We recommend trail shoes with good tread and grip. When running the newer section of the Wall (Jinshanling) you want shoes that will grip the bricks, the bricks tend to be slippery with the flat surface and fine grout that has come loose from the wall. When running on the trail section (around the military section of the wall) there are some steep areas with a lot of loose dirt/sand, use caution, a pair of shoes with good tread will assist you in staying upright. The Gubeikou section of the wall is a little easier than the Jinshanling, section, although still difficult, much of it is runnable due to a lot of the brick stairs being nonexistent or deteriorated, trail shoes are favored in this area as well.

On race morning a light breakfast (possibly water, bagels, bananas, and juice) will be provided for all runners at the host/departure hotel. The bus ride to the start is about 2.5 hours. We recommended you eat your breakfast at least 2 hours before the start of your race. If you have a special diet or require more food or fluids than we are providing either bring your diet from home or purchase food/fluids at one of the local stores the day before the race. There are a few really nice stores with international food close to the host hotel.

We will have full aid stations at stations 1,3,4 & 6 containing energy gels, an electrolyte capsules, cookies, pretzels, chips, candies, an electrolyte drink, water, and possibly other items. The items at these aid stations we bring from the United States so you don’t have to worry about trying to adjust to local Chinese snacks. In 2017 we had Pringles Potato Chips, Oreo Cookies, Fig Newton’s, Swedish Fish, Pretzels, Vanilla Sugar Wafers, Cheez-Its, Gimbal’s Jelly Beans, Honey Stinger Gels, Honey Stinger Chews & Honey Stinger Waffles, Gatorade, and S-Caps (Succeed Electrolyte Capsules).

Aid stations 2 & 5 will only have water due to the difficulty in getting supplies to these areas.

We will provide a light lunch, snacks, electrolyte capsules, water, and an electrolyte drink near the finish of the race for all runners.
Please be prepared for a long bus ride back to Beijing 2.5 hours to 4 hours depending on the traffic in Beijing. Prior to your journey back make sure you have urinated and can urinate. The day before the race purchase food, snacks, and fluids you can consume during the bus ride back to Beijing. After the 2.5-hour bus ride to the start, a long day running or hiking, your wait for the bus, and a 2.5-4 hour bus ride back home you are sure to be famished, please plan ahead.

• Station 1 – Generals House, full aid station, runners will leave the wall to go down 2 flights of stairs then return to the wall
• Station 2 – Where the 5K exits the wall, water only aid station
• Station 3 – East Gate, 10K runners turnaround here, marathon runners access this aid station twice and turnaround, full aid station
• Station 4 – Rural hostel, ½, and full marathoners access this, full aid station
• Station 5 – Small village access, water only aid station
• Station 6 – Gubeikou Square, ½ and full marathoner’s access this, full aid station

We will offer a drop bags for all runners near the start/finish area. We will set up the drop bag locations after the buses arrive in Jinshanling, probably while the runners are waiting in the restroom line. So when you leave the restroom look for our signs they shouldn’t be too difficult to spot.
The locations of the drop bags will be taken to are as follows:

• Finish, Please put a change of clothes for after the race, food, water, or whatever else you might need prior to returning to Beijing. NO PERSONAL ITEMS that you can’t live without!
• Station 1, At the Generals House, runners will need to climb down a few flights of stairs to access this area. NO PERSONAL ITEMS that you can’t live without!
• Station 3, At the East Gate, 10k runners &marathon runners will access this area. Marathon Runners will access it twice. NO PERSONAL ITEMS that you can’t live without!
• Station 4, At the rural hostel on the trail around the military section of the Great Wall. NO PERSONAL ITEMS that you can’t live without!
• Station 6, In Gubeikou at the far west end of the wall, ½ Marathon & Marathon Runners will access this. This is the most preferred aid station to have your drop bags at. NO PERSONAL ITEMS that you can’t live without!

Please don’t put anything valuable in ANY drop bag, ie car keys, hotel keys, cell phone, money, passport/visa, etc. When I am running an international race I bring a quart size Ziplock bag and put my visa, cash, hotel key and anything else important in it, then put it in a pocket in my hydration pack so I always have it on me. Only put items in your drop bags that you don’t care if you get back… This is very important!

Conquer the Wall Marathon running course varies in height by around 200m (about 650feet) between the start line and the highest point.

Stone guard towers are spread along the length of the wall, each some 200m to 300m apart. Stone steps, walkways and/or dirt paths following the up and down contours of the mountains.
The effect this creates for runners is similar to interval training, with the extreme effort required ascending the towers, and followed by a recovery period descending the towers. Regular training on steps and/or hills as part of your preparations for the Great Wall is highly recommended.

Conquer the Wall Marathon on the Great Wall of China is not your everyday marathon. This is an adventure marathon with a challenging course. Runners should be physically fit and in shape as this marathon can be extremely strenuous.  We suggest using the training program to help condition your body to make your race experience unforgettable.