Since its inception in 1999, the Great Wall Marathon has become revered as one of the world’s most challenging marathons. Throughout the years, it has developed from mere 350 runners to a sell-out event of 2500 runners, novices and experienced alike. The route takes you along the spectacular Great Wall in the venue of Huangyang, threading through local villages as you are cheered on by its residents giving you the boost needed for its hilly routes and challenging last steps of the tower (5,164…
Since its inception in 1999, the Great Wall Marathon has become revered as one of the world’s most challenging marathons. Throughout the years, it has developed from mere 350 runners to a sell-out event of 2500 runners, novices and experienced alike.
The route takes you along the spectacular Great Wall in the venue of Huangyang, threading through local villages as you are cheered on by its residents giving you the boost needed for its hilly routes and challenging last steps of the tower (5,164 to be exact!).
But this run is not only about the race. It is about the adventure of traveling together with other running-minded spirits, friends and family. Its about experiencing Chinese culture, getting to know this fantastic country, its people and local cuisine.
That’s why the race is always a part of an Entry Package which combines classic Beijing with China’s spectacular nature outside the busy metropolis.
We've put together a list of important information about travel in China. Have a look below.
Almost all non-Chinese nationals will need a visa to enter China.
There are different categories and you will most likely need a tourist visa (L). Please contact your local Chinese embassy or consulate for more information.
The procedure normally requires submitting a visa application form, paying a fee and providing the Chinese authorities with a service voucher from the Great Wall Marathon containing hotel information and dates.
Around early April, you will receive the service voucher which you can use for acquiring a visa. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please note that your passport must be valid for at least six months after entry.
Arrival transfers from the airport to the hotel will be available on 14 May 2024. Busses leave the airport in 30-45 minute intervals.
The Great Wall Marathon representatives in the arrivals hall will show you to the bus. Please be advised that there may be a waiting time of up to an hour at the airport.
To organize your pick-up, please email us your flight details.
Departure transfers are not included in the package and can be booked separately. The optional departure transfer only goes to Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) or Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX).
If you would like to add a departure transfer to your reservation, please select this option on the booking form and let us know your departure flight details.
Participants must book their flight in to Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) or Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX) with arrival no later than the day your tour starts (14 May 2024). See under transfers for information on how to get to your hotel.
Your departure from China can be arranged as you prefer, but kindly note that the optional departure transfer only goes to Beijing Capital Airport or Beijing Daxing Airport.
5-night package
For the standard 5-night package, participants have a choice of accommodation: standard, comfort, or deluxe hotels.
In general, guests should expect the standard hotels to be clean and basic, with no added amenities.
The comfort hotels will have limited amenities, while the deluxe hotels are more similar to name-brand Western hotels.
Perhaps the biggest difference lies in the food options: participants will eat breakfast (and one dinner) at their hotels, and the higher-rated hotels will have more variety and better chefs.
For the 6-night package, there is a choice between two comfort hotels (based on location) and a deluxe hotel. The comfort central hotel is located slightly outside of downtown, generally between the second and fourth ring road of Beijing.
The comfort downtown and deluxe downtown hotel are both located more centrally, meaning within the second ring road.
Please note that, in general, the standards in Chinese hotels are different than those of Western hotels. This may be apparent in aspects such as stiff mattresses or limited restaurant offerings.
We have two escorted travel options to run the Great Wall Marathon for a 5 or 6 night duration.
The first option is based in two locations: Jixian and Beijing while the second option is located entirely in Beijing.
Within each trip there are two further options based on the standard of hotel: Comfort or Deluxe.
TRAVEL OPTION 1: 5 Night (6-days) Package
Welcome to China and Jizhou - 15/05/24
Arrival to Beijing Capital (PEK) or Beijing Daxing (PKX) airport.
After checking-in at your hotel in Jizhou, Tianjin your Race Pack will be handed out by the guide. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Jizhou (formerly Jixian).
Meals: Not included
Route Inspection day - 16/05/24
Today, is Inspection Day! An important event for you to inspect the part of the route along the Great Wall and prepare yourself mentally for the challenge ahead. Race officials and medical staff will be present to answer any questions you may have.
After breakfast we board our bus and head to the Great Wall of Huangyaguan - a bus ride of 45-60 minutes. All runners are expected to walk the 3.5km section of the wall that is part of the marathon, half-marathon and 8.5k Fun Run course. Non-runners are also welcome, although good physical condition is required.
A sandwich lunch will be served after the wall walk.
Once the group is gathered again we head back to Jizhou, Tianjin and have the afternoon free to explore the town.
Meals: Breakfast and sandwich lunch
Relaxation in Jizhou with tour option - 17/05/24
Today is a good day for relaxing before the big race day tomorrow. Take in the local atmosphere of Jizhou, Tianjin, or go on the optional excursion that takes visitors to Qing Dynasty Tombs. The tour includes lunch. Learn more about this tour below, under "Excursions".
Tonight dinner in your hotel is included with additional rice and noodle dishes.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner included (lunch is provided for those going on the optional excursion)
Race Day - 18/05/24
Today is the big day! After an early breakfast, we'll leave Jizhou at 05:00am and head to the race venue in Huangyaguan. Please remember to check-out of your hotel room in Jizhou, as we will leave for Beijing at the end of the day. After an aerobics warm-up and speeches by local officials, the race will start at 7:30am.
Sandwich lunches will be provided for everyone in the finish area. A 20-minute massage on site is included after the race. Shuttle buses will take runners back to Beijing between 12 and 4:30pm.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Exploring Beijing, excursion options & evening celebration party - 19/05/24
Today is a day of recovery. Sleep in, relax, do a bit of shopping in the Silk Market or fill your senses with the sights and sounds of Beijing.
Two optional excursions are available today. Please note, these must be purchased prior to your arrival in China. Take in classic Beijing highlights with the City of Emperors tour or visit the giant panda and Summer Palace on the City of People tour.
In the evening, we all gather for the big celebration dinner. All participants will be picked up at their hotels and taken to the party venue tonight.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner included (lunch is provided for those going on an optional excursion)
Farewell China - 20/05/24
Depending on your departure time, you might be able to do some last-minute shopping or take in more of Beijing's sights. Hotel check-out is before noon.
Please note that the departure transfer is not included in the package but can be pre-booked at an extra cost. See prices for details.
Meal: Breakfast
TRAVEL OPTION 2: 6 Night (7-days) Package
Welcome to Beijing - 14/05/24
Arrival to Beijing Capital (PEK) or Beijing Daxing (PKX) airport.
After checking in to your hotel, check the hotel notice board to confirm your tour guide's name and phone number. Goodie bags will be handed out by the guide. If you don't receive your goodie bag today, it will be given to you on Inspection Day.
The rest of the day is free for you to explore Beijing.
Meals: Not included
Beijing Highlights - 15/05/24
A visit to Beijing is not complete without seeing the city's three most famous landmarks, so today features a classic sightseeing tour.
The first stop of our day's exploration is Tiananmen Square from where we continue to the Forbidden City and spend the rest of the morning there. As we exit the Forbidden City it's time for lunch, which will be a delicious local speciality - Beijing roast duck.
After lunch we continue our sightseeing tour with a stop at the beautiful Temple of Heaven. The last stop of the afternoon will be a visit to a silk exhibition hall, where a large variety of silk products can be purchased.
In the evening we head out for dinner. Afterwards an optional acrobatics show is available for purchase, but must be pre-booked in advance to secure seats. Enjoy a fantastic evening out and watch a spectacular performance by talented acrobats. Learn more under "Excursions".
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Route Inspection Day - 16/05/24
Today, is Inspection Day! An important event for you to inspect the part of the route along the Great Wall and prepare yourself mentally for the challenge ahead. Race officials and medical staff will be present to answer any questions you may have.
Our day will begin early in the morning as we board our bus and head to the Great Wall for route inspection. Breakfast will be served as a breakfast box that can be enjoyed on the 2.5 hours drive to the Huangyaguan Great Wall, which is our race venue.
All runners are expected to walk the 3.5km section of the wall that is part of the marathon, half-marathon and 8.5k Fun Run course. Non-runners are also welcome, although good physical condition is required. A sandwich lunch will be served after the wall walk.
Once the group is gathered again we will drive back and arrive in Beijing around 5pm. The rest of the evening will be at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast and sandwich lunch
Relaxation in Beijing or Ming Tombs visit - 17/05/24
You have the day in Beijing to get mentally prepared for tomorrow's race in the way you want. Go shopping, enjoy one of Beijing's many parks, find a nearby spa or simply relax in your hotel room - choice is yours.
You also have the choice of joining the optional excursion to the Ming Tombs.
Meals: Breakfast (lunch also included if you book the Ming Tombs tour)
Race Day - 18/05/24
Today is the big day!
Breakfast boxes will be handed out before we leave for Huangyaguan at 3:30am. The race starts at 7:30am. Sandwich lunches will be provided for everyone at the race site.
Busses will be ready to take runners back to Beijing between 12 and 4:30pm. A 20-minute massage on site is included after the race.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Explore Beijing, excursion options & evening celebration party - 19/05/24
Today is a day of recovery. Sleep in, relax, do a bit of shopping in the Silk Market or fill your senses with the sights and sounds of Beijing.
If you want to make the most out of your visit to Beijing you can join today's excursion and see the giant panda and the Summer Palace on the City of People tour.
In the evening, we all gather for the big celebration dinner. All participants will be picked up at their hotels and taken to the party venue tonight.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner included (lunch is provided for those going on the optional excursion)
Farewell Beijing - 20/05/24
Depending on your departure time, you might be able to do some last-minute shopping or take in more of Beijing's sights. Hotel check-out is before noon.
Meals: Breakfast
ADD-ON TOURS IN CHINA
Acrobatics Show - 15/05/24
An entertaining evening is in store for you! Prepare to be impressed by a spectacular show of breathtaking performances by a troupe of talented acrobats.
Acrobatics is a traditional Chinese performing art. The history of acrobatics in China can be traced back to Neolithic times. By 300BC, skills such as walking on 3m-high stilts and juggling daggers had been developed. The art form has evolved a great deal throughout time and today Chinese acrobatics is an inheritance of tradition and evolving techniques.
Please note: The excursion starts from the dinner restaurant around 19:00.
This excursion can only be purchased with the 6-night itinerary.
Qing Tombs - 17/05/24
This excursion consists of a tour of the Qing Dynasty tombs followed by a Chinese lunch. Today we'll make our way to the magnificent Qing Tombs located in Zunhua and nestled between four mountains. Our first stop will be at Yuling, one of the most splendid royal tombs. Next, we'll pay a visit to Ding Dongling, the tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi, the woman who ruled imperial China behind a curtain for 48 years.
Please note: The excursion begins from the hotel lobby.
This excursion can only be purchased with the 6-day itinerary.
Ming Tombs - 17/05/24
We’ll start the day with a visit to a cloisonné factory. Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metal objects or ceramics. After a tour, you will be able to browse a dazzling collection of various colours and styles of cloisonné.
After lunch, we'll head to the Ming tombs in a valley south of the Tianshou mountains, about 50km west of Beijing. Enter the valley through the Great Red Gate – one of the largest stone archways in China – and explore the ‘Sacred Way,’ a long path leading to the tombs that is lined with larger-than-life stone sculptures.
Summer Palace - 19/05/24
This excursion will take us to the Beijing Zoo to see the endangered giant panda. We will continue to the Summer Palace in the outskirts of Beijing.
Our day will begin with a visit to the Beijing Zoo to see giant pandas. After the visit to the zoo, we'll head to the Summer Palace, just outside of Beijing. The Summer Palace was built several hundred years ago during the Jin Dynasty but has been renovated on numerous occasions since then.
After the Summer Palace, we will visit a pearl exhibition hall, which is located just outside the palace. On the way back to the city, we'll make a photo stop outside the Olympic Village, where we'll be able to see the Bird's Nest National Stadium and Water Cube National Aquatics Centre. Lunch is included.
Forbidden City - 19/05/24
We begin the excursion at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest squares in the world, located in the heart of modern Beijing. We continue north to the Forbidden City and enter through the arched gateway with the iconic portrait of Mao. Most of the morning will be spent exploring the extensive grounds and many buildings.
Lunch will be a delectable meal consisting of the city's signature dish, roasted Beijing Duck.
After lunch, we'll continue sightseeing at the beautiful Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing. The afternoon will end with a visit to a silk exhibition hall where we'll be introduced to the intricacies of silk-making from the reeling of silk from cocoons to dyeing the fabric. A large variety of silk products such as dresses, blouses, bedding and hats can be purchased here.
This excursion can only be purchased with the 5-ngiht itinerary.
EXTENSIONS
AVATAR MOUNTAINS - 20-25/05/24
Beijing, Zhangjiajie - 20/05/24
In the afternoon, we will begin the next chapter of your journey through China with an evening flight from Beijing to Zhangjiajie in China’s Hunan province. Upon arrival in Zhangjiajie, we will drive directly our 4-star hotel for check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
Sightseeing & National Forest - 21/05/24
After a good night’s sleep and an early breakfast, we will enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Also known as the first national forest park in China, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park’s unique landscape inspired the floating "Hallelujah Mountains" of Pandora in James Cameron’s award-winning movie, Avatar.
The day’s excursion will begin with a cable car ride, which will transport us from Zhangjiajie City up into the National Forest. One of today’s highpoints will be Zhangjiajie National Forest Park’s gigantic, rugged quartz-sandstone monoliths, which stand tall in stark contrast to the lush tufts of dense, green foliage that adorns them.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Tianmen Mountain & Cave - 22/05/24
On day 3 of our visit in Zhangjiajie, we will be picked up from our hotel for a brief drive to Tianmen Mountain and the world’s highest naturally formed cave, Tianmen Cave. For those not afraid of heights, it is possible to book a ticket to the Glass Stack Road - a narrow path of glass floor built into the vertical cliffside of Tianmen Mountain.
Tianmen Mountain is also famous for its unique natural wonder, Tianmen Cave, a door-like cave or “Heaven’s Gate Cave” that formed in ancient times following the collapse of a rock precipice. To reach the cave, one must climb up 999 steps, known as “Heaven’s Stairway”. It’s a tiresome climb that will take about 30 minutes, but the views are spectacular and well-worth the effort.
On the way back, we will stop at a local market. Following dinner, we will drive approximately 3 hours to the old town of Fenghuang, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, and will check-in to our 4-star hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Dehang Miao Minority Village - 23/05/24
We will visit the Dehang Miao Minority Village, explore its marvelous mountain scenery and learn more about one of China’s most colourful ethnic tribes. In the local language, “Dehang” means “beautiful valley” and the site of this village is precisely that – a beautiful, lush green valley situated below steep cliffs.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Changsa - 24/05/24
The morning is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Upon checking out of our hotel, we will head to the Huaihua Railway station and take the bullet train to the city of Changsa. Upon our arrival in the late afternoon, we will visit the Mawangdui Museum - also known as the "Oriental Pompeii". Afterwards, we will check-in to our 4-star hotel.
The evening will begin with a classic Hunan Cuisine dinner, followed by a visit to the local night food market.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Beijing - 25/05/24
After an early breakfast, we will head to the airport for our flight to Beijing. We expect to arrive in Beijing before noon.
If you are leaving China from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), you should not book your flight earlier than 16:00. If your flight out of China is also today, but from Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX), you should not book any flight departing earlier than 19:00.
Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Tang Dynasty dancing show.
Return to Beijing - 22/05/24
Our visit to Xi'an is now over, so we will have a morning transfer to the train station, and from there, take a bullet train once again heading towards Beijing, where we will arrive in the afternoon, marking the end of our tour. Once there, transfer to the airport is not included, but taxis are plentiful. Alternatively you can book the departure transfer. We recommend you book your flight after 19:00 (7:00 pm), to ensure you have enough time to get from the train station to the airport.
Meals: Breakfast
Deposit for both runner and supporter - £300.00 per person
Balance due no later than 10-weeks prior to departure.
5 NIGHT PACKAGE:
Prices are per person
| Hotel | Double / Twin | Single room supplement |
| Standard, Central | £1359 | £280 |
| Comfort, Central | £1564 | £320 |
| Deluxe, Central | £1745 | £465 |
Inclusions
Excursions for 5-night Package:
| Optional's | Date | Price per person |
| Qing Tombs | 17 May | £80 |
| Forbidden City | 19 May | £68 |
| Summer Palace | 19 May | £68 |
| Departure Transfer | 20 May | From - £52 |
6 NIGHT PACKAGE:
Prices are per person
| Hotel | Double / Twin | Single room supplement |
| Comfort, Central | £1520 | £453 |
| Comfort, Downtown | £1784 | £481 |
| Deluxe, Downtown | £2045 | £705 |
Inclusions
Exclusions
Excursion for 6-night Package:
| Optional Excursions | Date | Price per person |
| Acrobatics Show | 15 May | £48 |
| Ming Tombs | 17 May | £68 |
| Summer Palace | 19 May | £68 |
| Departure Transfer | 20 May | From - £52 |
EXTENSIONS
Avatar Mountains:
| Item | Price (per person) |
| Double / Twin | £1436 |
| Single room supplement | £240 |
| Glass Stack Road entry | £52 |
Inclusions
Exclusions
Terracotta Army:
| Item | Price (per person) |
| Double / Twin | £722 |
| Single room supplement | £136 |
Inclusions
Exclusions
Deposit for both runner and supporter - £300.00 per person
Balance due no later than 10-weeks prior to departure.
For further information email 2:09 Events on info@209events.com
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