules

The 2022 Nanshan Half Marathon is open to people outside of Shenzhen. However, the regulations in place mean you will have to be in the city at least one week prior to collecting your bib (which usually takes place one or two days before the race starts). 

You can register for the race by using the WeChat program “润赛” or by downloading the “数字心动” app.

The race’s route will be a T-shaped track, starting from Shenzhen Talent Park and heading southward along Shahe West and Wanghai roads. 

Runners will then turn northward at Shenzhen Bay Park’s Sunrise Opera House, passing Shahe West Road and Shennan Boulevard. 

The finish line will be at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. 

The 16,000 participants will be selected via a lucky draw, however, those who finished the 2019 China Resources Nanshan Half Marathon within 1 hour and 25 minutes in the men’s category and 1 hour and 50 minutes in the women’s category can register without the lottery. 

Anyone who attended the race for four years between 2016 and 2019 will also be exempted from the lucky draw.

[Cover image via Weibo]