Great Runs in Beijing
Beijing, the capital city of China, is one of the world’s largest cities, with a population of more than 20 million. It is the second largest city in China after Shanghai, and is the country’s political, educational, cultural, and business capital. Beijing is divided into 16 urban, suburban, and rural districts.
Running in Beijing can be a challenge. The city is densely crowded and there is a lot of traffic. Air quality is another issue. The city experiences a good amount of pollution and smog, and there are some days where is unhealthy or even dangerous to run. If the air quality index (AQI) is more than 150–200 (depending on your sensitivity), consider the hotel gym as an alternative. Beijing’s weather can also be challenging for running. Winters can be cold and summers can be uncomfortably hot and humid.
All that said, some of the best running in Beijing are in some of its lovely parks. Several of them, such as Olympic Park, Purple Bamboo Park, and Chaoyang (Sun) Park , have well-marked, well maintained running paths or tracks. There are also a few streets and neighborhoods that are good for running, including **. Running in the area around the Olympic sites is very popular. We’ve also put together a ‘running tour’ of some of Beijing’s more important sites.
Beijing has an extensive public transportation system. There are buses, subways, and taxis. The subway is inexpensive and a great way to get around, with English language signage. There are also extensive rail links, including to the airport, other cities, and destinations such as the Great Wall.
Beijing has a humid continental climate. Summers are hot and humid, with highs averaging 30C (mid-80s). Nights stay warm and muggy. Winters are fairly severe. Average January highs are just above freezing, and lows in the teens. Most of Beijing’s precipitation occurs in spring and summer downpours. Winters, though cold, are quite dry. There is snow but not big storms. Ice and footing is an issue in winter months.
The Routes
Olympic Forest Park
6.7 (11km) North and South Park route. Start: Near Qinghe Rd., Merchandise store. MAP
5 mile (8k) Olympic Sites Tour. Start: National Stadium. MAP
The Olympic Forest Park, built for the Olympics is a large, man-made nature park situated at the north end of the Olympic Green in Beijing. The park has two parts: the southern part is oval in shape and features lake Wa Biancun in the center, and the northern side, just outside 5th ring road has a mountain with excellent views of the city. Several small islands in the lake are linked by bridges. It is easily accessed by subway.
This is one of the best spots in Beijing for jogging. There are many walking paths, and a jogging path, with lengths of 3k, 5k, and 10k. There are numerous running options here, within the park. Length of run also depends on whether you are starting at the park or getting there from somewhere.
The southern part of the park features the main Olympics sites, and trails around several lakes and ponds. The northern part of the park is more forested, and is hillier, with many, more random trails.
We’ve put together two routes here: One combines the best of the southern and northern parts of the park, incorporating two mountains, for an 11k loop. The other route focuses on main Olympic sites, which is clustered near 4th Ring Road, in the southern part of the park. This route includes the National Stadium, Olympic Village, and the China Science and Technology Museum.
Purple Bamboo Park
~5k (3 miles) of trails. Subway: National Library. Start: subway stop or Hotel Nikko. MAP.
Located in the Haidan District in northwestern Beijing, Purple Bamboo Park is a lovely spot to run and also a particular Beijing experience. The park has 3 lakes (dating back to 1159!) filled with lily pads, and walkways surrounded by bamboo. On an early morning run, you’ll see people practicing Tai chi or singing opera. There are about 5km worth of paths in the park.
There are several important sites in this area, including the National Library, the Capitol Indoor Museum, Banknote Printing and Mint Museum, and just to the east of the park, the Zoo and Aquarium. Subway stops all over.
This can be combined with Yuyuantan (Jade Lake) Park, which is located 3–4km to the south, and has some 6k of trails.
Yuyantan Park (Jade Lake Park)
4 mile park loop. Start: West Gate. Subway 10 (Gongzhufen or West Diaoyutai). MAP
Located in the Haidan District and about 4km south of Purple Bamboo Park. A good running spot, with about 6km of trails. The park is most famous for its nearly 3,000 cherry blossom trees, which bloom in late March/early April. There are paths along the Yuyuan Pond, with a pretty causeway dividing two sections, and along Bayi Lake. Other park highlights are the Liuchun Garden (especially pretty in spring), and a Pine Forest.
The park is about 1.1 miles from east to west and 0.7 miles from north to south. Water tours can be had from here. There are about 6km of trails. Access: West Gate (near the TV Tower, subway lines 1 or 10) or East Gate (near the Capital Museum, Line 1Muxidi subway stop). Intercontinental Hotel is near the east gate.
Chaoyang (Sun) Park
2.5km n-s and 1.5km east-west. About 10km of road. Admission required.
Access: Lines 10&14. Northern entrance: Dongfeng North Bridge station
Built in 1984, this is Beijing’s largest park and one of the quietest places for running in central Beijing. It’s very green, with many paved paths interlacing the park. A positive for visitors is the presence of English language signs. The park features flower gardens, fairground with rides, Sony ExploraScience, landscaped areas and several large swimming pools. Bicycles and boats may also be hired at various locations in the park. In terms of running, it is difficult to describe a particular route, since there are so many paths, and there is not a straightforward ‘park perimeter’ path. There are some lovely nature gardens, fountains, and landscaped areas. The park was the site of the Olympic Volleyball tournament, which has been turned into a bathing beach with open air pool and volleyball courts . More info on the park here. Note that admission is required.
This is a popular place for group events. HeyRunning organizes the free Peoples Run 5k the last weekend of every month at Chaoyang (Sun) Park, meeting at West Gate 3.
Tsingshua University and YuanMingyuan Park
University has various paths, ~1.5 miles north-south or east-west. Subway access at various points, including east gate. MAP of Yuanmingyuan Park.
This is one of the better areas to run in Beijing. A good way to get off the busy streets of Beijing is to run on the paths around the university, some of which are very nicely landscaped. It is about 1.5 miles north-south and east-west.
The university also adjoins YuanMingyuan Park to the west, which features lovely gardens, and ruins dating from 1707, burned during the Second Opium War of 1860. There are many trails in here. One can put together a nearly 5-mile run around the perimeter of Yuanmingyuan Park. Just a couple of km to the northeast of the university is Olympic Park. The park has operating hours and requires admission.
STAY
Beijing is a densely populated and heavily visited city, and there is a broad selection of centrally located hotels. There is a good cluster of hotels in central Beijing, to the east of Tianamen Square and the Palace Museum. Though busy, there is good running in this area, including some ‘run touring’ opportunities if you go at off hours. There are also lots of hotels near Purple Bamboo and Yuyuantan (Jade Lake) Park, just east of Third Ring Road.
Predictably, there are many hotels in the Olympic Park area, which is a good area for running. Also, there is a good selection of hotels just to the east and south of YuanMingyuan Park and the Summer Palace, and also near the University for good running.
Stores and Group Runs
Beijing is well served by running stores of the main shoe and sports apparel companies such as Nike, New Balance, Puma, Asics, and Reebok. They are centrally located and in major shopping areas. Anta is a popular Chinese chain with several stores in Beijing. There are several running stores just east of the Palace.
Group running is not as prevalent in Beijing as some other major cities but the scene is growing. Some organizations open to visitors who want to join a group run:
Breakfast Running Group. Most of their training is in ChaoYang Park,. Wednesday mornings 6.30am and Saturday mornings 8.30am, at gate 3 in the north west of the park (south of Solana). On Saturdays they often go for breakfast together after the run.
HeyRunning is Beijing’s largest organization organizing running groups, training sessions, and coaching. They do several group running/training events per week, with a varying calendar. They also have aerobics and yoga classes all over the city. Free 5k the last weekend of every month in Chaoyang Park at West Gate 3.
Hash House Harriers Beijing. The Beijing chapter of HHH has beer-centric runs Sunday afternoons. Their HQ bar is Paddy O’Sheas on Dongzhemenwei Dajie across from the Canadian Embassy.
Events
There is a growing number of running events in Beijing and in China.
Beijing Hyandai Marathon and Half Marathon. September. Starts in Tianamen Square.
Great Wall of China Marathon. Very popular event. Run in October and May. Multiple distance options. Starts just outside of central Beijing.
