Run The Great Wall Marathon
Still to do
Five thousand steps, steep and uneven, along the Great Wall of China, in the middle of a marathon.
The adventure
The start is in Yin and Yang Square in the Huangyaguan fortress, and within a few kilometres you're on the Wall itself. It isn't flat. The steps go up and down the ridges in uneven flights, some knee-high, some so steep you use your hands, and there are 5,164 of them on the course.
Between the Wall sections the route runs through villages and farmland, where locals come out to cheer and children high-five the runners. Then you go back up the Wall in the second half, legs burning, with the watchtowers stretching away along the mountains. Finishing times are often an hour or more slower than a road marathon, which tells you everything. It combines two goals on the list: the Great Wall and the marathon.
Why it’s epic
- 5,164 steps on the Huangyaguan section of the Wall.
- Run every May since 1999.
- Half marathon and shorter distances too.
What it is
Held each May since 1999, the Great Wall Marathon includes 5,164 steps on and around the Huangyaguan section of the Wall, plus farm tracks and villages. It's one of the toughest road marathons in the world.
How to do it
Enter through the organisers, Albatros Adventure Marathons, usually as a package including hotels in Beijing, a course inspection and transport.
Top tip
Forget your normal marathon time. Train on stairs, and walk the steep sections to save your legs.
Need to know
- Most runners go on an organised package including visas and transfers.
- May can be hot and humid; carry fluids.
- Travel insurance should cover running events abroad.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- A week's trip
- Best time to go
- May
- Fly into
- PEK airport
The race package, flights to Beijing and hotels add up.
Make it happen
Why it’s on my list
Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.
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