great wall of china half marathon

has anyone ever done this, thinking of a challenge (new runner) and wondered about this (scenic and different??!) would have to travel with leisure pursuits company, any reports??

Comments

  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    There was a race report in RW last year (I think) on this race. Challenge, yes. Scenic, undoubtedly. Different, very.

    Hard, oh yes. From memory you run on the wall itself, and up and down lots and lots of steps. Running on stone is hard on the legs, running on steps equally so but in a different way. Sounds great, but I think your training would need to be quite specific.
  • Only on the wall for 3 or four miles i think but yeah very very humid and about 800 steps up and down
  • would love to do it someday want to do the silk road trail race...
  • thanks,
    think i may keep investigating and give it a go
  • I am attempting the Great Wall of China marathon this year (21st May). I shall let you know how it goes and if anyone else out there is doing it this year I would love to hear from you.
    Siobhan
  • Hi Alison, We are the UK agent for the GWM (Leisure Pursuits was bought out by Sports Tours 2 years ago and we took over the franchise). We have 70 travelling this year - up on 12 who travelled with LPG last time they did it - and the race will have over 500 participants from around the world. 7km is on the wall itself - 3.5 km at the start & again at the finish, all of it is steep steps. The rest of the route is through the surrounding very hilly countryside on good tracks and asphelt roads. It will be hot and it starts early in the morning to avoid the worst of it. RW did a report but it was about 6 years ago I think, it is now part of our RW Travel Collection so there is likely to be a report after this years race.

    The race website is www.great-wall-marathon.com, there is a link to our web page from the advert at the top of this page our through the link from the RW Travel Collection advert.
  • Hi Siobhan

    Just seen your post on this thread. I think that we talked a litle on the way round and you passed me on the Wall the second time. I don't know about you but I thought that the event was well worth while travelling to. The organisation was excellent and the views from the Wall breath taking.

    Coming from the edge of the Fens though I found the hills and the steps rather dificult and lost a lot of time both ways.

    What was the banquet like on the Sunday? Unfortunately I had to travel back to the UK on the Sunday for a meeting so had to give that part of the weekend a miss.

    Cheers

    Mark


  • Mike, when you say " it is now part of our RW Travel Collection so there is likely to be a report after this years race", what do you mean...?!

    What's the "travel collection"?



  • The running collection is a selection of trips that are a bit different that RW chose to promote. As it turned out they didn't send a reporter this time around, having sent staff to the Algarve trainign Camp & the up coming Swiss Alpine Marathon, so it doesn't look like they will do a feature this year.
  • Not an event that gets many postings so I thought I'd boing an old thread rather than start a new one.

    Have just sent off my entry for 2006 event in May so haven't had confirmation yet, but wondered if anyone else out there was tempted, as I was, by all the positive press reports on this one. Am only up to 15 miles at the moment and this will be marathon number 13 (oooer). Looking forward to lots and lots of hill-work in the next couple of months :-)
  • Anyone doing this next year i am seriously thinking about doing it.
  • Boing.



    How much for 2013?
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