Great Wall of China Marathon (GWCM)

Wow - This is a must! You collect your bib and after race drop off bag with a technical long-sleeved t-shirt the day before hand in the hotel reception. On the morning you are collected from the designated hotel at 5:30am in the morning to travel to start of the race for a 8:00am start. Which seemed like a rustic hostle. Bring plenty of warm clothing as the weather is initially super cold and windy at the top of the wall! You will benefit from a camel bac and your own nutrition for the race, the finishing times are not like a normal race. Be prepared to be slow, there are plenty of single file trails with limited overtaking, when you get on top of the wall you will want photos of the scenery! Some parts of the wall are extremely steep, you will be crawling up it, if you do have a problem with heights – oh dear… You will be given a timing chip, each check point is marked with specifically coloured wrist bands. All routes are very clearly marked. There will be no one other than the participants on this part of the wall, it is remote. You will travel from the start on a quiet road, up the side of the mountains through woodland and climb onto the Great Wall of China via a wooden ladder which is propped against the side of the wall with a man holding it in place. You will travel along the Great Wall of China for a mile with an elevation of around 3,850 feet in total. By mile five you are coming down from the experience, there is however more steady elevation as you return back up another trail past a working farm. At the base check in point there is plenty additional water in bottles, fruit and pastries. People of all ages participate in this event from 10 year olds to 70 year olds. When you have finished you will be transported by bus back to the hotel at two different times. Remember to bring your lunch and hydration after such extreme exertion. The organisers are super helpful and go out of their way to make sure your adventure goes smoothly.

The full marathon is very much a different, harder and technical race. You travel on a part of the wall that is abandoned, that the other distances do not use. Be mindful of the additional exertion.

I adore the above information and uam ready to participate

It was well

Badly organised and poor set up