Great Wall of China Marathon (GWCM)

About the Event

The Great Wall of China Marathon (GWCM) on May 1st is not just a run; it is a full-body vertical assault. Unlike standard road marathons, your pace will likely be twice as slow due to the extreme physical demands of the ancient stone structure. Here is the breakdown of what you are actually signing up for.

The course is defined by its "unrelenting steps." While exact step counts vary by year and section, you will be navigating thousands of stone stairs that are not uniform. Some steps are only a few centimeters high, while others are "knee-smackers" exceeding 40 cm. You are often climbing at near-vertical angles, only to then descend steep, crumbling ramps of rock and concrete that can be incredibly slippery when dusty or wet.

Course Feature	Physical Reality
The Wall Sections	A mix of restored "tourist" steps and wild, original ruins. Expect loose gravel, missing bricks, and narrow passageways.
Elevation Profile	Extreme "Interval" style terrain. You are either power-climbing or quad-braking. Total gain can exceed 1,000+ meters.
The "Goat Track"	A notorious, ultra-steep dirt descent used to transition off the wall into the valley villages.
Off-Wall Terrain	Roughly 70–80% of the race (depending on distance) takes place on gravel roads and village paths through local farmlands.

Weather is a silent killer in May. Even if the air feels mild at the 6:00 a.m. start, the stone of the Great Wall absorbs heat. By midday, you are running in a "stone oven" with high humidity and very little shade. Full marathoners have to hit strict cut-off times (usually 6 hours at the 34K mark) or they are pulled from the course for safety.

The "Great Wall Marathon" name is shared by different organizers. The May 1st GWCM is known for being smaller and more "raw," often moving between sections like Badaling or Mutianyu. The Albatros race (usually mid-May) is the "5,164 steps" event at Huangyaguan, while Conquer the Wall (Simatai) is the most brutal, featuring over 20,000 steps on mostly unrestored ruins.

Races Offered

10K

May 01, 2026

straighten

Distance — 10K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:00

sell

$250.00

5K

May 01, 2026

straighten

Distance — 5K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:00

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$250.00

Half Marathon

May 01, 2026

straighten

Distance — 21.1K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:00

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$250.00

Marathon

May 01, 2026

straighten

Distance — 42.2K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:00

sell

$250.00

Weather Overview

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for May in Beijing.

Temp (°C)

Feels Like (°C)

thermostat 15.5° / 27.4°

wb_sunny 13.6° / 24.6°

Wind (km/h)

Humidity (%)

air 10.9 /

water_drop 48.1%

Temp (°C)

Feels Like (°C)

Wind (km/h)

Humidity (%)

thermostat 15.5° / 27.4°

wb_sunny 13.6° / 24.6°

air 10.9 km/h

water_drop 48.1%

About Beijing

Learn more about the host city, Beijing.

Beijing is China's capital and its second-largest city after Shanghai, with a population of around 22 million. With a rich history as the capital of Imperial China for much of its past, Beijing became the political and cultural heart of the People's Republic of China following the Chinese revolutions.