Great Wall Marathon

Overview

This has been by far, the most challenging race I´ve ever ran.  Charged with feelings and amazement I would recommend it to anyone with experience who loves an extraordinary challenge.

Traveling to the Great Wall.

We stayed in Beijing, so our journey began by traveling two hours to get to the Great Wall, making it just in time for the start time.  The traffic in the Chinese capital is unpredictable.

Start

We began sprinting our way to the gate to begin climbing the stairs on our way to the wall.  However, since the stairs are narrow we could not pass each other and had to keep the same pace in a single file.

The Great Wall

It is difficult to describe the sensation of reaching the great wall, to those of you who have visited before, you know what I mean.  The majesty of the mountains and the history of the wall create a unique impact that I had not experienced before.

Completely in awe, we all climbed the huge stairs and narrow paths, to then go down the steep paths and partially destroyed stone passways.

Stairs, stairs, and more stairs. We were not running up the steps, we were literally climbing with both our arms and legs to manage to go up the giant steps. I must say, I could not look very far ahead since it is scary to see how deep the way down is. I attempted to focus on one step at a time.

As we continued, the scenery became more and more impressive.

The Mountains

After about 8 km into the race we were guided into the mountain, we went down a narrow trail path through bushes, trees, and rocks.

As we made our way through the mountain, at one point, I stepped on a stone that sends me flying off a couple of meters with my complete body face down in the dirt.  Somewhat wounded, other athletes kindly helped me up.  There was no were to clean up the wounds so the challenge continued.

We ran and hiked up the mountain until we reached the great wall again, first running beside it, and then we worked our way up the wall again.

The Great Wall Part 2

As runners and many other tourists were still coming, it was a huge challenge to make it back through the wall.

In certain parts, the way is slippery and steep. At other points, the steps are not stable and the rocks are loose. Up and down. Breathing heavily and paced we worked our way through enjoying every second of the sights.

More Mountains

Finally, down the stairs again, into the highway, we took the way into the county side until we reached another mountain. Again, we climbed and climbed and climbed.  Bushes, trees, and trail paths. Enjoying the hike and the careful downhill run, as I couldn’t afford another fall, we saw the great wall from another angle.  It was just breathtaking, to see it infinite and powerful from the same height but not over it.

Finally, we worked our way out of the mountain and into the highway again.

To the finish line

Complete happiness, I was so excited to know that I was already running toward the finish line.  Among the athletes we were cheering each other, leaving everything we had left on that road.

Feeling like it’s the longest uphill ever until you hear the crowd! The finish line is ahead! Whatever is left comes out, my colleagues are there. In the blink of an eye, the medal is on my neck, and almost in tears of happiness, the challenge was completed. The most difficult and beautiful marathon, done.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the mastermind of this event, our CEO Mr. Hertzberger for making this challenge possible for us.  Thanks to my dearest friend and colleague Queenie Tong, for arranging every single detail for us, from the registration to the last moments hugging us at the finish line.

Thanks to all my colleagues and our partners for making this challenge such a fun and exciting adventure.

Finally, thanks to my friends and family for always cheering me up with kind words of encouragement and believing in me.

Photo credit: Tiago Miranda, Mark Horstman, Queenie Tong and me ;).