China: The Great Wall Marathon – Saturday 21st May

If the Big Sur Marathon is challenging, then China’s Great Wall Marathon is nothing short of sheer madness. Taking place along the Huangya Pass section of the Wall, which lies on a precipitous mountain ridge, the race traverses more than 5,000 steep stone steps with hair-raising ascents and descents, which probably accounts for why the entrants tend to number less than a thousand each year. Not for the faint-hearted, but not just for elite athletes either. According to the organisers, anyone can do it as long as they’re fully prepared and have a lot of willpower. And be prepared to hit the wall…literally.
Great Wall Marathon