Runners race across Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2026 Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge Marathon on Oct 25 offered runners a unique racing experience across one of the city's most iconic cross-sea landmarks.

Held in the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA), the event featured a full marathon and a half marathon.

Starting and ending at the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center, participants passed local landmarks before heading onto the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, where sweeping views of the sea and coastline provided a spectacular backdrop.

Ma Meng won the men's marathon in 2 hr 29 min 41 sec, while He Zhaoxiang claimed the women's title in 2:56:00. Liu Xing and Liu Mengjie took the men's and women's half-marathon titles in 1:06:13 and 1:16:01, respectively.

Organizers provided real-time weather updates to help runners cope with changing wind and temperature conditions on the bridge. Medical stations, emergency vehicles, and defibrillators were also stationed along the course to ensure runners' safety.

A marathon expo held from Oct 23 to 25 also brought together 43 brands spanning sports, automobiles, consumer goods, and traditional crafts, highlighting Qingdao's efforts to promote tourism and local consumption through major sporting events.