My marathons

Great Wall Marathon

Huangyaguan
Huangyaguan
Huangyaguan. Photograph by Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The route runs along the Great Wall at Huangyaguan and through local villages, with 5,164 steps on the Wall.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Villages, hills and 5,164 steps on the WallHilly village roads and the Wall's 5,164 steps.
  • 1,282 m of climbing by the organiser's count1,282 m of gain, with 28 degrees expected, plus or minus 5.
  • The gate to the Wall closes at 14:00Be at the gate at 35 km by 14:00; the race ends at 16:00.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryVillages, hills and 5,164 steps on the WallHilly village roads and the Wall's 5,164 steps.

The organiser describes a strenuous route along the Great Wall at Huangyaguan that threads local villages, with residents cheering on hilly roads, and ends with the challenging last steps of the tower, 5,164 of them. It says to expect gravel, asphalt and bricks underfoot.

Sourced

Whole courseGradient1,282 m of climbing by the organiser's count1,282 m of gain, with 28 degrees expected, plus or minus 5.

The race page lists an elevation gain of 1,282 m, a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius plus or minus 5, and a maximum of 2,500 participants. It advises light, moisture-wicking clothing, sunscreen and a hat for the warm, humid day.

Sourced

km 35 to 42.2TacticsThe gate to the Wall closes at 14:00Be at the gate at 35 km by 14:00; the race ends at 16:00.

The organiser sets an 8 hour cut-off for every distance, with a Finished No Time result for anyone slower. At 14:00 the gate leading to the Wall, at 35 km, closes, and marathon runners who have not reached it do not finish. At 16:00 the race ends and runners still on the route are driven back to the finish area.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Huangyaguan, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
8:00 h

Race week

Timetable

Saturday 15 May Race day

  1. 14:002:00 PM

    Gate to the Wall closes Marathon runners who have not reached the gate leading to the Wall by 14:00 are not allowed to finish.

  2. 16:004:00 PM

    Race ends Runners still on the route are picked up by a race official and driven back to the finish area.

  3. Time not published

    Overall time limit All distances have a cut-off time of 8 hours net; slower runners are listed as Finished No Time.

Times as published by the organiser, in Huangyaguan time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Huangyaguan time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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