How I climbed the Great Wall of China

Location:
China

running, marathon, Great Wall

By Hélène Franchineau

« You are not a real man until you climbed the Great Wall ». Those words, from Mao Zedong, were echoing in my head as I got on the bus that would take us from the hotel to one of the Great Wall’s sites in the south of Beijing, near the coastal city of Tianjin. It was three in the morning.

The vast majority of the tourists, when they go to the Great Wall of China, climb it the normal way: they have a walk on this colossal monument, take lots of pictures, are very impressed, and then leave. I chose a different way, one that only happens once a year in the middle of May: I ran a marathon on the Great Wall.

It has been by far the most challenging day in my life. But I saw the Great Wall in a way very few people did. The race started at 7:30 in the morning and soon, the 1,000 or so participants started climbing the first of the two sections on the Great Wall itself. The weather was ideal: the sky was turquoise blue and the cool breeze through my running clothes reminded me that it was, fortunately, early morning. No matter how irregular the ground was on the wall, how steep the steps were, big or small, wide or tiny, my only driving force was that I kept telling myself: “keep running”! Soon the path started to go down and it became easier to run, and I was really enjoying the wonderful landscape that lay before my eyes.

I couldn’t really feel my legs anymore after this first part on the Great Wall, but I had to keep running, that was why I was there for, right? Then the path led me deep into the Chinese countryside. I ran through several dusty villages, where most of the inhabitants were standing on the side of the road, looking with curiosity to all these foreigners, and cheering at us. Many children started running a few meters with me, while screaming “Hello!” and laughing. I will always remember their kindness as something that helped throughout this challenge.

I had been running for several hours, and the warm sunlight was starting to burn my skin. Soon it was time for the second part –and the most difficult! on the Great Wall. I was too weak to climb up the stairs without stopping countless times to rest. When I arrived on the wall itself, it was all the more fascinating and impressive than I was the only one on it at that moment. But I had to finish that marathon; I knew I was close to the finish line. I ran down the road leading from the Great Wall to the villages, and took a right turn. I was passing more and more people who had already completed the race, and who were kindly cheering me up for the last meters. I took a deep breath, ran faster for the last effort…And there I was, crossing the finish line, posing for the souvenir picture, holding a medal testifying that I had completed the Great Wall marathon. It was a wonderful, but oh so hard! experience, a different way to climb the Great Wall of China, and how proud I was!

Further Information

Travel tips: Don't forget your camera, even if you come to take part in the marathon.

Must see/do at this place: Enjoy the scenery, and the fact that you are walking on the only monument we can (supposedly) see from the moon!

You should avoid here: Please avoid wearing unconfortable shoes: bring along sports shoes and some water, as it is quite exhausting...