The Beijing Marathon will start at 7:30 am on October 31, the organizing committee confirmed at a press conference for the event on October 18 in Beijing. 

The organizing committee announced how they have focused on building the brand into an important platform to showcase sports event organization, mass participation, and China's sports industry. Additionally, the supporting Beijing Marathon Adidas Family Run event will be upgraded to international marathon standards.

This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the Beijing Marathon. Cheng Jun, now 80 years old, led the country's marathon as a coach in its first race 1981 and has since participated in previous events in different capacities. He recalled his story with the Beijing Marathon during the press conference. At the 1983 Beijing Marathon, the well-known composer Gu Jianfen was invited to compose music for "Song of the Marathon." She was also present at the conference and presented the manuscript of the score of "Song of the Marathon" to the organizing committee of the event.

The organizing committee filmed a documentary and compiled a photo album to look back on 40 years of the Beijing Marathon. It also developed licensed cultural and creative products and hosted a series of online activities such as a "24-hour full online race," an "online team race," and a "10km individual race."

The Beijing Marathon Expo will be held on October 29 and 30 in Hall 10 of the Exhibition area of the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services at Shougang Park.