Running the Great Wall

by+Zhang+Wei

“On your mark… Get set… Go！” On May 17， 2014， the 15th China Tianjin Huangyaguan Great Wall International Marathon kicked off at Huangyaguan （Yellow Cliff Pass） section of the Great Wall in Jixian County， Tianjin， drawing over 2，500 runners from 50 countries. Since its launch in 1999， 14 Great Wall Marathons have been held and sanc- tioned by the Association of International Marathons. The race is jointly sponsored by Tianjin Tourism Administration and Jixian County Peoples Government.

Runners participated in three events， in-cluding the full marathon， a half marathon， and an 8.5km Fun Run. The full marathon has been classified as a wild route in line with international standards by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Of the runners， the oldest was 76， and the youngest， five. Henrik Brandt from Denmark is the only runner who has participated in all 15 Great Wall Marathons since 1999. “Ill continue running in every event in the future as a faithful fan，” he declared.

It was not all about competition. During the event， participants enjoyed the splendor of the ancient Great Wall as well as the beauty of various tiny villages along the way.